The field of pediatric orthopaedics includes treatment for injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Shriners Hospitals for Children is staffed and equipped to handle virtually all pediatric problems, except for acute trauma. Some of the most common conditions treated at Shriners Hospitals for Children include, but are not limited to:

• cerebral palsy
• clubfoot
• congenital hip dislocation
• leg length discrepancies
• missing limbs
• Legg-Perthes disease
• myelodysplasia
• oteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)
• scoliosis
• spina bifida

Thirteen of our hospitals have motion analysis labs equipped to carefully study how a child with mobility problems walks. These high-tech labs use a system of reflective markers, high-speed cameras and computers to develop a model of a child's walk which aid physicians in recommending individualized treatment plans.

Research

Currently, there are more than 140 research projects underway at Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Education

Several thousand physicians have received residency or postgraduate fellowship training in our hospitals.  In fact, many orthopaedic surgeons practicing today received instruction at some point, directly or indirectly, from Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Today Shriners Hospitals specializing in pediatric orthopaedics have strong links to many respected universities including:

• Washington University
• Northwestern University
• Rush University
• UCLA
• University of Utah
• University of Hawaii
• McGill University

The emphasis on research and education at Shriners Hospitals for Children are part of our total commitment to finding and providing the best possible orthopaedic care for children.