ABSTRACT
“Children are not miniature adults” is an often-repeated phrase in scientific parlance. What makes children different is the growth and development that takes place in each part of their bodies. It is not uncommon to see errors in diagnosis due to a lack of scientific knowledge in this aspect. To successfully diagnose pediatric orthopedic conditions, a knowledge of the normal growth parameters and biometric measurements of children is essential.
This chapter refreshes the knowledge of general growth measurements, which is learned in undergraduate pediatric classes and is often forgotten during postgraduate training in orthopedics. These aid in identifying if a child has grown as expected or not. Sexual maturity rating is discussed to help readers understand its importance in musculoskeletal conditions. This is followed by a description of the normal growth pattern of the upper and lower limbs with an emphasis on conditions commonly encountered in clinical practice. Evolution of femoral anteversion, alignment of knees, tibial torsion, and foot progression are discussed in detail. The concept and the methods used for assessing ligamentous laxity round up this interesting chapter.
