Youth baseball puts a lot of stress on young arms, which can result in shoulder or elbow injuries sometimes called “little league shoulder” or elbow. “These kids are throwing harder sometimes than their elbow can take,” said Joshua W. Meier, M.D., pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville. Elbow and shoulder injuries also…
Children with various neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease can be at risk for hip dislocation. What is varus derotation osteotomy (VDRO), and how does it help children with neurological disorders? Children with neurological disorders can have spastic or weak muscles. Spasticity in muscles…
With kids playing multiple organized sports or on several different teams, overuse injuries such as shinsplints in children have been on the rise. Shinsplints often occur in runners — but they can happen in sports such as football, soccer and others that require quick, cutting and sideways motions. How do you help your child prevent…
While an abbreviated major league season is just getting underway, much younger pitchers and catchers have been playing at baseball fields across the U.S. As baseball is one of the youth sports where it is somewhat easier to practice social distancing to prevent spread of the coronavirus, many programs have continued this summer. So have…
To jump or not? Trampolines are popular fixtures in backyards, and trampoline parks are popular in cities across the U.S. But how dangerous are trampolines? Pediatric orthopedic surgeons warn about trampoline use and accidents that cause broken arms, wrists, elbows and legs, as well as knee and joint injuries. “We see an increasing number of…
Hip pain is surprisingly common in children and teens. Pain can develop in the hip for a number of reasons. What are some of the main causes of hip pain in teens? Understanding your child’s hip pain Growing teens can develop hip pain from overuse, bone changes due to growth, changes in the blood and…
An innovative surgery using 3D printing technology is alleviating pain for some of the most critical and complicated cases. A 13-year-old girl from Clarksville, Indiana is one of those cases. Haley Kessinger was born with achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism, as well as a deformity in her spine. As Haley got older, the curve…
Everyone of us, young and old, is at risk for taking a stumble and breaking a bone, an injury also called a fracture. Children, however, are at risk for an additional type of injury: the growth plate fracture, also called growth plate injury. What is it, and how does it happen? What is the growth…
We’ve all heard about the dangers of too much screen time for kids. Now, there is a new health concern about a possible physical injury associated with spending all that time on the phone: “text neck” syndrome. “Text neck” describes the repeated stress or pain in the neck resulting from constantly looking down — either watching or texting — on a…
October is National Spina Bifida Awareness Month. Spina bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the U.S. The condition affects 1,500 children each year. What do you know about the condition? Learn more about spina bifida types, what causes spina bifida and much more. What is spina bifida? Spina bifida is a…
Young athletes can be at risk for Osgood-Schlatter disease during growth spurts. Don’t worry, it’s not contagious: The condition is an extremely common pain in the front of the knee. It’s not the normal “growing pains” that may be more familiar to parents. Osgood-Schlatter usually occurs in children ages 10 to 15 who play certain…
It’s fun to play with fireworks — until it’s not. Emergency departments across the country see an increase in burns and hand injuries around the July Fourth holiday. Charity S. Burke, M.D., hand surgeon with Norton Louisville Arm & Hand, has treated such fireworks injuries. Norton Louisville Arm & Hand The skilled surgeons with Norton…