Children's Orthopedics
When my husband was a child, he broke his little toe. I think my son broke his - my son is 9 years old - but my husband said not to bring him to the doctor because they wouldn't do anything anyway. Should I have brought him?
Posted April 18th, 2008 by MattMany times, when someone breaks their fifth metatarsal, or baby/small toe, there isn't much that the doctor will do. However, it is still important to get it checked.
While the fracture, or break, may be clean, it could also be more complicated than that and your son could need to have the bone moved back into place. At the same time, the doctor would likely check to see if any other toe is broken as well.
Check for Additional Metatarsal Fractures if Second, Third, or Fourth Are Fractured
Posted April 18th, 2008 by MattFractures of the metatarsal (toe) are a common childhood injury - most frequently the first and the fifth ones are affected. Children under five years old appear to break their first toe more often, while children over five were most likely to break their fifth toe, much like adults.
We've had a rash of injuries among our pitchers this year. Two kids even had surgery to repair damaged ligaments around the elbow. What can we do to prevent this from happening in the future?
Posted April 17th, 2008 by MattYou didn't mention the ages of your athletes. There are some differences between young (nine to 19 year olds) versus older (college aged) athletes. One thing that's the same between the two groups is the increased number of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries.
Curve Ball or Fast Ball: Which One Loads the Arm More?
Posted April 16th, 2008 by MattShoulder, arm, and elbow injuries are common among young pitchers. And the number of youth affected is rising every year. This has caught the attention of parents, coaches, and sports medicine experts.
Risk factors for pitching injuries include number of pitches over time, type of pitches, pitching mechanics, and physical condition of the athlete. In this study, three type of pitches are compared: fastballs, curveballs, and change-ups.
Why is it that some children have casts on their arms for only three or four weeks and others for much longer if they've broken their arm?
Posted April 10th, 2008 by MattThe length of time an arm - or any broken bone, for that matter - is casted depends very largely on what type of fracture or break happened.
Some children have what is called a greenstick fracture, for example. This type of fracture leaves part of the bone intact, like if you bend a young, green stick and it snaps. This type of fracture can heal quickly as the bone has not broken all the way through.
When my daughter was five, she fell in the playground and broke her forearm. The emergency room nurse wasn't sure that it was broken because my daughter didn't show "any signs" of a break. What type of signs are there normally. By the way, both bones were broken.
Posted April 10th, 2008 by MattUsually, when a child breaks a forearm, there are some signs that it is broken, including the most obvious sign of pain. Sometimes, as in cases like your daughter's, it's not so obvious.
What causes a child to walk on his or her toes?
Posted April 10th, 2008 by MattThere are a few reasons why a child may be a toe walker. As a child learns to walk, it's normal for them to walk on the balls of their feet as they learn how to manipulate their legs and feet into the proper human stance and gait.
When my son was a young child, he walked on his toes. My doctor told us not to worry about it and that he would grow out of it. He did eventually stop walking on his toes and is fine now. He now has a daughter who walks on her toes, but the doctors are running a bunch of tests to be sure there is nothing wrong. What has changed since my son was young?
Posted April 10th, 2008 by MattToe walking, walking on the balls of the feet or the toes, is fairly common when children are young. Healthy children, without any neurological (nerve) disorders generally outgrow this type of walking by the age of five years.
Is it essential treat scoliosis with a brace? Can the child be left as long as the curve doesn't look too bad?
Posted April 10th, 2008 by MattScoliosis, curvature of the spine, can be mild or severe, or anything between. Many people have mild scoliosis and have never been aware of it. Others have moderate scoliosis with their doctors monitoring the curves to see if they get worse.
So, treatment of scoliosis depends on how severe the curve is, how many curves there are and - importantly - if the scoliosis impacts the patient's life.
My niece will have to wear a brace for scoliosis but she told me that the doctors are deciding on her treatment plan. How does a doctor decide what kind of brace they should use and how long she should wear it every day?
Posted April 10th, 2008 by MattTreatment of scoliosis with a back brace is done to prevent further curvature of the back. To do this, the patient must wear the brace for as long as the doctor recommends and in the proper manner. Failure to do so will result in the treatment failing.
To determine how and how long to brace the back, the doctor has to take into account many issues. These include:
