Orthopedic doctors specialize in musculoskeletal conditions of every kind from pediatrics to sports medicine, or from trauma to hip replacement surgery. You may already know all this, but do you know what’s the difference between pediatric orthopedists and general orthopedists?
The Origin Of Orthopedics
One fact most people don’t know is that originally orthopedic doctors only treated children with birth defects in their bones. Note the root word “ped” meaning children. Eventually this medical specialty began to include adults of all ages.
Special Training For A Pediatric Orthopedist
Pediatric orthopedic doctors are specifically trained to evaluate and treat children. They are the best trained and most experienced doctors to evaluate and treat bones, joints, and muscle problems in children from newborns to teenagers. After graduating from medical school, they then serve a residency in orthopedic surgery, and finally complete additional subspecialty training in pediatric orthopedics.
Children have different problems than adults as their bodies respond differently than adults, and that includes their bones. Infants begin with a cartilage skeleton that eventually matures into bone in a child’s first few years. In fact, infants are usually given an ultrasound instead of an X-ray to examine bones.
As kids grow, their bones can be softer and will even fracture differently than adults. Their bones heal faster than an adult, so it’s essential a child be evaluated by a pediatric orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible after a fracture. If the bone heals improperly, surgery may be needed later to correct it.
In addition, children spend less time in a cast than most adults and need specific surgical techniques to correct any injury.
Pediatric Conditions In LOCATION
Pediatric orthopedists like those at PRACTICE treat limb and spine deformities from birth or later in life. These include such conditions as scoliosis, clubfoot, gait abnormalities causing limping, broken bones, bone and joint infections, cerebral palsy and tumors.
Many pediatric orthopedists will continue to treat someone with chronic issues like cerebral palsy through their entire lives to ensure continuity of care.
If you need the help of a pediatric orthopedist, contact DOCTOR/PRACTICE for an appointment.