How to choose the timing of treatment for congenital bone deformities in young children?

  Most congenital bone deformities can be completely cured with effective surgery. Choosing the best timing for surgery can often play a crucial role in the treatment of the disease.  Congenital clubfoot: the incidence can be 1.2%-1.6%, mostly bilateral, often combined with other deformities, and can be treated with manipulation and plaster or external fixation brace within 1 year of age in mild cases. Nowadays, most people advocate soft tissue release or bone surgery after 6 months of age in order to cure.  Congenital hip dislocation: the earlier the treatment, the better. The treatment is not only simple but also effective.  Congenital spina bifida: It is a developmental malformation of the nervous system and requires surgery. If the bulging dura is found to have ruptured after birth, prompt surgery should be performed. Others are better operated within 1-3 months after birth to prevent continued progression of the lesion. In case of concomitant congenital hydrocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid shunts need to be performed at the same time or before or after the management of spina bifida.  Congenital myelomeningocele: It is an extremely common deformity caused by contracture of the sternocleidomastoid muscle on one side of the child, and can be treated conservatively with massage, orthopedic braces, heat and physical therapy up to 1 year of age.  Congenital syndactyly: It is a common hand deformity, mostly bilateral. The timing of surgery should be determined by the severity of the syndactyly. In children with mild syndactyly or incomplete syndactyly, surgical separation should be postponed until after the age of 5 years to prevent the hand development from being affected by the simultaneous growth of the fingers and the scars formed by the surgery. However, in severe cases of syndactyly, surgery should be performed as early as possible. If the child is separated after 1.5 years of age, satisfactory results can be obtained after staged surgery.  Polydactyly: This deformity is often hereditary and is one of the common congenital deformities of the hand in infants and young children, all polydactyly should be surgically removed as early as possible to avoid affecting the normal development of the fingers.