Common orthopedic foot issues in the pediatric athlete

Abstract

Pediatric sports participation is skyrocketing and in the United States, as over 21/2 million children suffer sports-related injuries every year. Most pediatric sports injuries involve the lower extremity with foot injuries among the top ten most common reasons for pediatric hospital admissions. Sport-specific data outlines the importance of understanding these injuries. Fractures of the pediatric foot and ankle are number three on the list for soccer, the number one injury associated with martial arts, and the second most common injury in youth football. This chapter outlines points and offers illustrative cases of some of the most common orthopedic sports-related pediatric foot entities. These include: accessory navicular, Iselin disease, Jones fracture, Freiberg's infraction, Sever apophysitis, tarsal coalition.