Share Your Story: Andi’s Life Changing Journey

Share Your Story: Andi’s Life Changing Journey

by | Mar 19, 2019 | Hip Disorders

Meet Andi, a patient who is treated by our spine and hip experts. Learn more about her journey below.

Blog written by Andi’s mom, Tera, of McComb, Mississippi. 

Andi’s life changing journey started the moment she was born. At birth, we were told something was severely wrong with her hips and we would need to double diaper her to keep her hips spread apart. Nobody actually went into details with us until later at our post-delivery follow-up when Andi was three days old. At that time, our pediatrician told us he had never heard or felt a clunk in hips the way Andi’s hips were reacting to the hip check. Our pediatrician told us he thought she had hip dysplasia and we would need to meet with an orthopedic doctor.

We were initially referred to Children’s Hospital of New Orleans and Andi was just 1 week old when we had our first appointment with the orthopedic doctor. She was officially diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia and was put into a Pavlik harness, which was to be worn 24/7 for three months. We did harness adjustments every couple of weeks and after three months, the X-rays showed that the left hip responded to treatment, but the right hip did not. Our doctor, at the time, decided to try the Rhino abduction brace. It was then that we noticed that Andi was in a lot of pain. Hip dysplasia is generally not painful, but for her it was very painful.

When you touched her right leg or made any hip movement, her entire spine curved like a ‘C’ and she screamed in pain. She had X-rays done on her spine, but this did not give us any answers. We were told her spinal curvature (32 degrees) was not severe enough to be true scoliosis.
 
My husband and I began to research our options and that is when we found Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. We live eight hours away and did not even hesitate about travelling to Dallas for a second opinion. The appointment process was quick, easy and we were able to get something scheduled right away.

Our first appointment was wonderful. 

Andi had Dr. Ramo and the staff scratching their heads, but they never gave up on her. They saw how much pain she was in and were able to pick up on developmental delays that nobody else had mentioned before. X-rays showed her right hip was still out of socket, her spinal curvature was now 42 degrees and the pain she was experiencing was being caused by inflammation.

Dr. Ramo suggested we allow Andi to continue to grow and develop and the plan was to repeat her scans in a couple of months. Time passed and we made another trip to Dallas. Her scans showed that her spinal curvature had since progressed to 54 degrees and Dr.Ramo decided to focus on her spine before we continued with further hip treatment. She was then placed in a Mehta cast – this process was rather simple, and the hospital staff made it easy.
 

From the moment we walked in the doors of the hospital to when we were discharged, our family felt comfortable, safe, loved and we knew our daughter was receiving the best care possible.

 
Fast forward a year later and Andi’s last Mehta cast was removed. Her spinal curvature had improved to 28 degrees and we were over joyed. She continues with nighttime bracing for a few months and then decided it was time to fix her hip.

Andi underwent a pelvic Osteomoy of the right hip and was placed in a unique spica/Mehta combination cast. She was in the combo cast for 13 weeks and at the end of this treatment, her hip looked wonderful! She did lose a little correction in her spine, but Dr. Ramo knew this would improve once she was able to wear a brace. She wore a rhino abduction brace for a month and then we continued with nighttime bracing.
 
Andi has been such a trooper throughout this entire process. For her, this is her normal nighttime routine – take a bath and then put on her brace. We had a follow-up appointment in December 2018 and her spinal curvature is now just 16 degrees. We will continue with her nighttime brace until our follow-up this summer and hopefully then, she will become an observation patient.

Everyone at Scottish Rite Hospital – from the registration staff, to the volunteers, nurse Marviel, Dr. Ramo and the cafeteria staff – they are all amazing. So kind, helpful, caring and welcoming! All of the hospital volunteers are always so giving and constantly put smiles on people’s faces.

This hospital made our struggles bearable.

Additional information on Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

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Share Your Story: Too Hip for Dysplasia

Share Your Story: Too Hip for Dysplasia

by | Mar 11, 2019 | Hip Disorders

Meet Sadie, a patient who is treated by our experts in our Center for Excellence in Hip. Learn more about her journey below.

Blog written by Sadie’s mom, Sarah Beth, of Longview. 

Sadie on her bed, smiling.

Sadie was diagnosed with Developmental Hip Dysplasia (DDH) at the age of 2 months old, when our pediatrician noticed a clicking in her right hip. We lived in Houston at the time and initially saw a pediatric orthopedic surgeon there. She wore a pavlik harness until she was 6 months old, with little to no improvement, and then switched to a Rhino brace. Both the Pavlik and the Rhino were worn for 23 hours a day, only giving her one hour of “freedom” each day. While she was hitting her development milestones, she was making little improvement on the angle of her hip. As we approached her second birthday, surgery became more and more of an option.
During this time, we moved to the Dallas area and made the switch to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

We immediately felt a sense of calmness when we met with Dr. Herring and his staff for the first time.

His knowledge on her condition and his willingness to wait to let her body continue to grow was exactly what we were hoping for. For the first time in Sadie’s hip journey, I felt peace with her condition.

As time passed, we continued with her checkups and eventually decided that a pelvic osteotomy would be necessary for Sadie to gain adequate coverage of her hip socket.  The hospital staff did a great job answering all of our questions and helped us through this journey. Sadie likes to explain the surgery by telling people that her hip was shaped like an “L” and they had to shape it more like a “C.”
Deciding to have a major surgery did not come without some hesitation, but the doctors and nurses were incredibly patient with my lists of questions.

Dr. Herring with Saddie

The child life specialists were able to provide a sense of calm for Sadie in situations where my husband and I did not know how to keep her calm. 

They walked her through the surgery beforehand, helped keep her entertained throughout her inpatient stay, distracted her when different lines were removed and eventually told her that it was okay to giggle when the cast came off because it may tickle. That team was an absolute life-saver!

Sadie
Sadie spent six weeks in a Spica cast and during that time, learned to army crawl, maneuver herself and function with absolutely no problems. Her attitude and determination during this time was amazing.

Since having her cast removed, she has had two X-rays and they each show good coverage of her right hip socket. She quickly returned to normal activity and seeing her now, you would never know that there had ever been anything wrong with her hip or that she was in a cast for six weeks.

I completely trust the doctors, nurses, child life specialists and staff of the hospital. Their knowledge and welcoming atmosphere have made many potentially stressful situations a lot easier for our family.

From Sadie’s point of view – “My favorite part of staying in the hospital was getting to go the playroom and meeting the Texas Rangers. I love getting popcorn after each checkup and playing on the playground.”

Additional information on Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

 

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Marco Flores, Family Services

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Marco Flores, Family Services

by | Mar 11, 2019 | Spotlight

What is your role at the hospital? What do you do on a daily basis?
I am the lead medical interpreter for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. I oversee and help coordinate the day to day operations and language access needs for our patients. My team and I make sure that every patient and/or family with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), that walk through our doors, have quality communication access in their own language via in-person, over the phone and/or video remote interpretation. We also provide translation services for the hospital on a wide variety of documents including patient education materials, consent forms, medical charts, etc. I also provide Spanish interpretation services to every department.
 
What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here?
Como dicen algunos, “no soy de Tejas, pero vine lo más pronto que pude”, así me paso a mí. No trabajaba en Scottish Rite, pero en cuanto tuve la oportunidad de venir y ser parte de la familia de Scottish Rite, lo hice lo más pronto que pude. Ahora llevo trabajando 2 años y contando. Crecí en los alrededores y recuerdo que de niño mi hermano y yo veníamos a jugar aquí enfrente en el parque, nunca me hubiera imaginado que algún día seria parte de esta gran institución.
Like some would say, “I am not from Texas, but I came here as fast as I could”, that’s what happened to me. I wasn’t working at Scottish Rite, but as soon as I got the opportunity to be part of the Scottish Rite family, I did it as soon as I could. Now, I’ve been working here for two years, and counting. I grew up around here, and I remember that as a child my brother and I would come play here at the park. I never would’ve imagined that one day I would be part of this great institution.
 
What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
That we’re all one great happy family, and that we all genuinely care about the wellbeing of our patients. I’ve had the opportunity to work in other local hospitals, and I can honestly say that the amazing atmosphere and high quality service that Scottish Rite Hospital provides is like no other. Coming here never feels like work – I enjoy and love what I do.  
 
What was your first job? What path did you take to get here?
My first job was as a gelato server for Paciugo. After I graduated from SMU, I worked for Children’s Hospital, then for Parkland for about six years, and finally I made it to Scottish Rite Hospital. 
 
What do you like to do in your spare time?
En mi tiempo libre, me encanta pasar el tiempo con mi familia, especialmente con mis dos hijos Axel y Erik. Me gustan los deportes, escuchar y tocar música, ir al cine y trabajar en mis autos.

During my spare time, I love spending time with  my family, especially with my two sons, Axel and Erik. I like sports, listening and playing music, going to the movies and working on my cars.
 
Three words to best describe you:
Sincero, apasionado y altruista.

Sincere, passionate, altruistic
 
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
Train to become a Jedi Master, good with words I am!
 
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Viajar por México después de graduarme de la universidad y visitar diferentes zonas arqueológicas de mis antepasados.

Traveled through Mexico after I graduated from college, and visited different archeological sites from my ancestors.
 
Upcoming Project:
I will be leading an introductory Spanish class through SRH University (hospital staff development program) that will focus on greetings, general instructions and other staff member/patient interactions.

Learn more about the resources provided through our Family Services department. 

Young Athletes and Soccer Safety: What You Need To Know

Young Athletes and Soccer Safety: What You Need To Know

by | Mar 8, 2019 | Sports Medicine

Recently, sports medicine physician Shane M. Miller, M.D., joined a Facebook LIVE discussion with pediatrician Early B. Denison, M.D., from Pediatric Associates of Dallas. As an expert in caring for young athletes, Miller was interviewed to discuss soccer safety and injury prevention. Below is a recap of the discussion. Watch the live segment. What types of injuries occur in soccer?
  • Soccer is a contact sport, but has a large endurance component. Most acute injuries involve player to player contact that can result in ankle sprains, strains and/or contusions.
  • Other Injuries include mouth, face/nose, eye, oral/dental
  • Are there differences in injuries in youth players compared to high school players?
  • Increase injury rates go along with increased age.
  • The athletes are faster, stronger and more aggressive.
What about practice vs. games?
  • Many more injuries occur during games than practice.
  • Games bring a higher level of competition with a less controlled environment.
  • One study showed that about 2/3 of injuries occurred during the second half of the game.
Boys vs. girls?
  • Girls have a higher injury rate than boys.
  • Specifically, there are two significant injuries that we see more in girls that concern us: ACL injuries and concussions.
What to know about ACL injuries:
  • Very common in female athletes (non-contact), more than football, and about three times as many as boy soccer players.
  • The injury takes place typically when planting the foot to cut – the ligament stretches and tears.
  • It’s possible to hear/feel a pop and have swelling in knee.
  • It is a very serious injury with short and long-term implications for an athlete.
  • Usually eight to 12 months before returning to previous level of sport.
  • Possibility of a long-term arthritis risk and associated injuries such as meniscus tear, etc.
What about overuse injuries?
  • In younger soccer players (9-12), we see a lot of heel pain.
  • Growth plate overuse injuries are very common.
  • Adolescents complain mostly about knee pain (patellofemoral pain or Osgood-Schlatter’s). If there is swelling, limping, activity limitations, or symptoms more than a few days, the athlete should be evaluated by a pediatrician or sports medicine specialist.
How can we keep our young athletes safe? What recommendations do you have to reduce the risk of soccer injuries?
  • Follow/enforce the rules! Many injuries are preventable. Aggressive play increases risk of injury.
  • Proper equipment including shin guards.
  • Warm-up program – FIFA 11+ and 11+ kids both have been shown to reduce the risk of injuries by half, especially ACL tears.
  • Including a dynamic warm-up program should focus on balance, coordination, strength training and falling techniques.
What about concussions? What are your thoughts on headers?
  • Most injuries that occur around headers involve player-to-player contact – so heading is a high-risk play.
  • Additionally, younger players don’t have the coordination or neck strength to properly head the ball and absorb the forces.
  • US Youth Soccer has banned heading in players age 10 and younger.
Will soccer headgear prevent a concussion?
  • Headgear will not prevent a concussion and may increase the risk of injury by increasing athlete’s confidence/sense of invincibility. Following the rules, minimizing heading, increasing neck strengthening and not playing when fatigued/dehydrated are all very important in preventing a concussion.
What about reducing the risk of overuse injuries and burnout?
  • A pre-participation physical exam should be performed at least six weeks before the season with a primary care provider. This will allow injuries/issues to be noticed and addressed before the season begins.
  • Sport specialization – play multiple sports early on and specialize in late adolescence (i.e. high school).
  • Avoid year-round play – take a month off three times/year.
  • Hours/week shouldn’t exceed age in years.
  • Sports should be fun! Emphasize fun and all the benefits of sports, not winning and scholarships.
Learn more about the common injuries treated in our Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine.
Health Care Providers Gather in Frisco to Learn from Hospital Experts

Health Care Providers Gather in Frisco to Learn from Hospital Experts

by | Mar 5, 2019 | Sports Medicine

Over the weekend, Scottish Rite Hospital hosted the Pediatric Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Symposium (POSMS) at the Frisco campus. In its first year, POSMS is a combination of two medical conferences – Pediatric Orthopedics Education Series and the Sports Medicine for the Young Athlete. The one-day meeting welcomed over 110 health care specialists from around the community including pediatricians, advance practice providers, athletic trainers, physical therapists and other medical professionals. Attendees learned the latest in evaluation and treatment of pediatric orthopedic and sports medicine conditions through lectures and hands-on breakout sessions.

Several of the hospital’s staff presented throughout the day. Topics included:

  • Developmental dysplasia of the hip
  • Acute knee injuries in young athletes
  • Hip conditions in young athletes
  • Myths of sports-related concussions
  • Rheumatology
  • Scoliosis screening
  • Hot topics in sports medicine treatments
  • Return to play and testing in the movement science lab
  • Ethical implications in fracture management
  • Safety of popular diet and supplement trends

Here is some of the positive feedback we have received so far:
Every talk was helpful and high-yield. This was all great!
Thank you for such a great conference. Loved the variety of topics and knowledgeable speakers.
The fracture splinting small group was fantastic.
Location is great. Building is beautiful.
All of the speakers were great and engaging.
It was super helpful to have kids demonstrate the exams!
Enjoyed every lecture; very informative and all relevant to my practice.

Course director and sports medicine physician, Shane M. Miller, M.D., said, “We really enjoy the opportunity to connect with the community providers at these events. We genuinely want to support everyone who provides care to children and adolescents. Together, we are better.” 

Learn more about the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine.