Ultrasound examination is often the most effective and sometimes the only practical means of examining children with soft tissue, tendon and joint diseases. This review will cover the important application of diagnostic ultrasound in children musculoskeletal disorders. We will consider topics where ultrasound is the only sensible means of examination such as developmental dysplasia of the hip, where it is the best choice of several possible methods such as painful hip and when it provides an alternative or adjunct to other imaging such as the examination of soft tissue masses.