A lot has been written about what adults can expect from orthopedic surgery procedures in the way of recovery and mobility. Most 60-year-olds headed in for hip surgery or knee surgery become capable autodidacts, scanning the Web for information about prognosis and aftercare.
Not so for younger patients, whose parents are often left in a state of confusion about the most common surgical procedures, and how these procedures may impact young lives.
Which is why this web page is long overdue; released by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, it details the average recovery times for some of the most frequent procedures in pediatric orthopedics:
1. Supracondylar fracture pinning: Six days
2. ACL reconstruction: Six days
3. Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy: Six days
4. Spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: 42 days
5. Both-Bone forearm fracture fixation: Four days
6. Arthroscopic shoulder surgery: Six days
7. Hip arthroscopy for hip impingement: 10 days
8. Limb length discrepancy correction: Nine days
9. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis: 9.5 days
10. Femur fracture fixation: 13 days
Clip and save this list, but do not assume its figures are gospel. Every patient is different, and each child heals differently from major orthopedic surgery. The best way to learn your options and foretell the future is by speaking with an expert San Diego orthopedist in person.
