Pediatric Orthopedics

Orthopedic Care for Growing Bodies

Expert orthopedic care for your child’s growing body is available at Sanford Children’s. We’ll compassionately diagnose, treat and manage your child’s orthopedic condition.

Our pediatric care team works with families to help children feel better fast and get back to being kids. We treat bone, joint, muscle and nerve conditions in young children to adolescents.

For physicians: Refer a patient to Sanford Health.

Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids

From strains and sprains to the most complex conditions, our specialists care for all kinds of orthopedic conditions, including:

• Bone fractures
• Broken collarbone
• Lower limb injuries
• Separated shoulders
• Muscle and tendon strains
• Ligament and joint injuries

We take a team approach to pediatric care. You’ll work closely with your child’s primary care provider and specialists, depending on their needs, to ensure their diagnosis and treatment plan is personalized to their unique condition.

Orthopedic Surgery for Children

If surgery is necessary, our pediatric orthopedic surgeons are highly trained to care for the complex needs of children. Our services include bone transport, complex limb deformity corrections and limb lengthening procedures.

Our surgeons offer treatment for these orthopedic conditions:

• Abnormalities in walking: Many children outgrow gait abnormalities, but some need correction from special shoes, bracing or surgery.
• Bone and joint infections: Most commonly, these infections attack the bones and joints of the arms and legs.
• Bone cancers: Children can get several types of bone cancer. The most common in children are osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.
• Deformities present at birth: Developmental problems in infants can cause more serious health issues later in life.
• Flat feet: Feet lack an arch in the sole of the foot and rest flat on the ground.
• Hip dysplasia: The hip socket does not cover the ball of the thigh bone. It can cause pain, limping and unequal leg lengths.
• Malunion and nonunion fractures: When a bone heals defectively or fails to heal. These fractures can lead to impaired bone function.
• Neuromuscular hip dislocation: Children with neuromuscular disorders may dislocate their hip because of muscle imbalance. It can cause pain and mobility issues.
• Perthes disease: A rare hip condition in which a child’s thighbone breaks down and reforms over several years.
• Scoliosis: A spine that is an S or C shape. Physicians can correct a severely curved spine with bracing or surgery.
• Slipped capital femoral epiphysis: Often occurs in teens and pre-teens who are still growing. The head of the thighbone slips backward off the neck of the bone at the growth plate which can cause pain, stiffness and instability.
• Spine deformities: Common conditions include kyphosis and spondylolysis. Many spinal conditions can be treated with physical therapy or bracing. 
  
   

We work to help keep your child moving independently. Find an orthopedic specialist or clinic near your family to help your child live an active, healthy life.