Category Archives: Issues

Mobility-enhancing care in CP helps strengthen bones

Cerebral palsy (CP) can decrease mobility, which is key to quality living. Children with CP and compromised mobility are at risk for low bone mineral density and fragility fractures, but physical therapy programs and orthoses can help kids be more active to build stronger bones.

By Hank Black

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Posted in Pediatric Feature, February, 2016 | Leave a comment

Keeping kids in braces can prevent clubfoot relapse

More than a third of Ponseti-corrected clubfeet relapse and require additional treatment. Making a complete initial correction, ensuring optimal brace comfort, and  encouraging parental buy-in to bracing  over the long term reduces brace nonadherence, a major cause of recurrence.

By Barbara Boughton

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Posted in Pediatric Feature, February, 2016 | Leave a comment

O&P teams treat limb loss, deformity in developing world

Donating parts, funds aids efforts – Each year, Dino Scanio, CO, LO, and his five-member team of pediatric O&P specialists arrive in Guatemala City to perform a challenging task. In just four days in their most recent clinic in August, for example, they fit nearly 50 young patients with custom devices and…

By Brigid Galloway

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Posted in Pediatric Clinical News, November, 2015 | Leave a comment

Biomechanical stress, overuse raise young dancers’ injury risk

Prevention requires team approach – The inclusion of physicians, including specialists in pediatric orthopedic surgery and sports or dance medicine, in a team with teachers, physical therapists, parents, and others could help identify and prevent injuries in growing young dancers, according to…

By Hank Black

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Posted in November, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News | Leave a comment

Foot disability in Down syndrome linked to hallux valgus, narrow shoes

Regular foot checks may curb problems – A recent study published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research found that hallux valgus and too-narrow footwear contribute to foot-specific disability in children with Down syndrome. Interestingly, the study found foot posture wasn’t associated with foot-specific disability in the same children.

By Erin Boutwell

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Posted in November, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News | Leave a comment

Barefoot running: Debate moves to developing feet

The most public battles about barefoot running and minimalist footwear have been fought over their use by adult athletes and the clinicians who treat them. There is, however, a separate discussion underway regarding barefoot and minimally shod running in children.

By Cary Groner

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Posted in November, 2015, Pediatric Feature | Leave a comment

Biomechanical care for juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) affects nearly a quarter of a million US kids younger than 16 years. The hallmarks of the autoimmune disorder include joint inflammation, stiffening, and damage, as well as changes in joint growth, all of which can prove painful.

By Shalmali Pal

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Posted in Pediatric Feature, November, 2015 | Leave a comment

Taller, heavier children have heightened Sever disease risk

Long-term pain warrants early ID – Children presenting with calcaneal apo­phy­sitis (Sever disease) are anthropometrically different from their peers and experience a lengthy period of pain, according to Australian study findings that underscore the importance of early intervention and…

By Katie Bell

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Posted in August, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News | Leave a comment

Gait analysis for clubfoot may reveal long-term issues

Surgery more likely to alter gait – Children treated for idiopathic clubfoot by age 2 years may experience subtle changes in gait by the time they are aged 5 years, and nonoperative treatment may confer more normal movement than surgery, according to a recent study.

By Larry Hand

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Posted in August, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News | Leave a comment

Robotic gait training doesn’t wow young patients with CP

Kids, parents differ on ‘normal’ gait – Although physical therapists and parents often strive for attaining “normal” gait in children with neuromotor disorders, a new study from researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, indicates that…

By Brigid Galloway

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Posted in Pediatric Clinical News, August, 2015 | Leave a comment