What are things to watch out for?

• In infancy, it is important to be regularly monitored by a pediatric orthopedic surgeon so that future problems of the feet and spine can be managed and possibly evaded. Surgery is usually preformed before walking age to correct foot deformities.
• Later in life, patients must look out for worsening foot deformities, progressive curvature of the spine, and hip pain in early adult life (due to arthritis). Common surgical procedures intended to correct these problems include an osteotomy of the foot or lower leg (to achieve a plantigrade foot) or hip replacement surgery (for progressive degenerative arthritis).
• Occasionally, spinal cord compression in the neck can lead to quadriparesis, resulting in a loss of limb function. Symptoms to watch for include a loss of walking or reduced endurance, altered sensations is the arms and legs, or incontinence. Often times patients undergo spinal fusion surgery in the neck or lower back, along with decompression of the spinal cord.
• Finally, generally all skeletal dysplasias warrant multidisciplinary attention. Regular assessment by an orthopedist, geneticist, pediatrician, dentist, neurologist, and physical therapist will provide the most comprehensive treatment.

• What are the physical characteristics of Diastrophic Dysplasia?
• How is the diagnosis made?
• Problems in the musculoskeletal system
• Problems elsewhere in the body
• What are things to watch out for?
• References