How do I know if my child has a broken bone?
If your child has a fall or trauma and has persistent pain (longer than 1 hour), swelling, deformity or stops using the limb affected you need to seek help from an orthopaedic surgeon comfortable treating children.

Is it normal for an adolescent girl to experience hip or groin pain with activity?
No. Children should not ordinarily experience hip pain with activity. Pain following walking or running can be the sign of an underlying hip problem. If diagnosed in adolescence, this may be curable; but if left untreated, it may lead to adult arthritis. Professional help should be sought if a child persistently limps or complains of pain after activity.

What is Scoliosis? At what age does Scoliosis usually occur?
Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that may develop for no reason. Scoliosis typically develops in prepubescence (9-13 years of age) in both boys and girls. Children should be checked for scoliosis by their pediatrician. Oftentimes, children are shy and resist an examination in which they are undressed. Wearing a bathing suit to the pediatrician's office is a little trick in avoiding this problem and assures a thorough back exam.

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Is it normal for infants to have flat feet?
Children tend to develop an arch at three years of age. If a youngster does not develop an arch, most often, no treatment is necessary. Treatment with arch supports becomes necessary when flat feet cause the child pain. While flat feet are very common, painful flat feet are quite rare.

What is a growth plate?
In growing children the top and bottom of almost every bone has an area that causes their growth, called the growth plate. This area is prone to injury because it is weaker than the surrounding bone. Although it is unlikely for the growth plate to become permanently damaged, this can occur and is the reason why pediatric orthopaedic trauma is unique.

My 4-year-old son wakes up at night every few weeks complaining of leg pain? What can this be?
The most common ailment this represents is "growing pains." Growing pains are real and typically affect children between the ages of 3 and 6. The child will often wake up at night and ask for their legs to be rubbed. If your child has this pain consistently then the child should be evaluated by a pediatrician with a simple blood test. Growing pains is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning we cannot attribute all children's pain to "growing pains."

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My infant's legs are bowed. Is this normal?
Yes, bowing of the legs in infants is a normal part of development. However, if the bowing is worsening during their walking years, then you should be evaluated by a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon.

My daughter plays little league and her elbow has begun to hurt after pitching. What should I do?
Elbow pain in little league pitchers is common and is a warning sign. The child must learn better mechanics and throw less. If pain persists, the child needs to see a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon.

Some More Frequently Asked Questions(by subject)