Disorders of Growth Plates

The majority of our patients are adults with chronic orthopedic pain due to hard labor and malnutrition. Periodically a pediatric case arrives at the clinic, with the parent’s hope of finding a solution to their child’s issue. This 4 year old was brought to clinic by her mother, stating that she has difficulty walking normal, and her legs were curved slightly. First off look at this face, prior to our examination and potential treatment, she brought smiles to our whole medical room. She was pleasant, patient, and playful. After Bac Si Ha initially examined her, we discovered she had a disorder of her growth plates. Before continuing, we sent her to get an x-ray of her lower extremities. Upon confirmation, Bac Si Ha explained that as she gets older, she will grow at a much slower rate than her colleagues, potentially only reaching a very short height. Although she is not in any pain, Bac Si Ha attempted to manipulate her lower extremities and stretch her tendons which have begun to contract. Her smile turned to tears, although our student did an amazing job of trying to keep her calm. Unfortunately, not much can be done with our limited resources for this beautiful young girl. An attempt to fit her with braces to straighten her limbs and increase her growth velocity will take place during our December 2017 trip back to Ben Tre. Until then, keep making the world smile little angel and hopefully we can improve your long-term outcome when we return.