Orthopedic management of neuromuscular disorders in children

In many cases, the orthopedic surgeon may be the first consultant requested to assess complaints of lower extremity weakness or deformity to result from such conditions and must remain alert to the primary diagnosis. In addition, the orthopedic surgeon should be prepared to guide appropriate physical therapy, prescribe orthotics, and perform surgery to improve function, prevent deformity, or provide comfort when necessary. Most deformities of the extremities result from a combination of muscle weakness and imbalance, and surgical procedures are aimed at correcting existing deformity and rebalancing existing musculature by release or transfer. Skeletally immature patients with neuromuscular disorders are also succeptible to the development of scoliosis, which may impair comfortable sitting or already compromised pulmonary function. This article reviews the clinical manifestation and orthopedic management of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.