Pediatric Care

At Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine we understand that children are an important part of the family and we are the only clinic in the area to offer orthopaedic pediatric care to children of all ages.

Children active on the playground or in youth sports risk injury to their growing bodies. More than 2 million children visit emergency rooms every year for injuries suffered in popular recreational activities. To minimize permanent damage and ensure a full recovery, these injuries should be treated by a sports medicine specialist.

Common Pediatric Injuries Include:

Foot and Ankle Injuries
Ankle sprains and fractures are the most common athletic injury. These injuries are common in sports like track, soccer, and football which involve a high level of jumping, pivoting, and running.

Hand and Wrist Injuries
Youth athletes in sports such as gymnastics and baseball are exceptionally prone to hand and wrist injury. Examples of injuries to the hand and wrist include hand fractures, finger fractures, tendon injuries, and wrist sprains.

Repetitive Motion Injuries
Children are at risk for stress fractures, tendonitis, and inflammation in areas of the body — such as the knees, elbows, and shoulders — subjected to repeated stress from overuse. These injuries commonly affect adolescents who participate in softball, tennis, and volleyball.

Growth Plate Injuries
Growing children have areas of developing tissue at the end of the bones in their hands, arms, legs, and feet called growth plates. As their tissue growth completes, solid bone replaces the growth plates. Injuries to these bones require medical treatment from an orthopedic doctor.

While treatment options vary depending on the extent of each injury, we take every effort to exhaust all conservative measures prior to surgical intervention.   Both of our locations also offer physical therapy to help your child through the healing process and athletic trainers that will be able to safely introduce your child to their sport.

When surgery is warranted, we take pride in offering the most highly advanced techniques available. The orthopaedic surgeons at Orthopaedic Associates of St. Augustine are board certified and fellowship trained with extensive experience in restoring injured adolescents to their pre-injury level of performance.