When your child has a sudden sprain, fracture, sports injury, or even a growing pain that won’t go away, getting expert care quickly can make all the difference. But knowing not only when to go but where to go can feel overwhelming. We went straight to the expert, Dr. Gunnar Tysklind, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Riley Children’s Health, to answer your questions about pediatric orthopedic care and ensure that Indianapolis families feel supported if an issue were to arise.
1. What are the most common reasons children are referred to pediatric orthopedics?
One of the most common reasons families are referred to a pediatric orthopedic specialist is for an injury. From sports injuries and broken bones to sprains, strains, and other childhood injuries, a child may need specialized orthopedic care to ensure they receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Seeing a specialist who focuses on orthopedic care for children can help families understand their child’s injury, explore treatment options, and support a safe return to school, sports, and everyday activities.
According to Dr. Tysklind, it is important to note that pediatric orthopedic services include more than just injuries. “The most common referrals we receive are for gait/walking abnormalities, leg or foot deformities such as toe walking, intoeing. We also commonly receive referrals for sports injuries, hip abnormalities, and spinal curvatures.”
2. When should parents be concerned about growing pains?
“There are different definitions of what truly causes growing pains. Pain related to certain growth plates commonly occurs in the early adolescent age groups between 10-14 years of age.” He does note to pay attention to the time of day in which the pain is most frequently happening. “Pain that is occurring at night, not related to activity and is not close to the joints (example: middle of the arm/leg) may be more concerning.” Dr. Tysklind does recommend common anti-inflammatory medicines, like Ibuprofen, that sometimes help ease the pain. However, if that does not work is when concern should be raised. “Also pain that doesn’t improve after some anti-inflammatory use can be concerning. Males older than 16 and females older than 14 rarely get growing pains.”
3. What signs indicate a child should see a specialist rather than wait it out?
There are a few things families should be looking for when monitoring the situation and deciding if it is time to get seen by a specialist. Dr. Tysklind says, “swelling that is occurring around the joint and is consistent with activity is concerning and should be evaluated by a specialist. Consistent limping (which is hard for a child to hide) should be evaluated. New pain lasting longer than 2-3 weeks should be evaluated by a specialist.”
4. What is one orthopedic issue parents often overlook?
“Acute injury with an associated pop and swelling, this is often not just a sprain and should be evaluated.” However, it is important to remind your athletes to take care of their bodies, especially during the intensity of a sports season. “Proper rest and recovery during sports seasons is often overlooked and taken for granted,” according to Dr. Tysklind.
5. What are the benefits of visiting a pediatric walk-in location?
Our Riley Children’s Health orthopedic walk-in locations are staffed by pediatric orthopedic specialists who understand the unique needs of growing bodies and offers families a trusted alternative to the emergency department for many non-life-threatening orthopedic injuries. Dr. Tysklind says that, “all we see are pediatric and adolescent patients, we understand the unique issues relating to their growth.” Treatment onsite for orthopedic injuries includes x-rays, casting, splints and other bracing options. You don’t need an appointment or have to call ahead.
Knowing that specialized orthopedic care is available without an appointment can help take some of the stress out of an unexpected injury or issue. A pediatric orthopedic walk-in location offers families a convenient way to have these injuries evaluated by experts who understand the unique needs of growing bones and joints. And now Indianapolis area families don’t have to wait to get the care they need. Riley Children’s Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine recently opened a second location offering walk-in care for orthopedic injuries at IU Health Fishers. With the opening of this Fishers location and the existing walk-in care at IU Health North in Carmel, caregivers have two convenient locations for their family so your child can begin the road to recovery and get back to doing what they love.
About Dr. Robert G. Tysklind
Dr. Robert G. Tysklind, MD is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon specializing in pediatric and adolescent sports medicine as well as pediatric orthopedic trauma. He attended medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine and completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Cleveland Clinic Akron General. Dr. Tysklind completed his orthopedic sports 
medicine fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and began practicing at Riley Children’s Health in 2020. Throughout his life, Dr. Tysklind has been involved in soccer and understands how devastating it can be to a child to be taken away from sports or an activity they love due to an injury. You can expect Dr. Tysklind to diagnose the injury, help get your child through appropriate treatment whether surgery, therapy, or a combination of both, to get your child back to doing the activities they love.
