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Dallas Morning News: How Volunteering at Scottish Rite Fostered a Heartwarming Friendship

Dallas Morning News: How Volunteering at Scottish Rite Fostered a Heartwarming Friendship

by | Jan 17, 2025 | Press Coverage, Spotlight

At Scottish Rite for Children, volunteers play a vital role in staff, patients and their families’ experiences. By contributing their unique skills, they unite to support the organization’s mission of giving children back their childhoods.

24-year-old Nick Blockzynski returned to Scottish Rite as a volunteer, previously treated for scoliosis. He began volunteering in 2019 and worked in the organization’s mail room. He met 62-year-old retiree Tom Shehan there, and the two quickly formed an extraordinary bond. From delivering mail to having meaningful conversations, Nick and Tom work together as a dynamic duo to bring joy to all children who visit Scottish Rite.

Read the full Dallas Morning News article here. 

Back on Beat: Alyson’s Determination to Heal Her Knees

Back on Beat: Alyson’s Determination to Heal Her Knees

by | Jan 16, 2025 | Sports Medicine

Alyson, a 17-year-old of Dallas, TX, has a passion for the fine arts! She has performed in her school’s musical productions, such as “Chicago” and “Mean Girls,” and even sings in the choir. Her most beloved hobby is dancing, but Alyson’s love for dance was threatened at age 9 when she began to feel frequent pain at dance practice.

Prior to visiting Scottish Rite for Children, Alyson was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in her knees. OCD causes the bone and cartilage at the joint surface to separate due to a lack of blood supply. It is common in young athletes, and may cause symptoms whensport requires running or jumping frequently. Alyson also has a condition called genu valgum, commonly known as knock-knees.

“I found myself needing frequent breaks from dance class, often icing my knees afterwards,” Alyson says. “In choir, I was often told, ‘Aly, stand with your knees straight.’ I physically could not.”

When Alyson’s paid did not improve, a pediatrician referred her to Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center in Frisco. Philip L. Wilson, M.D., assistant chief of staff, director of Sports Medicine and pediatric orthopedic surgeon, met Alyson and her family and recommended surgery as the best course of action to heal Alyson’s knees.   

“My world came to a standstill,” Alyson says. “My afternoons that I previously spent laughing with my friends or learning techniques from my dance teachers were now spent crying and feeling sick to my stomach with the dread of potentially not dancing again.”

Already familiar with Dr. Wilson from a fracture years before, Alyson decided to proceed with surgery. Dr. Wilson performed a double knee surgery, which involved placing plates and screws in both of her knees. The plates stabilized her knees and assisted in helping her knees grow straighter. The road to recovery required Alyson to stop dancing until she was fully healed.

“All of the doctors and nurses were so helpful,” Alyson says. “My determination to return to my sport fueled me through months and the challenging journey of learning how to walk again.”

Once the screws were removed, Alyson began working hard to heal her knees through physical therapy. What began as a painful setback has transformed into a triumphant comeback, and Alyson’s determination has led her to become her school’s drill team captain this year.

“When the ability to not move freely was taken away from me, I realized how much dance shaped me — not just on the stage and field, but in all areas of my life,” Alyson says. “Scottish Rite will always be remembered as an amazing environment for me. Not only were all of my nurses and doctors encouraging, but I also truly felt open to share what I was feeling with them.”

Preventing Overuse Injuries: An Overview with Dr. Henry Ellis & The National Council on Youth Sports

Preventing Overuse Injuries: An Overview with Dr. Henry Ellis & The National Council on Youth Sports

by | Jan 16, 2025 | Sports Medicine

Pediatric orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert Henry B. Ellis, M.D., spoke with the National Council on Youth Sports about Preventing Overuse Injuries in Youth Sports. Here are the key takeaways from his webinar:

 

What is an overuse injury?

Ellis: Overuse injury is defined as repetitive loading over a period of time. When an overuse injury occurs, it is the result of microtearing in tissues and cartilage while the body is unable to recover and heal. These injuries often occur around growth plates, which are the areas of cartilage that attach to muscles found in children and adolescents. Microtears and stress on the growth plates lead to an inflammatory process and an overuse injury. Inflammation causes pain, which is the body’s way of telling the athlete to slow down and give it time to heal.

 

What is sports specialization?

Ellis: Sports specialization is associated with injuries and overuse. Some things that qualify as sports specialization include training in a specific sport year-round (more than eight months a year), quitting all other sports to focus on one sport, or choosing to focus on one main sport overall. Variety in sports is healthy all-around. All athletes need an off-season to do something different to avoid causing an overuse injury.

 

How do you tell the difference between typical soreness after activity versus an overuse injury? 

Ellis: A myth is that when you are not sore after training, you are not training hard enough. In children, the body is not meant to be sore or have discomfort after activities. When children are sore, it signals that they are doing too much and could have an overuse injury. Children’s bodies are growing and developing, and because of this, their healing capabilities are different than that of an adult.

 

What are some common overuse injuries?

Ellis: Many overuse injuries are related to growth plates around different bones in the body. Hamstring problems in a dancer are common due to repetitive movements such as high kicks causing an overuse injury known as apophysitis, which causes pain and inflammation around a growth plate. Another common overuse injury seen in basketball players is Osgood-Schlatter, which affects the growth plate at the top of the shinbone (tibia) just below the kneecap. This is often due to repetitive jumping and running. In runners and sprinters, it’s not uncommon to find overuse injuries around the growth plate near the hip flexor. In gymnasts and baseball pitchers, we see another condition called osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the elbow. This condition happens when a bone underneath cartilage no longer supports it, leading to pain and inflammation.

Stress Fractures are another common injury seen across all sports. They happen when repetitive loading in a bone creates tiny microfractures. The body normally heals these microfractures, but when an athlete is doing an action repeatedly, the body can’t keep up with healing. This could be due to lack of adequate rest or nutrition, and the body says enough is enough.

 

What could be the source behind an increase in overuse injuries in youth sports?

Ellis: We know that in the last 20 years, overuse injuries in youth sports are up at least 600%. As parents of a young athlete, it can be hard to pull in the reins on the amount of an activity they not only love, but that you love experiencing with them. We’re also seeing an increase in sports specialization and the commercialization of youth sports, leading to more pressure for young athletes to perform.

 

How can families prevent overuse injuries in their young athlete?

Eliis: Working as a family to monitor activity and staying involved with your child’s coach to keep an eye on training commitments can help prevent overuse injuries. Balancing multiple sports is beneficial, but extreme participation can lead to injuries. As a rule of thumb, try to balance the weekly hours of activity with a child’s age – less activity and training for younger children and more as they age. We’re not concerned about children being in sports all year-round, but those sports need to be different and allow for different activities in different seasons.

A good method to prevent overuse injuries is following the 70/30 rule. The 70/30 training rule helps prevent injuries by balancing sport-specific training and conditioning. For example, if you have a swimmer in the pool for seven hours one week, balance that with three hours of dry land training to avoid too much repetition in movements.

 

What are some other factors that contribute to overuse injuries in young athletes?

Ellis: Adequate sleep is crucial for recovery and performance, and a lack of sleep increases injury risk. Proper sleep and nutrition are probably two things we don’t talk enough about. If an athlete sleeps less than eight hours, they have a higher risk of becoming injured and may have delayed recovery from injuries.

Nutrition is also vital to preventing injuries such as stress fractures, a concerning overuse injuries. Proper fueling after training and competition help athletes recover and prepare for the next session or game.

 

To watch Dr. Ellis’ full webinar, please visit the National Council on Youth Sports on YouTube.

 

When and Why to Choose a Pediatric Spine Specialist

When and Why to Choose a Pediatric Spine Specialist

by | Jan 14, 2025 | Scoliosis & Spine

Your child may look or act like a miniature version of you. Still, on the inside, crucial differences make specialized pediatric care a must. When it comes to spinal conditions and injuries, children and adolescents need specialists who understand their growing bodies and developmental stage, as well as the needs of their caregivers and families.

Scottish Rite for Children’s spine experts are here to be an essential part of your child’s care team, whether your child has recently been diagnosed with a genetic spine condition or sustained a spinal injury. Since the 1970s, the multidisciplinary spine team at Scottish Rite continues to conduct leading-edge research, with the goal of identifying the seemingly unanswerable questions regarding spinal conditions.

Anatomy and Development of the Spine

The spine is made of small triangular bones called vertebrae. These bones stack one on top of another, creating a tunnel that wraps around and protects the spinal cord. Openings between the vertebrae allow nerves to branch out to the rest of the body. Muscles and bands of tissue called ligaments help support the spine. Between each bone in the spine is a flexible disc that provides shock absorption and aids in flexibility of the spine (facet) joints.

Although the basic anatomy is the same, a child’s spine is not a smaller version of an adult’s. In infants and children, the spine is more flexible, and the bones are softer. Much of the child’s spine is still cartilage which has not yet turned into bone.

These natural differences in the pediatric spine make children more vulnerable to certain spine conditions and injuries and less vulnerable to others. For instance, some spine and spinal cord conditions, such as scoliosis or spina bifida, typically develop early in life or are present from birth. Additionally, although spinal injuries can happen at any age, children are less likely than adults to have a spine injury. Children under 8 years old who do have this type of injury are more likely to have damage to the vertebrae in the neck than older children, teens or adults.

Specialized Training in Spine Conditions and Injuries

Orthopedic specialists are experts in bone, joint and muscle health. A doctor must complete specialized education beyond medical school to be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Typically, this includes a five-year supervised program of orthopedic surgery with at least one additional year of fellowship training specific to children.

Spine surgeons are orthopedic doctors who diagnose and treat spine conditions and injuries. Still, not all spine surgeons are experts in treating infants, children or teens. Becoming a pediatric spine surgeon requires additional education and expertise.

 

Benefits of Choosing a Pediatric Spine Specialist

In addition to education related to the spine, pediatric spine specialists have additional training in child development and growth. The spine team at Scottish Rite understands how young patients differ emotionally, mentally and physically depending on age and developmental stage. This unique combination of education and experience allows our pediatric spine specialists to provide outstanding medical care while making patients and their families as comfortable as possible throughout diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

..,.Pediatric orthopedic specialists dedicate all their time to caring for infants, children and teens. Because of this, they can offer a range of treatment options tailored to young patients. Scottish Rite’s spine specialists also stay on the leading edge of research, bringing innovative approaches and procedures to those who need them, including:

 

  • Growing rods, a scoliosis treatment for children under age 10 that minimizes the number of surgeries needed
  • Spinal fusion, a procedure that prevents abnormal spine growth
  • Vertebral body tethering, an implanted anchor and cord system that straightens the spine as children grow
  • Scoliosis bracing, made in-house by Scottish Rite’s orthotics and prosthetics team to provide an individualized experience for each child         
A Team of Specialized Support

Effectively treating spine conditions in infants, children and teens requires a team of experts. Our pediatric spine specialists can easily connect with other pediatric healthcare specialists at Scottish Rite. An interdisciplinary pediatric spine program helps support the whole child throughout treatment and recovery.

Depending on your child’s diagnosis and needs, he or she may receive care from multiple pediatric specialists, such as:

When a child or a teen requires treatment for a spine condition, it can affect the whole family. In addition to expertise in treating children, our pediatric spine specialists can also help connect you to helpful resources. A skilled team of pediatric specialists allows you to focus on caring for your child while providing a safe, comfortable place for your child to heal and grow.

Want to learn how pediatric spine specialists can help your child? Schedule an appointment with a Scottish Rite for Children scoliosis and spine expert.

How Spotting Spondylolysis Early Helps Protect Your Child’s Spine

How Spotting Spondylolysis Early Helps Protect Your Child’s Spine

by | Jan 14, 2025 | Scoliosis & Spine, Sports Medicine

Back pain isn’t an adults-only problem. It also affects children, and spondylolysis — a break in a vertebra — is a common cause.

If your child tells you their low back hurts, especially during physical activity, have a medical provider check it out as quickly as possible. If spondylolysis is present, early diagnosis and treatment can prevent a more serious injury to the vertebra called spondylolisthesis. The sooner your child starts treatment, the sooner they can get back to enjoying an active childhood.

 

Spondylolysis vs. Spondylolisthesis: What’s the Difference?

Spondylolysis is a stress fracture that develops in a vertebra, one of a column of bones that protects the spinal cord. Along the spine, pairs of facet joints help stabilize the vertebrae. A thin piece of vertebra called the pars interarticularis links these joints. Spondylolysis affects this bony connector, most commonly in the vertebrae of the lumbar spine (lower spine).

Without treatment, spondylolysis can lead to spondylolisthesis, which is when the pars interarticularis splits. As a result, the vertebra slips out of position, potentially causing pain and nerve damage.

 

Who’s at Risk for Stress Fractures of the Spine

Repeatedly overstretching the spine stresses the vertebrae, which are especially vulnerable to stress fractures during childhood because they’re still growing. Your child may have a higher risk of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis if they participate in sports or activities that involve frequently leaning back and moving the lumbar spine, including:

  • Ballet
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Soccer
  • Volleyball
  • Cheerleading
  • Weightlifting
  • Wrestling

 

When Back Pain Is a Red Flag

Sometimes, stress fractures of the vertebrae develop silently, without causing symptoms. In other cases, however, these bone breaks provide clues to their presence. Back pain is the main one.

Spondylolysis in a lumbar vertebra can cause low back pain that feels like a muscle strain. Your child’s discomfort may get worse with activity and improve with rest. Other symptoms of spondylolysis include pain in the legs and buttocks, which may be a sign the pain has spread from the back. Spasms from the stress fracture can cause your child’s hamstrings to tighten.

 

Diagnosing and Treating Spondylolysis

If you notice symptoms of spondylolysis, take your child to their primary care provider, who will ask about medical history and sports participation. The medical provider will also perform a physical exam to look for signs of a stress fracture in the low back and legs. He or she may press on your child’s back to identify tender areas or ask your child to bend backward to see if the movement causes discomfort.

Imaging tests, such as X-rays and CT scans, can show stress fractures in the vertebrae and help your child’s medical provider confirm a spondylolysis diagnosis. MRI scans can show whether a stress fracture has led to tissue damage.

Your child’s primary care provider may refer you to a pediatric orthopedic specialist for further evaluation and treatment. If found early, spondylolysis usually heals with nonsurgical treatment.

Your child may need to take a temporary break from sports that put repetitive stress on the low back to give the fracture time to heal. To help the process, they may need to wear a back brace to limit the spine’s movement.

While the injury heals, your child may take over-the-counter pain-relieving medications to stay comfortable. Working with a physical therapist can also help reduce pain and improve strength and flexibility in the lumbar spine.

Surgery isn’t usually necessary. However, if spondylolysis leads to severe spondylolisthesis, spinal fusion may be the most appropriate treatment. During this operation, a surgeon connects two damaged vertebrae using a bone graft so the vertebrae heal into a single, stable bone.

 

How to Reduce Your Child’s Risk of Spondylolysis

You can help protect your child’s spine and keep him or her on the field or court by encouraging simple steps to reduce the risk of spondylolysis, including:

  • Build strength in the middle. Encourage your child to strengthen his or her core to help support the lower back.
  • Focus on one sport at a time to prevent overuse injuries. Don’t let your child play more than one sport that increases the risk of a spinal stress fracture per season.
  • Play it smart. Ensure your child uses the proper equipment and technique for his or her sport.
  • Rest up. Your child should take at least one day off from practice or training each week.
  • Eat a balanced diet. Maintain a healthy diet with adequate calcium and protein intake. Vitamin D supplementation is especially necessary for those missing key nutrients in their diet.

 

Need an expert who can treat your child’s low back pain? Schedule an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic specialist at Scottish Rite for Children.