Maintaining good bone health is crucial for overall well-being. Healthy bones support mobility and protect vital organs, and they play a pivotal role in the body's mineral balance. The Skeletal Health Center at Boston Children’s Hospital offers comprehensive, personalized care to children and adolescents with a broad spectrum of complex skeletal conditions. With years of experience in pediatric and adult endocrinology, genetics, orthopedics, adolescent medicine, neurosurgery, clinical densitometry (bone density testing), otolaryngology, and other disciplines, our skilled experts provide specialized care for more than 300 skeletal conditions, including:
- Skeletal dysplasia, including achondroplasia, osteogenesis imperfecta, thanatophoric dysplasia, and hypochondroplasia
- Genetic bone diseases such as fibrous dysplasia and osteopetrosis
- Metabolic bone disease conditions such as hypophosphatemic rickets, hypoparathyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, and hypovitaminosis D
- Skeletal fragility due to chronic illnesses such as muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, and inflammatory bowel disease
Our multidisciplinary approach
The Skeletal Health Center is one the only multidisciplinary centers of its kind in the Northeast. We understand that skeletal conditions can affect more than a child’s bones. That’s why we take a team approach to care, bringing together experts in areas such as:
- Endocrinology
- Genetics
- Orthopedics
- Neurosurgery
- Otolaryngology
- Adolescent medicine
- Bone density
- Physical therapy
- Social work
- Nutrition
- Pulmonology
- Sleep medicine
- Fetal care and surgery
Together, we create a treatment plan that’s personalized to your family’s needs. Depending on your child’s unique case, we may also draw on the expertise of other specialists throughout Boston Children’s.
Care that’s driven by research
In the Skeletal Health Center, we believe that research can provide us with a deeper understanding of bone health, potentially leading to new and better ways to diagnose and treat skeletal conditions. For example, we are currently conducting five industry-sponsored clinical trials on rare genetic bone diseases.
A commitment to accessibility
To reduce the need for travel, we strive to offer families appointments in one single location on the same day. In addition, our Waltham location is outfitted with height-adjustable exam tables, wheelchair-accessible scales, and chairs that fit a range of body sizes and shapes.
