Pediatric Orthopedics
Spine and Scoliosis
Our program in infantile casting, one of the largest in the region, treats a large number of children under 18 months of age. The majority of these infants have their scoliosis cured.
Dr. David P. Roye, Jr.
Co-Director, Pediatric Orthopedics
Our pediatric orthopedic surgeons have long employed techniques and developed technologies in the treatment of early onset scoliosis (EOS) and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) that have dramatically improved outcomes.
Our surgeons were among the first in the country to correct EOS using magnetic technology, a noninvasive alternative to traditional growing rods. The MAGEC® (MAGnetic Expansion Control) device allows surgeons to straighten and correct the spine gradually using a remote-controlled device.
The Conservative Care for Spine and Scoliosis clinic specializes in the nonoperative treatment of scoliosis, kyphosis, and spine deformity throughout the lifespan.
Columbia physicians and physical therapists are also involved in a multicenter study of physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises to assess their benefit for individuals with small curves in slowing the progression of scoliosis.
Adolescent Sports Medicine
Our program in adolescent sports medicine emphasizes osteochondral allograft transplantation surgery (OATS) and ACL surgery that respect the growth plate and physis and employs the MacIntosh extra-articular knee stabilization procedure for skeletally immature patients.
Specialization has been linked to overuse injuries, burnout, and decreased satisfaction. The results of a study by Columbia physicians of collegiate athletes at Fordham University and Columbia University about factors that influenced their age of specialization in team or individual sports found that young athletes are increasingly specializing in a single sport before starting high school. The results were published in the November/December 2017 issue of Sports Health.
Cerebral Palsy
The Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center is the first program on the East Coast dedicated to transitional care for children with childhood-onset neuromotor disabilities. The Center is one of the first in the country to establish a Cerebral Palsy Patient Registry. Through research made possible by the registry, Columbia physicians have identified that cervical spinal stenosis is eight times more common and occurs two decades earlier in patients with CP, and therefore they recommend that patients with CP be screened with MRI and CT.