Health Care Utilization

Musculoskeletal deformities were diagnosed in 1.8 million children and adolescent health care visits in 2012, of which 943,800 had a primary diagnosis of musculoskeletal deformity. Among the total with any diagnoses of deformity, 111,800 children and adolescents were hospital discharges, with 30,100 hospitalizations for a primary diagnosis of a musculoskeletal infection. (Reference Table 7.1.1 PDF [1] CSV [2] and Table 7.1.2 PDF [3] CSV [4])

Females had a slightly higher rate of overall deformity diagnoses with hospitalization, and accounted for 55% of primary diagnosis hospitalizations. Children under the age of 1 year had a high rate of musculoskeletal deformity for any diagnosis with hospitalization (41%), but accounted for only 5% of primary hospitalizations. Primary diagnosis of musculoskeletal deformity with hospitalization increased with age.

Musculoskeletal deformity as a primary diagnosis accounted for 6% of hospitalizations for any musculoskeletal condition diagnosis, but only 0.5% of hospitalizations for any health care reasons for children and adolescents age 20 years and under. (Reference Table 7.3 PDF [5] CSV [6])

Deformity of the spine represented the largest share of hospitalizations (42%), followed by the lower extremity at 29% and upper extremity at 18%.