Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic surgery can play an important role in helping children with CP become more independent, experience less pain and have a better quality of life. 

Orthopaedic surgeries for children with cerebral palsy include:

• Tendon and muscle lengthening. This procedure treats muscle contractures and can help improve motor control and gait. The orthopaedic surgeon uses tiny incisions to minimize pain and shorten recovery time.
• Tendon transfer. This surgery involves cutting a tendon and attaching it at a different location. It can improve alignment and muscle strength.
• Osteotomy. This surgery corrects bone abnormalities that develop over time. It usually involves realignment of the bone in the hips and upper or lower extremities. The surgeon may use plates, rods or screws to hold the newly shaped or repositioned bone in place.
• Guided growth surgeries. This minimally invasive approach harnesses your child’s own growth to help realign their bones or prevent abnormalities, with far less surgery, and a much easier rehabilitation.

Minimally Invasive Orthopaedic Care

Our orthopaedic surgeons are global leaders in cerebral palsy care and committed to doing minimally invasive procedures whenever possible. One example of that is “single-event, multilevel surgery” (SEMLS). With this approach, the surgeon does multiple procedures at once, rather than spreading them out over many years. SEMLS usually results in fewer surgeries total and only one course of rehabilitation. It can treat soft tissue and bone problems in the legs, hips and upper extremities.