Pediatric orthopedics

When you bring your child to see our pediatric orthopedists, we start by gathering all of their necessary medical information to help us deliver an accurate diagnosis. Some orthopedic conditions can be diagnosed with a simple physical examination, and others may need our imaging services to get to the root of your child's symptoms. We use the following diagnostic and imaging services to determine the cause of your child's issue:

Your child may have an acute orthopedic condition — such as growing pains, ganglion cysts or ankle sprains — that requires minimal intervention. Time is often the best medicine in these cases.

For other temporary conditions, our orthopedists might recommend routine monitoring, over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory medications, at-home exercise programs and limited activity levels. We also may recommend physical therapy or an orthotic device for congenital or chronic conditions.

Our nonsurgical treatment options include:

Personalized orthotic devices

The personal orthotic devices we use to support your child's treatment are often tailored to fit them properly as they strengthen their muscles, heal fractures and stabilize joints. Some of these devices include knee-ankle-foot orthotics (KAFOs) and elbow-wrist-hand-finger orthotics (EWHFOs). Your child may also need an orthotic device following surgery or to help correct their congenital condition.

Ultimately, some orthopedic injuries and conditions do require surgery. Our talented surgeons have decades of experience performing a wide range of procedures to help your child. Some of the minimally invasive procedures we offer include steroid injections, pars injections and joint aspiration.

Other more complex and condition-specific procedures include:

Our highly experienced pediatric orthopedic surgeons are skilled in multiple treatment methods. Some children we treat who have symbrachydactyly or mild thumb hypoplasia simply adapt and learn ways to function just as effectively as their peers. For many others who are born with a cleft hand, their function is so exceptional that no treatment is necessary.

We also offer highly specialized, complex surgical procedures for the hands and feet, such as pollicization to treat severe thumb hypoplasia. For children born with a floating thumb or no thumb at all, our surgeons can create one by moving, rotating and shortening their index finger. Our pediatric orthopedic surgeons can also perform a toe-to-hand transfer, which is a complex microsurgery that requires years of dedication and training.

Our specialists can treat common and rare conditions impacting your child’s lower extremities, whether they’re congenital or developed later in life. Many foot and ankle injuries are caused by athletic participation, so our pediatric orthopedic surgeons work closely with our sports medicine physicians to create and execute a personalized care plan. We also have extensive knowledge and experience working with children born with missing or extra toes and club feet.

Our teams address conditions that can limit the use of your child’s hands, wrists, shoulders and elbows. We treat common injuries, such as wrist sprains and finger dislocations. We can also address congenital differences, like cleft hands or polydactyly — an upper extremity condition that can cause your child to have extra fingers at birth.

Joint care is an essential part of our pediatric orthopedic program. We can help if your child has a knee or hip condition, including a torn ACL or MCL, developmental hip dysplasia, snapping hip syndrome or transient toxic synovitis. Our specialists are here to diagnose and treat your child, whether they were born with an orthopedic condition or developed a sports injury.

We are dedicated to treating spinal disorders in children of all ages. To address your child's overall health, it's essential for us to understand their underlying medical conditions and future expectations, including:

• Athletic aspirations
• Lifestyle preferences
• School requirements

We want you to have all the information you need to understand your loved one’s spine condition and our recommended treatments for them. Our doctors also offer advanced, minimally invasive spinal care treatment options. For example, we're able to perform a scoliosis procedure without the need for a spinal fusion.

The doctors in our youth sports medicine program understand that your child doesn’t want to quit the game they love because of an injury. However, we also want to make sure they can return to the field of play safely and as quickly as possible. We are aware that musculoskeletal injuries in growing children differ from those seen in older patients, so it's important to see our specialists who understand this distinction. We are also highly experienced in talking to children of all ages in a way that’s developmentally appropriate.