Category Archives: Pediatric Feature
May 2016
When the shoe doesn’t fit: footwear in Down syndrome
These children often have wider, more flexible, and more pronated feet than typically developing kids that don’t fit well into conventionally sized and shaped footwear. Ill-fitting shoes are linked to foot-specific disability and many other issues. Here, clinicians share strategies for finding the right fit.
By Lori Roniger
May 2016
Look out below: injury risk on the trampoline
Trampoline use, both in backyards and in large recreational parks, is up. So are injuries incurred on the equipment, including fractures with potentially serious long-term sequelae. Some groups advise a ban on home use, but other experts disagree, citing the equipment’s benefits for motor learning and active play.
By P.K. Daniel
February 2016
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
February 2016
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
November 2015
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
November 2015
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
August 2015
Growing pains: Adapting O&P devices to maturing patients
Accommodating growth without compromising fit and function is a challenge for practitioners who prescribe orthotic devices for young patients. Adjustments and add-ons—as well as educating parents about expected changes—can make for smoother transitions.
By Shalmali Pal
August 2015
Childhood obesity and OA: Can early care reduce risk?
Osteoarthritis (OA) risk factors and symptoms seen in adults have been found in obese kids, who often have musculoskeletal pain. Weight loss may help, but preventing OA may also require gait and exercise interventions, particularly those that reduce pain that leads to inactivity.
By Erin Boutwell
May 2015
Hip disorders in children with Down syndrome
As hip arthritis becomes a growing concern in adults with Down syndrome, clinicians are also becoming more attuned to hip issues in children with DS, in hopes that early intervention in the pediatric population will help reduce the risk of disability later on.
By Shalmali Pal
May 2015
Sever disease: Intervene early to relieve symptoms
Once pain and inflammation have been addressed, clinicians can implement interventions—including orthotic devices, stretching, and strengthening—to address the biomechanical factors that are believed to contribute to heel pain and other symptoms in this population.
By Erin Boutwell
