Musculoskeletal disorders affect the bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissue. Many musculoskeletal disorders may occur in children, and some types are more common than others.

Musculoskeletal disorders impact your bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissue. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.71 billion people worldwide have a musculoskeletal condition.

You can develop a musculoskeletal condition at any age, including as a child. Certain musculoskeletal conditions are common in children, while others are rarer.

Continue reading as we review some of the common types of musculoskeletal disorders in children. We’ll discuss their symptoms, how they’re diagnosed and treated, and their outlook.

Pediatric musculoskeletal disorders are those that can impact one or more of the following tissues:

All of these tissues help your body move smoothly. Because of this, musculoskeletal conditions often lead to reduced range of motion and sometimes pain.

There are many different types of musculoskeletal conditions. That means that there are also a variety of causes of pediatric musculoskeletal conditions.

For example, some of these conditions may be related to structural issues that are present from birth or develop over time. Meanwhile, others may happen due to increases in inflammation in the body.

We’ve divided up pediatric musculoskeletal conditions into a few broad categories. These are:

  • structural
  • genetic
  • inflammatory
  • neoplastic

Below, we’ll go over some of the most common pediatric musculoskeletal disorders in each category and the symptoms to be aware of.

Structural pediatric musculoskeletal disorders impact the structure of bones and joints. They may be present from birth (congenital) or develop as a child ages.

Below are some of the common structural pediatric musculoskeletal disorders.

Scoliosis

Typically, your spine appears straight when viewed from behind. In scoliosis, the spine has a C-shaped or S-shaped curve when viewed from behind. Other signs of scoliosis include:

  • uneven shoulders or waistline
  • one shoulder blade that sticks out more than the other
  • one side of the ribcage that’s higher than the other side

Scoliosis typically becomes apparent during puberty when children are undergoing growth spurts. It’s estimated to affect about 3% of children and adolescents.

Severe scoliosis curves can potentially lead to pain and difficulty breathing.

Clubfoot

Clubfoot is when the foot is turned toward the body, meaning that the bottom of the foot faces sideways or upward. If left untreated, it can lead to problems walking, painful calluses, and difficulty doing everyday activities.

Clubfoot is one of the most common congenital deformities in newborns, being present in one in 1,000 births.

Developmental dysplasia of the hip

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is another common pediatric musculoskeletal condition. Like clubfoot, it occurs in about one in 1,000 births.

DDH happens when the hip joint’s socket is shallower than normal. This means that the ball of the femur (thighbone) cannot fit into it, making the hip joint less stable.

Signs of DDH can include:

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is a hip condition that can occur during early adolescence. It’s estimated to affect 0.5 out of 1,000 children.

SCFE happens when the ball of the femur slips downward in relation to the rest of the bone. This can lead to symptoms like:

Sometimes genetic changes can lead to pediatric musculoskeletal disorders. Muscular dystrophy is one of the common genetic causes of pediatric musculoskeletal problems.

Compared to the structural conditions that we just discussed, muscular dystrophies are rarer. They’re estimated to affect one in every 5,000 to 10,000 people worldwide and are often diagnosed in children.

Muscular dystrophies lead to progressive damage to muscles. This can cause:

While there are many types of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common childhood form. Because it follows an X-linked inheritance pattern, male children are most likely to be affected by it.

A couple of examples of other rarer genetic causes of musculoskeletal disorders in children include achondroplasia and osteogenesis imperfecta.

Conditions that lead to inflammation in the body can also cause musculoskeletal disorders in children. These often have infectious or autoimmune causes. Let’s explore them now.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a type of arthritis caused by autoimmune disease. According to the American College of Rheumatology, JIA affects about 1 in 1,000 children.

In JIA, the immune system mistakenly attacks joint tissue, leading to inflammation and damage. The symptoms of JIA can include:

JIA can also affect other parts of the body, such as the eyes, skin, and lungs.

Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is a bone infection. It often occurs due to trauma that impacts a bone and introduces microbes like bacteria. This can happen through fracture, injury, surgery, or previous infection.

If left untreated, the infection can spread or lead to lasting bone damage. The symptoms of osteomyelitis are:

  • severe pain
  • swelling, redness, discoloration, and warmth in the affected area
  • difficulty using the affected area, such as walking with a limp if a leg bone is affected
  • high fever

Osteomyelitis is estimated to affect 13 in 100,000 children.

Septic arthritis

Septic arthritis happens when an infection in another part of the body spreads into a joint, often the hips, knee, or ankle. It’s most commonly caused by bacteria.

The symptoms of septic arthritis typically appear quickly and may include:

  • severe pain and swelling in the affected joint
  • reduced range of motion
  • fever
  • chills

Septic arthritis is less common in children than the other inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders discussed above. It’s estimated to impact up to 4 in 100,000 children in the United States.

Pediatric musculoskeletal disorders can also have neoplastic causes. The term “neoplastic” basically refers to an abnormal growth of tissue encompassing both benign (noncancerous) and malignant (cancerous) tumors.

The majority of pediatric tumors affecting the musculoskeletal system are benign. However, musculoskeletal tumors also represent some of the most common malignancies in children, including:

Cancers can also affect other types of musculoskeletal tissue, but they are less common. These include cancers that develop in tendons, cartilage, and joint tissue.

Symptoms of musculoskeletal tumors can vary by type but may include a lump that you can feel and pain in the affected area as the tumor presses on surrounding tissues.

In order to diagnose pediatric musculoskeletal disorders, a healthcare professional will first get a child’s medical history and do a physical examination. During the physical examination, they may:

  • observe the appearance of a bone, joint, or surrounding skin
  • feel for pain or tenderness
  • assess the range of motion of a joint
  • check reflexes
  • evaluate muscle strength
  • observe how a child walks

They may also do additional tests to help rule out other conditions and make a diagnosis. These can include:

The treatment of pediatric musculoskeletal disorders depends on the diagnosis. Broadly speaking, treatments that may be used include:

  • medications to relieve symptoms, slow disease progression, or treat an infection or cancer
  • surgery to correct any structural issues or to remove a tumor
  • bracing or casting methods, such as to treat things like scoliosis, clubfoot, or DDH
  • physical therapy
  • speech therapy
  • assistive devices to help with mobility, speech, or daily activities

Once a diagnosis is made, a healthcare professional will give you an overview of the recommended treatment options, including their benefits and risks.

The outlook for children with pediatric musculoskeletal disorders depends on the diagnosis.

For example, clubfoot can be corrected when treated in early childhood. Many children born with this musculoskeletal disorder go on to live active lives.

JIA is a chronic condition that can require long-term treatment. Because there’s currently no cure for JIA, treatment aims to achieve a remission of symptoms and prevent damage to joints.

Muscular dystrophy is a progressive condition that gets worse over time. There isn’t a cure, but some treatments may slow progression and boost quality of life. People with DMD, a common type of muscular dystrophy, have a life expectancy of about 20 years.

There are many types of common musculoskeletal disorders that can impact children. These may affect the structure of bones and joints or be associated with genetic changes, inflammation, or tumors.

Each musculoskeletal disorder presents differently. It’s a good rule of thumb to see a healthcare professional if your child has signs or symptoms like a visible bone or joint alteration, pain or swelling around a bone or joint, or increasing muscle weakness.

The specific treatments and outlooks for pediatric musculoskeletal disorders depend on the diagnosis. Your healthcare professional will discuss these with you after they’ve determined what’s causing your child’s symptoms.