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
Posted in Pediatric Feature, February, 2016
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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
Posted in Pediatric Feature, February, 2016
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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
Posted in November, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News
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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
Posted in November, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News
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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
Posted in November, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News
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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
Posted in Pediatric Feature, November, 2015
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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
Posted in 2015, Pediatric Feature, November
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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
Posted in August, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News
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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
Posted in August, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News
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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
Posted in August, 2015, Pediatric Clinical News
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