Everything Related to Orthopedics
pediatric orthopedics
Avoid the Hospital This Summer
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Summer is a time when you want to spend all of your time outside by pool, grilling, on the beach and doing all the other fun “summer” things. What you don’t want to spend time doing is taking your kids to the hospital because of an injury. With all of the outdoor, physical activities that go on during the summer months, pediatric injuries increase dramatically.
One of the most common injuries during the summer comes from falls. Whether kids are jumping on a trampoline or playing on the playground, hospitals see a lot of kids come in with broken bones and deep cuts from falling. To avoid a trip to the hospital, make sure there is supervision while kids are on a trampoline or playground. Also, try to find a playground that has mulch or rubber tire instead of just blacktop. This can go a long way in avoiding serious injury from a fall.
Another frequent cause of injury for kids comes from riding their bicycle. During summer vacation kids tend to spend a lot of time outside on their bikes. While this is a great form of exercise, it is important to take some safety precautions to avoid serious injury. Most injuries from bicycles are to the arms and legs but the most serious are to the head. When your kids take their bikes out make sure they always wear a helmet. Also be sure that your kids know the proper hand signals and always walk their bikes across busy streets or intersections.
While the weather is hot, a lot of people will spend time by the pool or at the beach. Near-drownings become a serious problem during the summer. Many people may not realize that a person can drown in mere inches of water. To avoid injury, or even worse – death, it is important that parents always supervise their kids while they are in the water. A strong recommendation that could possibly save a child’s life is for all parents to become CPR certified. Also, be sure that children wear proper flotation devices while enjoying the water. A few steps in safety can go a long way in making sure you have a fun, injury free summer!
Pediatric Fractures
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Children are a lot more active and reckless than adults which can result in more fractures, and more serious fractures. Pediatric fractures can be tricky to manage because children’s bones are still growing and more pliable than adult bones. Technology has advanced leaps and bounds in the treatment of pediatric fractures. There are a lot of options for minor to serious fractures.
One type of fracture than can happen in children is a growth plate fracture. The growth plate is an area of a child’s bone made up of cartilage cells that promotes solid bone growth. These areas of bone tend to be a bit softer and weaker and can fracture easily. Sometimes, a growth plate fracture can be treated with a cast. If the plate is damaged too severely, further treatment and monitoring may be necessary.
The femur is the largest and strongest bone in the body and takes a lot of force to fracture. If a child fractures their femur there are a couple different treatment options, depending on severity. Sometimes a femur fracture can be treated with a cast and the bone will reset itself. One treatment option that is gaining popularity with surgeons is flexible nailing. The nail is inserted through the end of the femur and across the fracture site. This helps to hold the femur aligned correctly during the healing process. Once the bone is healed, the nail is surgically removed.
There are many other types of fractures but all can be treated in similar ways. Be sure you trust your doctor and that you agree with whatever course of treatment they recommend for your child.
