This edition of FP Essentials addresses musculoskeletal issues in children and adolescents. FP Essentials topics are selected by the editorial board. We follow a 3-year curriculum to ensure a broad range of topics relevant to family medicine. From each 3-year overview, the editorial board crafts a 12-month slate of editions, each with the four subtopics that become the call for authors and ultimately the editions you read each month.

The editorial board works hard to find a balance between topics we think readers encounter regularly and topics we think might be less common, but still important to know about. This edition of FP Essentials reflects that balance well. Section One covers the newborn examination, a fundamental skill taught universally in residency and practiced on a frequent basis by many family physicians. The conditions and examination maneuvers described in Section One will be familiar to many, and we hope will provide additional context and updates to your current knowledge and understanding. Section Two addresses genetic disorders with musculoskeletal components. Some of these are often seen in family medicine, such as Down syndrome, whereas others are somewhat more rare, such as Marfan syndrome or osteogenesis imperfecta. Patients and families value our expertise with these conditions alongside our specialist colleagues. Section Three, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, discusses another commonly seen condition and describes the range of management options for various degrees of severity. Section Four likewise covers injuries most family physicians will see, such as fractures and overuse injuries, as well as the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options for these conditions.

Musculoskeletal conditions are commonly encountered by family physicians when caring for children and adolescents. I hope this edition of FP Essentials builds on a foundation of information you already feel familiar with and brings your attention to some new information.

Kate Rowland, MD, FAAFP, Associate Medical Editor
Vice Chair of Education and Associate Professor,
Department of Family Medicine
Rush University, Chicago, Illinois