Author Archives: Norman Elevencione

ACL injuries are becoming more common in the paediatric and adolescent population. ACL injuries occur with twisting and bending incidents and girls are more at risk due to their different leg angles associated with a wider pelvis compared to boys. Sports that are particularly at risk are: AFL, soccer, netball and lacrosse. Repair of the…

W sitting is when a child sits with their bottom on the ground, knees in front and feet splayed out to the side. This is a comfortable position for many kids to sit in but a position that maybe a problem, especially if it is the only sitting position used by a child to sit…

Bones get stronger when physical stress is put on them. So regular exercise of the right kind will help build bone strength. At different stages of our lives we need different goals for our exercise. In childhood and adolescence, we need to be building as much bone as possible. Adulthood should see us maintaining bone…

RACS stands for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. It is the organisation that trains surgeons and maintains surgical standards in Australia and New Zealand. It is a long road to become a doctor, and then even longer to become an accredited surgeon.  The university training to become a doctor is 5-6 years long. Once…

We think about Scurvy with pirates and the first fleet – a disease of the olden days but Scurvy is still around, and Brian has noticed a few more kids presenting to hospital with what turns out to be Scurvy. Scurvy is the disease that happens when we don’t get enough vitamin C. It is…

Prevention is better than cure, so how do we prevent sports injury?  Well, accidents do happen, but if you’re playing sport, being match fit and warming up are key.  In fact, a soccer warm up developed by FIFA has been shown to reduce lower limb injury by 30%. FIFA acknowledged that knee injuries were a…

Vitamin D is a really important vitamin.  Our clever bodies make it in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, in particular UVB. Vitamin D is used by the body control calcium levels in the blood and is therefore important to grow and maintain strong muscles and bones.  Children who don’t get enough vitamin…

Recently, Brian Loh published a paper in the Australian Journal of General Practice on the management of infant and toddler developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The full article can be read here: https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2021/april/infant-and-toddler-developmental-dysplasia-of-the The following is a precis of the article, focusing on the key watch points for the diagnosis and management of DDH….