Pediatric orthopedics

Orthopaedics – the origin of this word comes from Greek: orthos, which means « right » and paidion « child », thus the field of medicine aimed at correcting the growth defects in a child’s skeletal system. This field can be broken down into two main categories : conservative treatments and surgery. Conservative means include casts, orthoses, splints or for example bandages.

Surgery also finds it origins in Greek : Cheir, which means hand and ergon, which means work or job, so cheirurges means to work manually.

Currently orthopaedics is subdivided into many sub-specialization aside from the basic orthopaedics which corrects defects in children’s growth. Orthopaedics also treats degenerative diseases, for example by using hip or knee prostheses, adult deformities like bowed legs or hammer toes etc.

Another vast field is traumatology and sport medicine which often follows very different rules for children compared to an injured adult.

Pediatric orthopaedics treats :

Consequences of birth complications.

Skeletal system growth problems.

Inflammatory diseases and rheumatism

Treatment of infections and thankfully much rare tumors.

Fractures and other injuries of the extremities of the spinal column.

Often the parents have doubts on the normality of development of their child or the anatomy of a part of the skeletal system like the foot or back of a child (flat feet, scoliosis etc.). A pediatric orthopedic surgeon can answer these questions and clear up any problems for either real pathologies or worries about a child’s development.

It is important to note that if a treatment becomes necessary, recent developments of less invasive techniques which are better tolerated by children and their families have made great progress in both treatment with conservative means and surgery.

The pediatric orthopedic surgeon is at your disposal to find the right diagnosis, inform the child and his/her family of the pathology, treatment and prognosis. If necessary the child will be treated with the indicated conservative or surgical treatment.

In the event of questions or problems, the pediatric orthopedic surgeon can give you information and necessary support. For additional information you can examine the Internet sites proposed here.