Congenital dislocation of the hip (hip dysplasia) is a common disease in newborns. The earlier it is diagnosed, the easier the recovery period is. Treatment is carried out using various devices, including the Vilensky splint - a mechanical structure for spreading the baby’s legs.
What is a Vilensky splint?
Vilensky splints for children are one of the most common orthopedic structures for correcting disorders of the hip joint. Externally, the structure is an ordinary spacer. In its center there is a telescopic mechanism. Using it, you can increase or decrease the length of the tube that separates the child’s legs. In this way, it is possible to adjust the angle of separation, which is set by an orthopedic specialist. There are thick cuffs along the edges of the device. They are used to secure the baby's legs in the hips or lower legs.
Product care rules
From time to time, your baby's legs need to be given a rest. This can be done while swimming, when the spacers are removed. During this time, the orthopedic spacers can be cleaned and washed: the leather cuffs can be removed from dirt and sweat, and also disinfected with alcohol to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms. Then the structure should be dried well and put on the baby again. The tire must be completely dry; any remaining moisture will have a detrimental effect on the leather straps. However, they should be dried indoors, away from heating appliances. In the sun, the straps can dry out, become stiffer and dig into the child's skin.
Vilensky splint - how to wear it correctly?
When prescribing such a device for a child, doctors always indicate how the Vilensky splint should be installed correctly: on the hips or in the lower leg area. In most cases, the second option is used. It makes wearing the splint much easier, giving more freedom of action for the mother (you can change the baby's diaper without removing the splint).
To overcome such a disorder as dysplasia, the Vilensky splint must be installed correctly:
- The spacer should not slip: each leg is laced well and secured in the position indicated by the doctor.
- The splint must be worn constantly; it is allowed to be removed only while the baby is bathing.
- It is better to fix the regulator located in the middle of the tire with electrical tape so that it does not change its location.
- It is better to use onesies and bodysuits with buttons - this will make the process of changing the child easier.
Vilensky splint - how to wear it correctly?
The doctor shows you how to put on a Vilensky splint for the first time. Mom should try to repeat the same actions as correctly as possible, remembering the sequence of application.
The splint must be applied on a hard surface, following the following algorithm:
- The child is placed on his back and his legs are spread as shown by the doctor.
- First, one leg is passed into a leather belt and fixed at the level indicated by the orthopedist, then this is done with the second.
- Lace up thoroughly, but not tightly.
Vilensky splint - how long to wear?
When telling parents how to wear a Vilensky splint correctly, doctors always pay attention to the duration of the correction period. The splint should be worn by the child around the clock, with a break for bathing. Depending on the nature of the disorder and the degree of dysplasia, the entire course of wearing a splint can last 4–9 months. Only after the joint structure that needs correction has reached its development or the dislocation has been reduced, the orthopedist will decide to remove the splint.
Afterword
It's been exactly five days since I completed this review that I decided to write an afterword. Initially, I planned to make some summary and express my opinion, but it seems to me that if the reader makes his own choice, it will be more correct. For some, the most important thing is the child’s comfort; a person is ready to buy ten identical tires and change them once a week; another person will only be ready to re-stitch the cuffs, and the third does not want to change anything, because he believes that everything should be perfect and without interference. Alas, among Vilensky’s tires there is no manufacturer for whom there are no complaints. And then the Sevastopol tire that my daughter wears on her hips broke. Literally ten minutes ago, which is why I am writing this afterword, in no way touching the main text, and I would really like to make an edit now. In general, for a hip splint, I’m afraid that only the Turner version is really suitable for long-term wear. What happened to the Sevastopol one, how did it get torn like that? Plastic attachments are attached with rivets to the cuffs. The rivets were ripped out of the cuffs...
PS: an article was written in February 2014, in March we flew to Germany for surgery, and in June, after the plaster was removed, we were given a new splint in Stuttgart. After a month of using the tire, I prepared a review and also took some photos of the tire. Article: Otto Bock tire, there is also a short video.
Vilensky splint: indications for use, wearing rules
The Vilensky splint is an orthopedic design for correct abduction of the legs of young children with congenital and acquired anomalies of the hip joints. The device fixes the head of the femur in the center of the acetabulum of the pelvic bone. With its help, they regulate the angle of hip extension and reduce the load on the joints. The Vilensky splint is a telescopic spacer made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel with a clamping screw in the middle and cuffs made of genuine leather for fixation on the legs or thighs. The length of the tube for dilating the child’s legs is increased or decreased. The abduction angle is determined by the orthopedic surgeon. The materials used do not cause allergies or irritation.
When to use the product
The Vilensky splint is intended to correct the following pathologies:
- dysplasia of the pelvic bones;
- incorrect position (lateralization) of the femoral head;
- congenital dislocations and subluxations of the femur;
- deformities of the femoral neck of viral origin (plow vara);
- wearing a splint is justified in the final period of reduction of hip dislocation.
The mechanism is intended for the complex treatment of orthopedic pathologies in infants that require an abducted position of the pelvic bones.
The Vilensky tire has three standard sizes:
- small size (from birth to four months, which ensures abduction of the pelvic joints from 16 to 23 cm);
- medium size (from four to twelve months, which separates the joints by 21-33 cm);
- large (designed for children from one year old and separates joints by 29-49 cm).
Along with this, pediatric orthopedists recommend the production of custom-made splints in specialized medical salons. After all, such devices, made in accordance with individual measurements, will be doubly effective. They are able to provide the best centralization (concentration) of the femoral head in the acetabulum. You should choose the size, method of fixation and time of wearing the device only on the recommendation of a doctor.
Which is better - the Vilensky tire or the Freik pillow?
Wanting to speed up and facilitate the recovery process, mothers are often interested in which device is better - the Vilensky splint or the Freik pillow. The last device in its design resembles a bandage that is used to treat hip dysplasia. Its main difference is the lack of ability to adjust the distance between the thighs when spreading.
The splint has a certain size and is held with a bandage on the child’s body. As the baby grows, parents have to purchase a new bandage of a larger size or the insert itself (if provided for by the design), which is expensive. Considering this, doctors and parents prefer the Vilensky splint.
Dysplasia – Blog
The Vilensky splint is a structure that is put on a child, usually at the very end of treatment for joint dysplasia. As a rule, after it the doctor says that now everything can be removed, and come back for an x-ray in six months, but now all that remains is to do a course of strengthening massage; well, or annoyingly reports that nothing has helped and the only option is surgery for the child, by the way, after the operation and the cast, they will put this splint on the child again. In any case, the Vilensky bus is the final stage. The only people who are not prescribed this design are infants who have not even learned to crawl yet, since its task is to reduce the load on the joint and also center the heads. The splint can be worn on clothing or on bare legs. It depends only on the type of Vilensky splint and the wishes of the parents.
The main tire manufacturers are:
- CYTO
- Hospital named after Zatsepin
- Turner Institute
- Sevastopol prosthetic workshop
- Otto Bock. Orthosis according to John and Korn (German splint, link to our separate review + video)
The first two Moscow institutions make universal tires, the second two exclusively individual ones. Universality or individuality is somewhat controversial here, but in any case, there are differences. A universal tire is a tire with which you can’t really do anything at all; it lies on the display case, take it and rejoice. They come in different sizes. and are also adjustable telescopically. Individual tires are made to order and according to the child’s measurements. At the Turner Institute, the tires are also of two sizes, quite universal, but there are no cuffs on them initially - the cuffs are carefully made there according to the dimensions of the child’s legs. Next, the tire can be easily adjusted telescopically. There are two types of Sevastopol tires: the first have an individual cuff, and adjustment is carried out only in shoe repair or at home using a grinder; the second tire is not adjustable at all; it is entirely custom-made. Which tire is better to take is up to the parents to decide.
How the device works
When a baby is diagnosed with dysplasia, this means that the pelvic joint is not in its natural position, but in an inverted position. When a joint dislocates, it moves relative to the acetabulum. In this case, the pathology is accompanied by muscle weakness, since the joint cannot independently stay in its intended place. Pathologies can only be eliminated by fixing the joint with spacers, which require long-term wearing. After all, the joint takes a long time to recover and it will take several months to restore it.
Brief conclusions
Timely use of the Vilensky splint will eliminate the pathology in early childhood.
The sooner treatment begins, the faster the patient will recover and the mechanism can be removed. Despite new technologies and advances in modern medicine, the feedback about the Vilensky splint and its effectiveness is positive. Compared to other similar designs, the device does not affect the position of the feet, provides freedom of movement, maintains muscle tone and allows development according to age.
Advantages and disadvantages of the mechanism
The device is a unique orthopedic design that has been used in pediatric orthopedics for half a century, however, it is not without its drawbacks. After all, there are no perfect things in our world.
Therefore, this device has its pros and cons. The advantages include:
- product versatility;
- no contraindications;
- effectiveness of treatment (spacers can be removed when the joints have fully recovered);
- spacers do not interfere with the baby’s motor abilities, growth and development;
- the product can be selected according to size, which contributes to the rapid restoration of the pelvic bones.
The disadvantages include:
- certain discomfort for the child;
- inaccurate fixation, in which the cuffs slide off the legs even with a sufficiently strong fastening;
- The design is designed for long-term wearing (at least 4-5 months).
Parents should be aware that it is dangerous to make decisions on their own to stop wearing the product. Remember, your child’s health is at stake and what it will be like in the future largely depends on you.