Paediatric and adolescent orthopaedists treat congenital and emerging conditions affecting the spine, arms, legs and pelvis. They are also experts in treating bone fractures, joint and bone infections and procedures associated with tumours affecting the musculoskeletal system.

A distinct area of expertise

Children and adolescents are not just small adults. Since they are growing and their skeletons are still maturing, diseases and healing processes can often take a different course. Specific skills and experience are vital when it comes to providing age-appropriate assessment and treatment. This is what makes paediatric and adolescent orthopaedics a specialist area of medical expertise in the wider world of orthopaedics.

Careful diagnosis is important

As in all medical fields, accurate diagnosis and a careful assessment of expected further developments – taking child growth into account – form the basis for deciding how a child is to be treated. Children can “grow out of” many of supposed problems. Having said that, doctors need to be aware of the limits of this process of spontaneous correction and take these into consideration when treating children and adolescents.

Treatment without surgery is the goal

The aim of treatment is to alleviate symptoms, to relieve pressure on the affected part of the body where necessary and to gain control of the condition both while a child is still growing and when they are fully grown. When providing treatment, surgery should be avoided if at all possible. There are many conservative, i.e. non-surgical treatment options that can be used to relieve pain or support the healing process.

Modern operating methods

Should an operation still be necessary, most procedures can now be performed in a minimally invasive way, e.g. arthroscopically, i.e. applying the keyhole technique. This is where state-of-the-art technology comes into play.