Paediatrics – other conditions

Musculoskeletal (MSK) Therapy Services

There are several conditions that can affect different or multiple different body parts during childhood and adolescence, most commonly it is nothing to worry about but occasionally it can be the result of a condition that requires immediate Orthopaedic intervention.

If you are concerned about pain you should make an appointment with your GP in the first instance and they will be able to ensure you are appropriately screened. Additionally, mental health can have a big effect on the symptoms you feel.

Mental Health

What is it?

There are a multitude of mental health conditions that can affect you in childhood and throughout life. Although physiotherapists are not specifically trained to help you with these conditions, we are able to listen and sign post you to appropriate services. The leaflet below provides you with local and national services that can be accessed in a variety of ways for many different mental health conditions.

Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Exercise and healthy eating

It is important to ensure that you are regularly exercising and eating well. The below leaflet is designed to give some basic advice around this. If you have an eating disorder of are worried you may do, please book an appointment with your GP. Additionally, there are some groups you can contact in the mental health leaflet.

Food and Fitness for Children and Adolescents

Hypermobility syndrome

What is it?

Hypermobility is a term used to describe flexibility. In medicine we consider this flexibility to be on a scale with some people being naturally more flexible and some less flexible. Hypermobility refers to people who are more flexible. This may mean you can do the splits or tricks with your body that others can’t. It is a normal occurrence, however in some people it can lead to pain. This pain tends to occur around growth spurts and therefore can be quite common in adolescence. Generalised exercise is shown to be the most effective way at managing the symptoms.

Joint Hypermobility Syndrome

Would an X-ray help?

X-rays would not be required to diagnose this condition and would not be required.

X-rays work by passing a low level radiation through the body to produce an image. Due to the radiation X-rays will only be used if there is no other way to accurately diagnose the problem or if there is a concern that there may be a more serious problem. Radiologists (people who complete the X-rays) will only do one if they feel the referring clinician (such as a doctor, specialist physio or nurse practitioner) has given a valid reason for the risk of radiation. This means that you may have been referred for an x-ray but it has not been completed because the radiologists feel that other methods should be used to determine the problem first.

For more information about x-rays please see the NHS website below:

X-ray

What are the optoins at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT)?

  1. Physiotherapy – If you have pain from hypermobility, this is normally the first port of call. Options include advice, exercises, hands on therapy, acupuncture, hydrotherapy or gym-based rehabilitation.
  2. Advanced Practitioner – If your pain has not improved with Physiotherapy, a referral to the AP may be your next option. Here you can discuss current management options, including the merits of medical imagining or further testing.
  3. Orthopaedics – If the AP is concerned or imagining is completed and shows something abnormal an appointment with an orthopaedic consultant maybe advised. Further management and treatments can be discussed here; including surgical intervention if indicated (although this is rare in children and would need to be completed at a specialised centre).
  4. Pain Management Programme – Although not provided by ESHT. A referral into the Evelina Hospital in London’s Pain management programme may help for pain that is not resolving or does not have a specific medical cause.