Orthopedic Center
Orthopedics in the news
2012
For kids with cerebral palsy, quality of life is paramount
Thriving Dec 21, 2012
Giving kids a better quality of life means giving them the best care possible. “All of us (physicians) in the program have an ongoing dialogue about each individual patient, and those combined perspectives help provide much more comprehensive, well-rounded care,” says Benjamin Shore, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Boston Children’s CP Program.
Out of Africa, and into your hearts
The Sun Nov 29, 2012
Soon, Theresa Boateng, the 15-year-old Ghanian girl living with two club feet, may be physically be able to jump for joy to express the emotion she's feeling now...
Step by step, a miracle in the making
The Sun Nov 24, 2012
As Theresa Boateng, the teenage girl with the doubly deformed feet , listened anxiously from a poor village on Africa's west coast, the call ...
After surgeries, Gloversville teen strides toward a career in health care
The Leader-Herald Oct 21, 2012
Jenn Sprung was an avid field hockey player when she learned she had bilateral hip dysplasia -- prompting her to undergo two career-ending surgeries within a year. But the experience gave her a new perspective on life, and even inspired her to pursue college in hopes of specializing in pediatric oncology.
Bone up on bone health
Thriving Oct 19, 2012
October 19th is World Pediatric Bone and Joint Day, so it's time to bone up on bone health. Though we've all heard the basics of why kids should drink milk and build strong bones, this day serves as a reminder of why it's so important.
The many faces of childhood cancer: Caitlynne McGaff
Thriving Sep 5, 2012
Caitlynne McGaff is an active 17 year old. She owes a lot of her mobility to an innovative surgery she had at Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC) to treat her osteosarcoma. This is her story.
Helping a teenage athlete stay hip
Thriving, Aug 22, 2012
It was another day at field hockey practice for Jenn Sprung. The 14-year-old from Gloversville, NY was running and playing with her team when a sharp pain through her right leg made her stop.
'Love for Alyssa': Examining arthrogryposis
CNN.com, July 2, 2012
Arthrogryposis has presented many challenges to Alyssa Jadyn Hagstrom. At just 8 years old, the condition has left her with no use of her legs and arms, and limited use of her fingers.
Around the bend
Thriving, June 25, 2012
For most children with scoliosis, the path to recovery is marked by simple observation and bracing. But when one patient battles two curves, her path—and spine—take an unexpected turn . . .
NOT all in the family: Tackling rare genetic diseases that aren't inherited
Vector, June 8, 2012
How do you find the genetic cause of a disease that doesn't appear to be inherited, preesents with a variety of symptoms--and has been diagnosed in just a few hundred people worldwide . . .
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital identify a genetic cause for CLOVES, a rare but debilitating overgrowth and malformation syndrome
Boston Children's Newsroom, May 31, 2012
Using advanced technologies for rapidly sequencing and analyzing DNA from clinical and pathologic samples, a multidisciplinary research team consisting of geneticists, pathologists and surgeons at Boston Children's Hospital has identified the genetic basis for CLOVES syndrome, a rare congenital malformation and overgrowth disorder.
Researchers find gene for 9-year-old girl's 1-in-a-million disease
WBUR, May 31, 2012
Children's Hospital discovers cause of rare CLOVES disease
Boston Business Journal, May 31, 2012
Children's Hospital has discovered that a single mutation in a gene is likely to be responsible for a debilitating, rare disease that strikes children, know as CLOVES syndrome.
Born to run: How hip dysplasia surgery got this patient moving
Thriving, May 23, 2012
After being referred to an orthopedic doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital, Angela was diagnosed with developmental dysplasia of the hip, which means she had a problem with formation of her hip joint. She was 5 years old at the time.
3 Mistakes parents make that lead to common playground injuries
Boston Globe, May 2, 2012
As the playground season approaches, Dr. Benjamin Shore discusses some common playground injuries, their causes, and how to help avoid them.
Saving Sydney's bones from breaking
Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Apr 23, 2012
Ivanhoe Broadcast News reports on Boston Children’s patient, Sydney Pardi, who has osteogenesis imperfect and is treated by Samantha Spencer, MD. Dr. Spencer inserted telescopic rods into Sydney’s legs to help support her brittle bones and give her a better quality of life.
Caution: Dangerous curves
Boston Globe, Apr 1, 2012
Dr. Lyle Micheli, sports medicine director in the Orthopedic Center, was recently interviewed by the Boston Globe regarding curveballs in little league baseball. How young is too young?
2011
How to hatch a dinosaur
Wired Magazine, October 2011
In 2002, Matthew Harris sat down to dissect a chicken embryo. A grad student in developmental biology at the University of Wisconsin, Harris was trying to figure out how feathers evolved. As is common practice in his field, he had turned to a deformed animal for clues; figuring out what went wrong often shows what’s supposed to go right. He was working with a talpid2, a particularly odd strain of mutant chicken best known for grotesque forelimbs and feet that can sprout up to 10 digits each—so many that fully developed chicks can’t muster the biomechanical wherewithal to break out of their shells and hatch. Harris was looking beyond those obvious alterations, searching for oddities in skin, scales, and feathers.
Looking for alternatives to ligament replacement
New York Times, October 13, 2011
Anterior cruciate ligaments are stubborn healers. Once one is torn playing basketball or soccer, its ends don't rejoin, form a blood clot or mend — possibly because lubricating fluid in the knee makes it difficult. So to be able to return to pivoting sports, as many as 250,000 patients undergo surgery to reconstruct their ligaments each year with grafts harvested from their hamstrings or patella tendons.
Athletes' knees and OCD: Between ROCK and a hard place
Children's Vector Blog, November 2011
As more and more children sign up for organized sports, knee injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or meniscus tears have continued to rise. But less well known is osteochondritis dissecans, or OCD – an injury that can have a devastating effect on the knee joint if not diagnosed early and managed properly. Kids’ worlds are turned completely upside down by OCD, when they go from the playing field to crutches.
Does it get better? Surgical outcomes in children with cerebral palsy
Children's Vector blog, August 2011
Children with cerebral palsy (CP), the most common form of physical disability in children, all experience at least some difficulties in communication and movement. Those with the most severe forms of CP sometimes undergo reconstructive surgery on their hips and spine to correct dislocations or scoliosis. But do these operations improve quality of life?
Making bone make more bone
Children's Vector blog, August 2011
Work your bones, get more bone. The link between exercise and bone density has been recognized for a long time. It works like this: As you work out, your muscles pull on your bones, causing strain. Cells embedded in the structure of your bones called osteocytes sense the strain and put out a call to other bone cells, osteoblasts, to start churning out proteins and minerals that make your bones denser and stronger. Which is why a history of load-or weight bearing exercise can help prevent osteoporosis...
Going above and beyond for patients
Ortho Times, May 2011
For Children's Department of Orthopedic Surgery, customer service has long served as a key component to delivering exceptional care. The department conducts patient satisfaction surveys, encourages outstanding customer service through its Gold Star program and even developed a concierge service--all in an effort to improve the overall patient experience.
Our patients’ stories: From the operating room to the winners podium
Thrive: Children's Hospital Blog, Jun 29, 2011
At 11 years old, Jillena DeCarteret was a gymnast who was just as comfortable tumbling on the mat as she was walking down the street. So when she awoke one morning with a mystery pain attacking her shoulder, she was understandably frightened that her budding gymnastics career might be in jeopardy.
Boston Children's Hospital ranked #1 in orthopedics by U.S. News and World Report
U.S. News and World Report, May 26, 2011
Boston Children's Hospital has been ranked #1 in Orthopedics in the U.S. News Media Group's 2011 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals.
Choosing the Challenge
Dream Magazine, Winter 2011
As part of her treatment for a rare leg cancer, Caitlynne McGaff chose and unorthodox treatment--and a more active life.
Clinical Innovation: A better way to repair ACL tears
Saving Gracie 
A young woman's struggle with scoliosis
Our right hand man
"Hip" to knee pain
Children's nurse straightens out Russian girl's life
Keeping an eye on the curve
Ortho Times
