RCH ORTHOPAEDICS
The Department of Orthopaedics looks after children with musculoskeletal conditions requiring both non-operative and surgical treatment. There are several sub-sections in the department to address the complex needs of children. Our patients range in age from just a few days old to eighteen years.
Paediatric Orthopaedics is the foundation of orthopaedics as a specialty. "Ortho" means straight and "Paedia" means growth. The term Orthopaedia was founded by Nicholas Andry in 1741 in a book outlining the art of correcting and preventing deformities in children. These continue to be our aims of treatment today.
Children develop musculoskeletal problems as the result of many possible causes: genetic predisposition, trauma, infection, neurological impairment, metabolic disturbance, and tumours both benign and malignant. The process of growth itself is complex and involves the interaction of the internal structure of growth plates and external forces eg gravity, biomechanics. Many non-operative and operative techniques have been established to address both the causes and the results of these disease processes