Pediatric Orthopaedics
Pediatric orthopaedics is a specialty that deals with the evaluation and management of musculoskeletal problems including the growing bones, joints, or muscles in children (newborns to teenagers). Pediatric orthopaedic doctors focus their medical practice on the care of children and are trained in special skills in pediatric orthopaedics as an additional subspecialty.
Musculoskeletal problems and their evaluation/treatment in children differ from those of an adult. In children, musculoskeletal problems arise due to growth which does not occur in adults. The complex musculoskeletal disorders in children are best treated by a medical-surgical approach by a pediatric orthopaedic doctor.
Some of the common conditions treated by pediatric orthopaedic doctors include,
- Deformities of the limb and spine, present at birth or later, such as limb length discrepancy, scoliosis, and club foot
- Abnormalities in gait/limping
- Fractures
- Infections or tumors in the bone or joint
Depending on your child’s condition, Pediatric orthopaedists provide appropriate non-surgical or surgical treatments to address the problems. They are specialists trained in managing your child’s anxiety and discomfort.
Pediatric Orthopaedics AAOS Links
- Playground Safety Guide
- Adolescent Anterior Knee Pain
- Back Pain in Children
- Backpack Safety
- Healthy Bones at Every Age
- Bowed Legs
- Calcium, Nutrition, and Bone Health
- Care of Casts and Splints
- Cerebral Palsy
- Child Safety Seats
- Clubfoot
- Congenital Muscular Torticollis (Wryneck)
- What is a Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon?
- Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip
- Elbow Fractures in Children
- Erb’s Palsy (Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy)
- Flexibility Exercises for Young Athletes
- Flexible Flatfoot in Children
- Forearm Fractures in Children
- Growth Plate Fractures
- Physical Activity for Persons with Mental Retardation
- Intoeing
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Kyphosis (Round back) of the Spine
- Limb Length Discrepancy
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Down Syndrome: Musculoskeletal Effects
- Neurofibromatosis
- Orthoseek.com: Pediatric Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine Topics
- Osgood-Schlatter Disease (Knee Pain)
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Early Prevention of Osteoporosis
- Pediatric Thighbone (Femur) Fracture
- Perthes Disease
- Playground Safety Guide
- Playground Safety Checklist
- Playground Safety: Tips for Kids
- Preventing Pedestrian Injuries and Children
- Recreational Activities and Childhood Injuries
- Idiopathic Scoliosis in Children and Adolescents
- Skateboarding Safety
- Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis
- Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis
- Steroids Don’t Work Out