Orthopedics is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of injuries and diseases of your body's musculoskeletal system. This complex system includes your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves and allows you to move, work and be active.

Orthopedics is the medical specialty concerned with the preservation, restoration, and development of form and function of the musculoskeletal system, extremities, spine, and associated structures by medical, surgical, and physical methods.

os trigonum is a normal bone found in about 10% of the population. The os trigonum is just behind the ankle joint. In some people, the os trigonum causes posterior ankle impingement and pain. Osgood-Schlatter disease is a common condition in children often referred to as growing pains of the knees. Osgood-Schlatter disease is the result of rapid growth and pulling of the tendons areound the growth plate of the knee in adolescents. Treatment of Osgood-Schlatter is best accomplished with rest.

Pediatric Orthopedics is the study and treatment of growing bones, joints and muscles. Pediatric Orthopedists use many techniques, including observation of growth, physical therapy, braces and splints, and occasionally surgery to treat various conditions such as congenital deformities, injuries, neurological disorders, and scoliosis. These conditions are discussed in general below, with links being added to more specific information as time goes by.

Orthodontists began to use this term quite a while ago. Progress in orthodontic treatment has allowed orthodontists to not only move teeth but to change the shape of the jawbones, themselves. This has opened up greater treatment possibilities. When one jaw grows more or less than another, or grows more on one side than another, there are now things that we can do about it. Sometimes, this involves the wearing of what is called a functional appliance.

No, they differ greatly. Orthodontics is "the division of dentistry dealing with the prevention and correction of abnormally positioned or aligned teeth" (Taber's Cyclopedica Medical Dictionary). Functional Jaw Orthopedics deals with the prevention and correction of abnormally positioned or aligned jaws, but may utilize certain orthodontic techniques in doing so.

In some ways they are 180 degrees apart, in essence total opposites. Regular orthodontics for decades has utilized predominantly UP & BACK forces on teeth and jaws during periods of growth--serial extractions, arch shrinkage and head gear. Functional Jaw Orthopedics for decades has utilized predominantly DOWN & FORWARD forces on teeth and jaws during periods of growth--early arch development, tooth preservation and forward pull face masks.

Yes, a great deal. Functional Jaw Orthopedics makes beautiful broad smiles, nice pleasing facial profiles, good facial balance, healthier TMJs, and stable results. But most of all, FJO treatment makes a nice broad smile a patient can grow in to, not out of.