Physical Abuse of Children: A Review for Orthopedic Surgeons

ABSTRACT: Statistics show that more than half the victims of child abuse have fractures. The orthopedic surgeon will often be the first person to identify a potentially abused child. In a  series at Brenner Children’s Hospital, 17% of abused children had a fracture as the initial  manifestation of child abuse. For protection of the child, it is essential that the orthopedic  surgeon recognize the signs of child abuse and make a referral to the appropriate child  protection agency. In this review article, we discuss recognition of common types of child  abuse and outline appropriate management of child abuse cases.