When little bones cause big problems.

Orthopaedics is concerned with the diagnosis and therapy of diseases in the area of the locomotor system. With regard to the treatment of children, this therefore applies to the identification and correction of malformations of the spine, arms, pelvis and legs that are present at birth (e.g. clubfoot), that occur during growth (e.g. scoliosis) and that develop during a primary disease (e.g. hip luxation in cerebral palsy). Luckily, in a large number of these malformations the potential for correction that the growing skeleton displays make no therapy necessary or a positive effect can be made using orthopaedic technical aids (e.g. a corset). Surgery is only rarely needed to correct one of these malfunctions. Paediatric orthopaedic also addresses the treatment of bone fractures or their long-term effects, infections in the joint and bone area and tumours based on the locomotor system.

Common conditions are:

Axial problems of the legs
Major differences in leg length
Hip luxation in children with cerebral palsy
“Multilevel surgery” in children with cerebral palsy