Keep your Young Athlete Healthy

As more children play sports at a younger age and on a year-round basis, they are more susceptible to overuse injuries. Many of these conditions can be prevented or treated with proper training and stretching. Children are also subject to unique injuries at the growth plate, where tissue develops near the ends of long bones in growing children and adolescents.

In addition to sports-related injuries, our pediatric orthopedic specialists are well-versed in treating a wide range of other musculoskeletal issues facing children and adolescents, including these frequently seen conditions:

Clubfoot,

which is a deformity of the foot that is present at birth, resulting in one or both feet turning inward.

Developmental dysplasia of the hip,

which occurs when the ball and socket of the hip don’t form normally, causing an improper fit. When detected at birth, it can usually be corrected without surgery. If it goes undetected during infancy or childhood, this disorder can cause pain in the groin, or the side or back of the hip that may increase with frequency and intensity over time. It can also lead to early onset osteoarthritis.

Dislocations,

which occur when extreme force is applied to a joint, such as from a fall or a hit to the body while playing a contact sport. A dislocation can cause pain, swelling, weakness and difficulty moving the injured part. In order for your child’s joint to heal, the bones must be put back into their proper position.

Fractures or breaks in the bone,

which are caused by injuries or diseases such as osteoporosis or cancer. Another type is a stress fracture caused by overuse or repetitive motion.

Ligament tears,

which include tears of the four main ligaments in the knee: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Meniscus injuries or tears,

which are among the most common knee injuries. Tears may occur when playing sports, after years of wear and tear, or simply from an awkward movement, resulting in pain, stiffness, swelling, catching or locking of the knee, and limited range of motion.

Sprains and strains,

which are common in people of all ages. Sprains occur when ligaments stretch beyond their limits and tear. A strain may be an overstretched muscle or tendon, or it could be a partial or complete tear in both the muscle and tendon.

Two surgical innovations developed at Crystal Clinic are advancing care for patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and cartilage loss in joints through the use of biologic therapy. These innovative treatments include:

FlashFix™,

for the repair and reconstruction of ACL tears in the knee, particularly in adolescents and young adults. This technique uses arthroscopic repair/reconstruction combined with a patient’s own platelet-rich plasma in a collagen wrap to improve the healing process and the strength of the ACL repair.

A single-stage surgery for repairing articular cartilage damage with a patient’s own cartilage,

which was pioneered at Crystal Clinic. This technique uses a Reveille® Cartilage Processor, which makes it possible to complete the repair with one surgery instead of the traditional two. Instead of an initial surgery to harvest cartilage to be grown in the lab, the processor allows implantable tissue to be created immediately in the operating room, so it can be implanted within minutes of harvesting. Combined with your own platelet-rich plasma at the implantation site to enhance cartilage growth, this technique yields excellent results and helps you return to sports and other activities sooner.