What began as a hospital to treat polio has expanded to become a cutting-edge orthopedic powerhouse. For the past 100 years, Scottish Rite for Children has been leading the world in healing kids’ muscles joints and bones.
At 46 years, Burrel Poston retired as the current longest tenured employee at Scottish Rite for Children.
Burrel started working at Scottish Rite when he was a teenager. In his own words, “I was an 18-year-old looking for a job in 1975. I went to Airline Personnel Agency to apply for a job I saw in The Dallas Times Herald Newspaper. The job I wanted was filled, but they mentioned they had an opening in the Print Shop at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. I came here, was interviewed and then hired. I paid the agency $300.00. Best $300.00 I have ever spent. I started here January 12, 1976 – 46 years ago. I had no clue that I was beginning a career path that would shape my life as a man, a mason, and most of all, as person who loves this hospital.”
We are extremely honored to have had Burrel as a Scottish Rite employee for the past 46 years and wish him nothing but the best in his retirement.
Many recognize the risk of overuse injuries in the elbow in baseball players, but did you know gymnasts are at risk for elbow injuries as well? In our pediatric sports medicine practice, we see two unique conditions of overuse in gymnasts’ elbows. These conditions are triggered differently than in a throwing athlete. For gymnasts, these injuries are caused by compression when the arms are repeatedly in a weight-bearing position.
Recently published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, this study from our team described the different aspects between the following elbow conditions induced by repeated activity in a group of 58 competitive gymnasts seen in our practice.
What is capitellar osteochondritis dissecans (OCD)?
A rare, painful developmental bone and cartilage injury to the capitellum on the elbow end of the humerus, the upper arm bone.
What is a radial head stress fracture?
An even less common bone injury to the radial head, the elbow end of a forearm bone, caused by repeated compressive forces in the elbow.
“Even though these are rare conditions, we see them enough that we were able to look at a large group seen over five years in our practice,” study author Chuck W. Wyatt, M.S., CPNP, says, Comparing multiple details of the images and characteristics of the gymnasts, including activity levels, the study found several key findings.
In our sports medicine practice, we will use this information to counsel gymnasts who present with these conditions and more importantly, continue to study and educate the gymnastics community about early recognition, treatment and prevention. “This population has so many unique characteristics to consider when it comes to injuries,” assistant chief of staff and lead author Philip L. Wilson, M.D., says. “We look forward to continuing to study to understand how growing and intense training affect their bones and long-term health, particularly in the elbow.”
This study, “Elbow Overuse Injuries in Pediatric Female Gymnastic Athletes” was published in a highly rated, peer-reviewed journal, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Authors include Scottish Rite for Children Sports Medicine medical staff and former research coordinators who have gone on to pursue post-graduate degrees in the field.
Read the full article here.
Learn more about Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) in the Elbow.
