Why I Run: Family Support

Why I Run: Family Support

by | Dec 7, 2022 | General News, Limb Lengthening

Meet Preston, a patient who was seen by our team of experts. Learn more about his journey below.BMW Dallas Marathon

Blog written by Preston’s dad, Preston.

Our son Preston lives with a condition known as Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome (KTWS). In short, it is a

This image ALT text is: A baby is standing next to a woman on a wooden floor .

 vascular disorder that can cause vascular malformations and affect skin and bone development. The effects vary dramatically between patients. Preston is affected throughout the entire lower half of his body. He has abnormal vein development (an abnormally large number of veins) throughout his abdomen and legs, which can cause internal bleeding, pain, fatigue, etc. As it relates to Scottish Rite for Children, however, is the abnormal development of his right leg. He was born with a significantly small right leg that also has some joint misalignment in the ankle and knee. This leg length discrepancy caused significant issues with walking or climbing stairs, and it virtually eliminated his ability to run or play like other children.  

A baby is standing next to a woman on a wooden floor .

Our journey to Scottish Rite was not immediate. After diagnosis, our initial concern from our doctors here in Houston were the immediate vascular issues. Once we addressed this, we were referred to an orthopedist locally who was the “best” per our referrals. This doctor did not, however, prove to be the best for us and left us desperate to find someone to help. We tried several locally, but none were equipped to manage his orthopedic needs and grasp his KTWS. One of his vascular team doctors recommended Scottish Rite. Up to that point, we were unfamiliar with the hospital.  

As you can imagine, our family has visited many hospitals over the years, and I don’t have to tell you how emotionally challenging it could be for us. I can tell you that the moment we drove into the parking lot at Scottish Rite, we knew it was different. My wife and I were initially confused when we could not locate where to pay for parking, never thinking that we might not have to pay to park. Our whole family was blown away by the difference that can be felt when you are at Scottish Rite. It is the only hospital where we are not anxious or confused. From the moment you walk through the doors, everyone is helpful and happy, also something we rarely see at other hospitals. Preston’s experience with Dr. Podeszwa and his team of doctors at Scottish Rite has been exceptional, and he looks forward to each trip to Dallas for his appointments. We always stop for lunch at his favorite restaurant, Half Shells in Snyder Plaza, while there.  

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After several years of monitoring his legs and getting by with orthotics and knee braces, he underwent an epiphysiodesis surgical procedure to help even out the length of his legs. Dr. Podeszwa and his team performed the surgery in November of 2020. We have seen a significant decrease in the leg discrepancy over the last year and a half. This has allowed him to participate in sports, with baseball being his favorite. While he may not set any records as the fastest on his team or be the most graceful, he can now run the bases on his own without the need of assistance or a pinch runner. This has had a dramatic effect on his self-confidence and our peace of mind. While he will live with KTWS his entire life, the reduction of his limb discrepancy will help him get closer to a typical lifestyle.  

Preston and I have discussed, at length, getting further involved with Scottish Rite. We decided this year would be a good time to get involved. I would typically run the NYC Marathon in November or the Houston Marathon in January, but we thought running in Dallas would be a great experience for the whole family and help him give back to Scottish Rite. Preston has been joining me as I train for the marathon – he bikes while I run. While he isn’t ready to run a marathon yet, Preston is excited to serve as one of the Junior Race Directors for the 2022 BMW Dallas Marathon. Our whole family is excited to give back, and we are thankful to have the opportunity to play a small part in helping Scottish Rite continue its ability to help all children.  

A man is running and a boy is riding a bike

Since 1997, Scottish Rite for Children has been the primary beneficiary of the BMW Dallas Marathon. This weekend, spectators will line the streets and neighborhoods of Dallas to cheer on participants. Learn more about registering for the BMW Dallas Marathon and how to the support runners.

Learn more about our Center for Excellence in Limb Lengthening

Share Your Story: Cookies and Castles Connection

Share Your Story: Cookies and Castles Connection

by | Dec 2, 2022 | Scoliosis & Spine

Meet Henley, a patient who was seen by our team of scoliosis and spine experts. Learn more about her journey below.

Blog written by Henley’s mom, Lauren.

In January 2022, Henley saw a new pediatrician for her annual well child appointment. At that appointment, she was screened for scoliosis. The pediatrician noticed a curvature in her spine and referred us to a specialist. Unfortunately (or really, fortunately!), the specialist wasn’t taking new patients, and a good friend of ours urged us to visit Scottish Rite for Children.

As a parent, I felt lost, overwhelmed and a little fearful of this new and unknown venture. From the second we stepped in the door at Scottish Rite, we felt like we were at the Ritz-Carlton of hospitals. Everyone was so kind, helpful and accommodating to Henley (and to me, too!). Henley had X-rays and an MRI done, which could be very scary for an 8-year-old, but the staff were incredibly patient and understanding. 

Once Henley was diagnosed with scoliosis, she was sent to the Orthotics and Prosthetics department, where she was fitted for a brace. She picked out a pattern for the brace and has been very diligent about wearing it. Henley will continue wearing her brace until she is done growing, so we have many years of care at Scottish Rite in our future! In a time that can be daunting and stressful for families, Scottish Rite has alleviated so much pressure from our family by their kind hearts and helping hands. 

Coincidentally, a close friend of ours was a Tri Delta at SMU and throughout the years, has invited us to participate in the annual Cookies & Castles event. This wonderful event directly benefits the Orthotics and Prosthetics department at Scottish Rite. We have decorated many gingerbread houses and as we attend Cookies and Castles this year, we will be doing so with an even greater appreciation.

Scottish Rite shifted our experience from stressful and daunting to something where we feel confident and supported on our scoliosis journey. When we have appointments, I have nothing to stress about. I know that we will find all the support we need at Scottish Rite with smiling faces. Not only does Henley gets excited to come to her appointments with Dr. Johnson, but also she loves learning about the progress being made from wearing her brace. She loves checking out the fish and getting popcorn, too.

Henley is currently a third grade cheerleader and a Girl Scout Brownie. She is on the UIL Storytelling team and in Junior FFA. In the spring, she’ll play volleyball and join a tumbling class. She adores animals, including her cat Kiki and her labradoodle Tito. In her free time, she loves playing with her little sister Presley and her friends. She also loves reading, drawing and baking!

Cookies & Castles Dallas and Cookies & Castles Frisco have been long-time supporters of Scottish Rite for Children. Both events take place at our campuses in Dallas and Frisco, where friends, families and patients can decorate gingerbread houses while supporting our organization. These events have raised nearly $1 million total for Scottish Rite throughout the years! We’re grateful to the unwavering support of Cookies & Castles, the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Tri Delta and the North Texas Area Alumnae Chapter of Tri Delta. 

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

Moment of Impact: Keeping Young Athletes SAFE

Moment of Impact: Keeping Young Athletes SAFE

by | Nov 28, 2022 | Sports Medicine

Article previously published in Rite Up, 2022 – Issue 3.

What if you could prevent a sports injury before it happens? That is exactly what the experts in the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine at Scottish Rite for Children aim to achieve. Led by Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., the SAFE (Sports-specific Assessment and Functional Evaluation) program uses 3D motion capture technology — the same technology used to create special effects in movies and video games — to assess injury risk by studying the movements of young athletes.

The goal of the SAFE program is to develop injury prevention tools that will reduce sport-related injuries in young athletes here and beyond, creating a new standard of care. “Current injury prevention methods are falling short, as sports injuries in young athletes are skyrocketing,” Ulman says. “We are the first to use machine learning techniques to assess a young athlete’s risk for injury by considering risk factors such as movement characteristics, demographics, sports participation characteristics, psychological measures, nutrition, and sleep patterns.”

Uninjured athletes are invited to the Scottish Rite’s Movement Science Laboratory, where they are fitted with reflective markers. The markers are used to collect the athlete’s movement patterns to evaluate their mobility, speed, agility, and power in 3D. Participants are asked to jump, squat, run, pivot, and perform sport specific movements like penalty kicks, layups, or back handsprings. “The data is analyzed to learn more about how young athletes move and to determine if certain movement patterns lead to future sports injuries that would require treatment,” Ulman says.

The SAFE program has tested the movements of approximately 340 athletes across sports, such as baseball, basketball, gymnastics, softball, track, and more. “After initial testing, we follow athletes for one year and note if any athlete experiences an injury,” Ulman says. “This data is helping us compare the movements of athletes who remained healthy versus athletes who were subsequently injured to determine what may have led to the injury.”

Researchers at Scottish Rite have already identified findings that might help predict injury risk in young athletes. “We have found that current tools for assessing injuries of the knee may be unreliable in some instances,” Ulman says. “Current methods commonly rely on 2D video to assess injury risk, but our research using 3D modeling is identifying potential risk factors that the 2D assessment cannot.” Through this innovative program, Scottish Rite researchers collaborate with medical professionals and sports medicine experts across the field to advance the treatment of young athletes throughout the country.

The SAFE program is poised to change the way health care professionals assess athletes for injury risk and, best of all, will help keep young athletes in the game.

To learn more about Movement Science, please call 469-515-7160 or email MSL.Frisco@tsrh.org.

Read the full issue.

Inaugural Pediatric Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Conference Was a Success!

Inaugural Pediatric Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Conference Was a Success!

by | Nov 28, 2022 | Research & Innovation

The results are in, and the Pediatric Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (PMSKUS) Fundamentals Course met and exceeded expectations on several fronts. We’re getting busy planning the next opportunity to participate in the spring of 2023. Join the wait list today.
We hosted 28 attendees from across the country, including two former Scottish Rite for Children fellows (orthopedics and rheumatology). Participants left telling us they were likely or very likely to recommend this conference to colleagues. Attendees represented a wide variety of professions and specialties including physicians in family medicine, sports medicine, rheumatology and radiology as well as an athletic trainer, physical therapist and sonographer.

“Scottish Rite is not only defining but also introducing the use of MSK US in this population to providers across the country. This conference was exceptional from the planning to the delivery, to having live pediatric models. There are no other ultrasound conferences focused on pediatrics.”

—    Guest Faculty – Jon A. Jacobson, M.D.

The guest faculty Jon A. Jacobson, M.D., is a board-certified diagnostic MSK radiologist at Lenox Hill Radiology in New York City, New York. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science at Wayne State University and his medical degree (MD) at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed a diagnostic radiology residency at Henry Ford Hospital and a MSK radiology fellowship at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). He has served as section chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology at the University of Michigan and the University of Cincinnati.

Unlike any other program offered today, this pediatric-focused program offered didactic lectures alternating with hands-on sessions. In the scanning sessions, pediatric models, ranging from ages 5 to 15, gave attendees the opportunity to practice scanning normal anatomy as well as several patients with active juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The procedural scanning session employed tofu, olives and ham to offer practice for performing ultrasound-guided injections.

We Asked Attendees: What do you consider to be the best part of the program?

“The program is very organized, the hands-on sessions being throughout the day is a great idea.”

“Ample hands-on practice with different faculty, pediatric US models with specific pathology findings.”

“Good flow between lecture and hands-on, good amount of time spent in each. Kept basic but flexible to the level of the learner.”

“Hands-on experience with awesome mentors. Love the combo of lecture to US to lecture to US to break up the day.”

“Thank you! Stellar Faculty!”

“Hands-on focused course with small groups was great.”

“Hands-on seeing actual pathology and practicing hands-on injections.”

Image at Top: Course directors (in bold) and faculty of the inaugural PMSKUS conference at Scottish Rite for Children’s Frisco, Texas, campus. From L to R: Vivek Kalia, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., Jon A. Jacobson, M.D., Yassine Kanaan, M.D, Matthew Hammer, M.D., Heather Benham, D.N.P., APRN, CPNP-PC, Jacob C. Jones, M.D., RMSK, Joseph Chang, M.D., Mark Bowens, RDMS, Kelley Sherrard, RDMS

Polydactyly in Children and What Parents Need to Know

Polydactyly in Children and What Parents Need to Know

by | Nov 16, 2022 | Hand Conditions

Polydactyly is a word that means “many fingers.” There are many forms of this common diagnosis. Some extra fingers are on the thumb side, some on the pinkie finger side and some in the middle of the hand. Polydactyly of the feet is also common. Some forms of polydactyly run in families; others come as new “surprises.” It is rare for the extra fingers to be fully formed normal fingers. Some of these fingers may be very small, floppy and have nonfunctional fingertips. Others will have bones and joints, and some may even have tendons and some movement. Some forms of polydactyly are “isolated,” meaning that there is nothing else the matter with the baby. Other forms of polydactyly may have other conditions such as webbing, twisting or angling of other fingers. In rare cases, there may be problems in parts of the body other than the hand. Polydactyly is common, it is not painful and it is not an emergency to treat.

How can polydactyly be treated?

The treatment of polydactyly depends on the exact shape and form of the extra digit, whether there are other problems in the hand and whether there are other more general problems for the baby. If the extra finger parts are very small, the treatment may be simply tying off or putting clips on the base of the finger to allow it to dry up and fall off (similar to the way the stump of the umbilical cord dried up, separated and fell off on its own). Any finger that is too big for this will require surgery that will be done in the operating room and done with general anesthesia for your baby. Some polydactyly cases require delicate reconstructive surgery to rebuild the best parts to save for your child’s best hand function. There is no hurry in doing this, because it is safer to wait until the baby is older. The risk of anesthesia is higher for a little baby and lower for an older baby. Your doctor will discuss with you the exact plan for the polydactyly type of your child.

Learn more about our treatment for hand disorders.