Legs held aloft while softly sleeping or watching a programme on a tablet in her cot, charming Athena Phillips makes the arduous process of traction look like child’s play.
The little girl was born with a severe hip disorder that would have left her unable to walk without treatment.
Now, aged eight – and after the traction, two operations and a variety of unusual casts to help her heal – she’s a little dynamo who loves tearing around at home and sport.
Her mother, Alexa Phillips, said: ‘You worry so much the whole way through pregnancy, so when something happens it blindsides you. Athena’s condition was extreme and it’s not that common to affect both hips.
‘When she took her first steps it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It was breathtaking.’
Athena Phillips was born with a severe hip disorder that would have left her unable to walk without treatment
Athena’s mother, Alexa, has written a book, Athena’s Magic Trousers, to help other children diagnosed with the condition and their families
Athena was a day old in April 2015 when a physical examination at Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire revealed a slight click in one of her hips.
Further tests confirmed she had the most severe form of developmental dysplasia, a congenital condition where the socket of the hip is too shallow to hold the ball-shaped head of the femur in place, preventing the leg from developing properly.
The condition is severe enough in one in 1,000 newborns to require surgery. But having it in both hips occurs just once in every 10,000 births.
Athena was referred to University Hospital Southampton, a world centre of excellence for hip dysplasia, as without treatment she would have grown up in increasing pain, hampered by a heavy limp and struggling with any physical activity or sport.
‘It’s quite shocking for any mum in that situation but the staff were very supportive,’ said Mrs Phillips, an English teacher from Ringwood, Hampshire.
Initially, doctors decided to use a Pavlik harness, a type of soft splint that keeps the hips and knees bent and the thighs spread apart.
But after ten days she suffered a femoral nerve palsy, an extremely rare event where the nerve gets trapped, causing loss of movement.
The harness treatment had to be stopped and the decision was made to operate – although each leg would have to be dealt with separately.
Before the procedures, Athena spent time in traction, with her legs secured in the air at a 90-degree angle for seven days.
Athena said: ‘I’m really happy that children will get to read my book. I want it to help them not be worried. I hope their magic trousers work like mine did’
Developmental dysplasia is a rare condition where the socket of the hip is too shallow to hold the ball-shaped head of the femur in place, preventing the leg from developing properly
Doctors decided to use a Pavlik harness, a type of soft splint that keeps the hips and knees bent and the thighs spread apart
This relaxed the leg muscles and pulled them into a better position for surgery, as they had been distorted by the hip dislocations.
‘The surgeons referred to it as gallows traction, which sounds a little scary. I preferred to call her my ‘trapeze baby’,’ said Mrs Phillips, 40.
Athena had her first operation on March 3, 2016 – a two-hour procedure during which an incision was made in the right hip to open the joint and allow the ball of the hip to fit back into the socket.
She was then placed in a spica cast that covers both legs, the waist and abdomen to secure the recovering joint in the right position and became known as ‘Athena’s magic trousers’.
The cast had to be removed under another general anaesthetic on April 19 and Athena was able to celebrate her first birthday later that month before having the procedure on her left leg on May 3, following by another stint in a spica cast.
This was removed on June 14 and replaced with a ‘broomstick’ cast, again to keep the legs apart and as immobile as possible to aid healing.
Athena had her first operation in March 3, 2016, a procedure during which an incision was made in the right hip to open the joint and allow the ball of the hip to fit back into the socket
‘It was an absolutely blinding transformation. Now Athena loved paddleboarding, tree climbing, wall climbing – she’s so physical,’ said Athena’s mother
The cast was taken off on July 19 and Athena delivered a belated Christmas present on December 31 that year when she took her first steps.
‘It was an absolutely blinding transformation. Now Athena loved paddleboarding, tree climbing, wall climbing – she’s so physical,’ said mother-of-one Mrs Phillips.
‘She’s been able to become who she was meant to be because of the freedoms the surgeons brought her.’
The course of treatment was led by consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Mr Alex Aarvold, who joined University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust the year Harry Potter fan Athena – who calls him ‘cleverer than Dumbledore’ – was born.
He said: ‘Athena is doing brilliantly and it is such a joy to see her charging around normally.
‘Without this treatment, she would be limping, getting worsening pain and be limited in all these activities that she now excels at.’
Athena continues to have annual checks but looks set to live life to the full.
Mrs Phillips – who has written a book, Athena’s Magic Trousers, to help other children diagnosed with the condition and their families – added: ‘My advice to other parents is that everything’s going to be okay. Trust in the [medical] team because they’ve got you and your baby. Trust in the process.’
Athena added: ‘I’m really happy that children will get to read my book. I want it to help them not be worried. I hope their magic trousers work like mine did.’