ARTICLES RELATED TO:
Orthopedics

In this video, recorded on June 28, 2021, Suken Shah, MD Chief, Spine & Scoliosis Center and Brett Shannon, MD, orthopedic surgeon, discuss and answer questions about scoliosis. Learn more about: When and why your child may need surgery. What surgery is like. Life with spinal fusion surgery. Complications and risks. If you have questions for Dr. Shah and Dr. Shannon, post them in the comments section on Facebook. Q: When a pediatrician first discovers a small curve in a young child, what is the best way to approach the new diagnosis? A: Kids under age 10 are more likely than older kids to need further monitoring, or even sometimes intervention from an orthopedic surgery team. If you detect any asymmetry of the back, or trunk, or shoulders, it’s important to have them come in and see us for a further evaluation. This includes the child’s history and a physical […]

Questions about osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), or “brittle bone disease,” are answered by pediatric orthopedics experts at Nemours Children’s Health. Q: When should people with OI get rods in the bones in the legs? A: We view realigning and rodding the bones in the legs, femurs and the tibias as a way to address deformity or bowing that is interfering with each patient’s motor development or causing recurrent fractures. We feel there is no minimum age, this is something that we really do value, continually assessing on an individualized basis to help each patient reach their potential. Q: How would you describe the use of orthotics in patients with OI? A: The word orthotics generally refers to all types of braces or things we put on patients’ arms or legs to help them function better. We use them on a case-by-case basis. Years ago we used to use heavy long leg […]

During this Q&A session, Kathleen Miller-Skomorucha, occupational therapist, and Carrie Sewell Roberts, social worker, answer questions about maximizing the potential of your child with cerebral palsy (CP) by working with your care team to set goals. Carrie is a social worker and mom to a 13-year-old daughter with CP. Throughout this discussion, she shares with us different examples of what has worked for her family, but also a plethora of resources families can use for their own means. When you’re thinking about setting goals for your child’s future, an important first step is to set a framework. For example, there’s a structure called “Person-Centered Future Planning.” She talks about ways families can use resources like the ones below to work with their child and care team to create shared goals. Kathleen is an occupational therapist who treats patients with CP. She shares her unique perspective as a therapist, discussing goals for therapy. It’s important […]

Because of the COVID pandemic, you may be putting off visits to your child’s pediatrician. But a missed well visit could mean missing a scoliosis screening. What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is an S-shaped curve in the spine.  It is a condition that occurs equally in boys and girls; however, the curve tends to increase more often in girls. Small curves usually don’t cause problems. But large curves can cause health problems like pain or trouble breathing. What causes scoliosis? The most common form of scoliosis is idiopathic which means “cause unknown.” Kids of any age — even infants — can have idiopathic scoliosis. But it’s usually found when a child begins going through puberty. How do you know your child might have scoliosis? Most often, parents, pediatricians or school nurses may notice one or more of the following signs of scoliosis: One shoulder blade more prominent Ribcage is shifted to one […]

This post was written by Anthony’s mom, Debbie.  “Something was Different” Anthony was about six months old when I started to notice something was different about his back. He would roll over and try to sit up and there was an obvious bulge/curvature in his spine. I took him to my pediatrician who told me there wasn’t anything to worry about. He informed me that some children take a bit longer to sit up on their own. At this time, I had two-year-old twins at home and was very aware that children progress differently, but there was no overlooking the curve of his spine. Unhappy with that visit, I scheduled an appointment with a specialist at a hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Finally a Diagnosis Anthony was about a year old when he was diagnosed with infantile scoliosis. My family was with me in the room when the doctor put his […]

This year marked the fourth time that patients and families gathered to share stories, common concerns, and inspiration at our annual Patient and Parent Mentoring Event, hosted by the Nemours Spine and Scoliosis Center. More than 100 people gathered at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children on a gorgeous spring day. As in years past, this event was open to families with adolescents who have idiopathic scoliosis, which is the most common form of the disease. More than 3% of the population has scoliosis, a condition that causes the spine to curve from side to side. For some, no treatment is necessary, just periodic monitoring of the curve by a healthcare provider. For others, treatment is required, which can include bracing to halt or slow down the progression of the curve, or surgery to correct the deformity. At the mentoring event this year, Dr. Suken Shah started things off by […]