What diseases does pediatric orthopedics treat?

The term Orthopedics for children literally means correction of alterations that alter the orthodox and normal morphology of the child.

In fact, the name of our specialty derives, in a 50%, of this term: Traumatology and Orthopedic Surgery.

Our treatment objective is to correct, by orthopedic and surgical methods, any deviation from normality. This includes an enormous range of deformities in one plane, or more frequently, multiplanar deformities in the entire locomotor apparatus: shoulder, spine, hips, knees and feet.

Why is early diagnosis of deformities important?

The first step towards a healthy adult, if we refer to the skeletal point of view, is a healthy child.

Our job, as pediatric orthopedists and traumatologists, is to “prevent” any deformity in childhood from persisting or worsening with growth and leading to major deformities and pathologies in adulthood, that is, for the entire future life of the individual.

How are the treatments of pediatric orthopedics?

The treatments are individualized. In this word we can summarize the treatments of our specialty. I have treated, and continue to treat adult skeletal pathologies and the fundamental difference is that the treatments in children are less standardized than those in adults.

The experience in adult pathology treatments, in all the frequent processes, can be acquired in 10 or 15 years, but in pediatric orthopedics it requires no less than 20 years. Each case has to be evaluated and studied, because it is particular and individual and, obviously, there are common points, but there are many patients that require a combination of treatments and imagination and experience in each one of them.