Conditions We Treat

Learn more about the conditions we treat by reading about them in our online health library.

ACL Injury
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a tear in the ACL ligament. The ACL is located in the middle of the knee joint and connects the lower leg bone to the thigh bone and prevents the leg bone from sliding too far forward at the knee, which would cause instability.

Achondroplasia
Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder that causes dwarfism (short stature). It is a disorder in which bone and cartilage do not grow normally. It is the most common cause of dwarfism.

Bone Tumor
An osteochondroma is the most common type of benign bone tumor. It arises from cartilage tissue in children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 20, usually appearing on the long bones (arms and legs) and less often on the pelvic bones and wing bones (scapulae). An osteochondroma ordinarily stops growing when a person reaches full height.

Brachial Plexus Injury (Burner or Stinger)
A burner is an injury to the bundle of nerves that runs from the back of your neck into your arm. These separate nerves come together in the upper shoulder to form the brachial plexus. From here, the nerves go to all the arm muscles. A burner is often called a stinger.

Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time. These disorders are caused by faulty development of or damage to motor areas in the brain that disrupts the brain's ability to control movement and posture.

Downs Syndrome
Down syndrome refers to a common genetic disorder that results in birth defects, medical problems and some degree of mental retardation.

Fractures
A fracture is a break in a bone. It can involve any bone in the body.

Hip Dislocation
A hip dislocation occurs when the ball of the thighbone (femur) is moved out of its place within the socket of the pelvic bone (acetabulum). This ball and socket structure forms the hip joint.

Joint Contractures
Contractures refer to the permanent tightening of non-bony tissues, such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, or skin. The result is a loss of motion in the affected joints.

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a chronic (long-lasting), disease of the joints, which starts before the age of 16 years old. The joints become inflamed, which leads to pain and/or stiffness. The inflammation can damage cartilage and bone. In some cases, a systemic disease is present along with the arthritis. Without treatment, JRA can interfere with a child’s normal growth and development.

Knee Sprain
A knee sprain is stretching or tearing of the ligaments that support the knee. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect bones to each other.

Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited, progressive muscle disorders. All forms of muscular dystrophy cause progressive weakness and degeneration of the muscles that control movement. Some also affect the heart muscle or other organs. Age of onset is between infancy to late teens. The most common form is called Duchenne dystrophy. Other forms include Becker (a milder form than Duchenne) and myotonic muscular dystrophy.

Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of articular cartilage in the joints, usually followed by chronic inflammation of the lining of the joint. Healthy cartilage serves as a cushion between the bones in a joint. Osteoarthritis usually affects the hands, feet, spine, hips, and knees. People with osteoarthritis usually have joint pain and limited movement of the affected joint.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic problem that causes bones to break easily, often for little or no obvious reason. As many as 50,000 Americans currently have OI, and there are at least four forms of the disease. The sooner OI is detected and treated, the more favorable the outcome—if you suspect that you have this condition, contact your doctor immediately.

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become weak and brittle. If left unchecked, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks (fracture). Any bone can be affected, but of special concern are fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist.

Rickets
Rickets (in children) and osteomalacia (in adults) are two forms of a metabolic bone disease resulting from vitamin D deficiency. Both cause softening and weakening of bones because of defective or inadequate bone mineralization.

Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine, or backbone.

Spina Bifida
Spina bifida is a type of birth defect called a neural tube defect. In spina bifida, a baby's spine does not close completely during early pregnancy. Spina bifida can begin to develop in a fetus even before the mother knows she is pregnant.

Sports Related Injuries
Did you know that wrist and hand injuries make up 3-9% of all athletic injuries? In fact, they are amongst the most common injuries experienced by athletes. Unfortunately, many athletes (and you know who you are) treat hand and wrist injuries as trivial and never seek appropriate treatment. However, delaying the diagnosis and treatment of a hand or wrist injury may result in longstanding or even permanent disability.