Mehad: the Saudi tradition of infant wrapping as a possible aetiological factor in congenital dislocation of the hip.

A study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and the association between congenital dislocation of the hip and the Saudi tradition of infant wrapping with lower limbs in the extended adducted position (mehad). Fifty patients with an established diagnosis of congenital dislocation of the hip and, for comparison, a randomly selected group of 100 Saudi families with a total number of 414 children were included in this study. The results have shown that infant wrapping was very common, with no significant statistical difference in the prevalence between patients with an established diagnosis of congenital dislocation of the hip and the randomly selected group. The most commonly given reason for its use was to prevent limb deformities. Although on statistical grounds one cannot assume that infant wrapping as practised in Saudi Arabia is a cause of hip dislocation, the possibility exists that it may affect the future progress of a dislocated, subluxated or potentially dislocatable hip unfavourably. Accordingly, this practice should be actively discouraged.