Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon

Children are not just small adults. This is especially true when it comes to childrens' bones and joints, and the problems they can have with their musculoskeletal system. A pediatric orthopaedist is the best-trained and most experienced doctor to properly evaluate and treat bone or joint or muscle problems in a child who is still growing.

A pediatric orthopaedic surgeon is a doctor who takes care of children with musculoskeletal problems. That means any child with a bone, joint, or muscle problem or disease and certain nerve problems and diseases.

If your child has something wrong with his or her arms, legs, hands, feet or spine, a pediatric orthopaedist is most likely to be the most appropriate doctor to see. Pediatric orthopaedists take care of:

Abnormalities in how children walk
Differences in leg lengths
Deformities that are present at birth such as clubfeet and dislocated hips
Deformities that develop later in childhood such as crooked legs and curved spines (scoliosis)

A pediatric orthopaedist also takes care of acute problems such as:

Broken bones
Infections in bones or joints
Tumor in bones

A child's orthopaedic problems are different than those of an adult. Because children are still growing, their body's response to injuries, infections and deformities may be quite different than what would it would be in a full-grown person. Many of the problems children have with their bones and joints don't even occur in adults.

Even for the same problem that an adult might have, the evaluation and treatment is usually quite different in a child.

Pediatric orthopaedists spend five years after medical school learning about all of orthopaedics. They then spend another year concentrating on the special problems and needs of children. It is often more difficult to examine, talk to and figure out what is wrong with children, compared with adults. This is especially true when the child is very young.

Pediatric orthopaedists are experts in treating children due to their specialized training. A pediatric orthopaedists office is often set up specifically to deal with children and therefore is friendlier and less threatening to young patients. They also have a lot of experience taking care of anxious parents and grandparents, and know about the worry that goes along with having a child with an orthopaedic problem.

If you or your primary care physician feels that a pediatric orthopaedist is the right doctor for your child, the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) Web site contains a directory of members in every geographic location.

December 2005