Pediatric Orthopaedics
As part of our medical training we learn very early that children are not just little adults’. Plain and simple their bodies just operate differently. Their immune systems are immature and therefore more susceptible to infectious disease; their bodies metabolize medicines’ differently and therefore require different dosages or perhaps even different medicines to attain the same affect. Similarly, the growing child is unique from an orthopedic perspective.
This is perhaps most striking with respect to fracture care. A child’s fracture is fundamentally different from an adults from at least two perspectives: (1) their bone is in a steady state of growth (though it varies considerably with age – highest in the early years (newborn to 5 yo) and adolescences (puberty), and (2) the muscles pulling on the bones (and therefore the fracture), are not nearly as well developed.
This has three major consequences: (1) when broken, their bones heal much more quickly – usually two to three times faster depending on age, (2) the deforming force created by their underdeveloped muscles is not nearly as strong, therefore the fracture can generally be reduced and held in place with a splint or cast, and finally, (3) their bone has the unique ability to grow through or out of any major deformity that might exist after the fracture has healed. Ultimately, what this means is that the same fracture in an adult (which might have required surgical fixation), can very often be treated conservatively (i.e., without surgery) in a child.
Although our orthopedist here at Tristate do not generally handle more specialized pediatric orthopedic care such as cerebral palsy and clubfeet, we are certified and do treat common fractures and sports related injuries in children of all ages. For those cases that may require more specialized training we are intimately connected with many of the local pediatric orthopedist here in Cincinnati. Last year Tristate physicians successfully treated over 8000 pediatric patients throughout southern Ohio and Indiana, ultimately restoring their function and improving their quality of life.