Stacy Frye, MD

Concerns regarding the appearance of a child’s lower extremities are a common reason for visits to the pediatrician and a frequent source of orthopedic referrals. The aim of this article is to provide guidance on the diagnosis and management of 7 common lower limb positional variations in children and adolescents.

Pediatric sports and activity participation is on the rise. It is estimated that up to 45 million children are involved in some form of athletics.1 On the whole, exercise is something to be encouraged in today’s children, with benefits of improving physical fitness, increasing social interaction with peers, decreasing stress, achieving self-efficacy, and gaining experience in goal setting, teamwork, and commitment.

Sports participation is on the rise among youth in the United States. As we continue to address childhood obesity, it is encouraging to see that the number of high school students playing sports has continued to increase yearly since 1983.