Paediatric Orthopaedics

We believe in providing exemplary comprehensive care to successfully manage children with musculoskeletal conditions. Our aim is to integrate and coordinate the entire team involved in the patient’s care including patients and their families, physicians and other health professionals. This platform concomitantly builds on our scientific strength and promotes innovate research that advance scientific knowledge. The Division prides itself in having one of the most successful groups of academic orthopaedic surgeons. With their strong research background - from performing genetic studies to running clinical trials - they are able to make the connection across disciplines. With these strengths, we are able to move closer to achieving our ultimate goal of moving research quickly from bench to the bedside. We are also determined to strengthen and expand training activities for our fellows, residents and students. We believe that the attainment of these objectives strengthens our position as a world’s leader in providing the highest quality musculoskeletal care to the children.

Family-centered care is based on the belief that the family is a child's primary source of strength and support. Healthcare professionals are the experts on health and disease. Parents are the experts on their child and they can offer essential information to enhance their child's health care. A successful partnership between health care providers and families is based on mutual trust, respect and responsibility.

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. We have transition clinics for young adults with complex hip problems, and spinal surgery.

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.