Osteogenesis imperfecta is a connective tissue disease characterized by extremely fragile bones due to an autosomal dominant genetic defect in type 1 collagen production. There are four main types of...
Non-accidental trauma or child abuse is the leading cause of childhood traumatic injury and death in the United States. It is essential that medical providers recognize non-accidental trauma in order...
Muscular Dystrophy is a group of more than 30 genetic diseases that are characterized by the production of abnormal muscle proteins leading to progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. There are v...
The physis, or growth plate, is a complex cartilaginous structure that is responsible for longitudinal growth of the skeleton. In order to allow for bone growth, the physis is not fully ossified. That...
Down syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is the most common genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal abnormality. The presence of three copies of chromosome 21, rather than the usual two, leads to characteristic...
Cerebral palsy (CP) is defined by the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as a group of neurological disorders “that appears in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect...
When children are nearing the end of their growth, the distal tibial physis does not close all at once. Rather, the central region of the physis begins to close first. The medial region closes next, a...
A patellar sleeve fracture is an avulsion of the inferior pole of the patella. The mechanism of injury is a forceful eccentric contraction of the quadriceps. Instead of rupturing the patellar tendon,...
The tibial spine is the intra-articular insertion point of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Fractures of the tibial spine have long been described as an “ACL tear equivalent” condition because th...
The tibial tubercle is the insertion site of the patellar tendon, an apophysis just distal to the proximal tibial epiphysis during growth. Eccentric contraction of the quadriceps, as seen during the l...
