Treatments
State-of-the-Art Equipment
We are one of the only pediatric centers in the country that uses a 3-D measurement of the spine, a system that does not use radiation (X-rays). This is very helpful in monitoring the treatment of scoliosis patients by measuring the change in the spinal curve.
Gait (walking) tests are done with state-of-the-art motion analysis equipment, including the Emed and Pedar systems. This equipment measures the amount of pressure that is placed on different parts of the foot and is used while the patient walks barefoot, or while wearing shoes equipped with a corrective device.
View the new virtual tour of the gait lab in the Special Areas of Interest Tour.
Scoliosis
Non-operative management of scoliosis is the goal of the whole orthopedic team at Children's Hospital. While we perform twice as many scoliosis surgeries than any other hospital in the state, surgical patients make up only 3 percent of our total scoliosis visits.
Since the vast majority is treated with bracing, we offer a full range of options as well as support groups for patients and families.
Since Children's Hospital physician Walter Blount, MD, designed the Milwaukee Brace in the 1950s, many other options now are available, fabricated by on-site orthotists. These include a low-profile brace that does not extend beyond the upper torso and hides under some clothing. Some teenagers can remove the brace a number of hours a day for sports and other activities. In some cases, the brace can be worn only at night.
While a child may be the only one in school wearing a brace, at Children's Hospital, he or she is not alone and can find comfort in being part of a larger support network. Children's Hospital offers a support group to brace wearers twice a year. Patients and parents lead the group under the direction of an orthopedic clinic nurse.
When a child with scoliosis needs surgery, experience, options and family support matter. Our pediatric orthopedic surgeons perform nearly twice as many scoliosis surgeries as any other group in Wisconsin and use the newest techniques for the quickest recovery. Orthopedic surgeons at Children's Hospital perform all of the most advanced techniques of scoliosis surgery, including a fairly new procedure that dramatically reduces recovery time from months to days.
Sports Injuries
Fortunately, most sports injuries in children can be handled without surgery. However, when surgical intervention is required, special surgical techniques often are necessary to allow for growth. For example, knee and ACL injuries need to be corrected differently, depending on the age of the child. Our physicians and staff are trained to deal with the specific challenges of the child athlete.
Trauma care
The Orthopedic Center is the leader in pediatric trauma and the state's majoor referral source for complicated trauma cases in children. Our orthopedic surgeons support the Children's Hospital's Level I Trauma Center. caring for the most critically injured children throughout the state.
Clubfoot
The Orthopedic Center uses the Ponseti technique to treat clubfoot. A casting technique available since the 1960s, this treatment has shown better long-term outcomes for clubfoot patients. In most cases, we are able to avoid surgery.
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