Tests to diagnose muscular dystrophy generally look for genes associated with inherited muscle diseases and include measures of muscle strength and neurological tests along with other examinations to rule out other causes of symptoms. Before any complex tests are conducted, your pediatrician or specialist physician will ask about your child’s symptoms and whether any other…
Growing rods and a new, less invasive technique — magnetic rods — offer surgical alternatives for children with early onset scoliosis who don’t respond well to casting and whose curve is likely to get worse as they grow, according to a pediatric orthopedist at Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville. Growing rods are placed inside the…
There are three basic ways to treat scoliosis in kids, depending on whether they are still growing and the severity of the curve. When viewed from the side, the spine needs to have some curve to it, in both the upper and lower back. But with idiopathic scoliosis — scoliosis with no known cause —…
Rolando M. Puno, M.D., spine specialist with the Norton Children’s Spina Bifida Clinic and Norton Leatherman Spine, likes solving difficult challenges. Patients from around the world have come to Dr. Puno for surgery and treatment of their complex spinal conditions. “It’s kind of my nature, I guess,” Dr. Puno said. “If I see an issue,…
Like a lot of future orthopedic surgeons, Joshua W. Meier, M.D., liked to build things growing up. What got him interested in becoming a surgeon wasn’t making model planes out of balsa wood or helping his father with home improvement projects, but a video game a friend let him borrow in high school. Set in…
As a medical student, Kimberly S. Huhmann, M.D., was interested in both pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. It was during her residency that Dr. Huhmann started considering combining her interests as a pediatric and adolescent gynecology specialist. “It’s the perfect meld of patient care that’s both surgical and procedural, and has continuity,” Dr. Huhmann said. “I love…
On Christmas morning, 2 year-old Mila Naik woke up without her clubfoot brace. She was not happy with her mom, Devin, who in the midst of Christmas Eve merriment, thought it best for Mila to have a clubfoot-treatment-free night’s sleep. “She woke me up Christmas Day and said, ‘Mom, where are my boots?’ She let…
Clubfoot, sometimes known as club leg, affects roughly 1 out of 1,000 newborns. Clubfoot treatment, including the Ponseti method, can begin soon after birth. Treatment with a pediatric orthopedist can give children with clubfoot the opportunity to have nearly 100% effective correction on their affected feet. What is clubfoot? Clubfoot is a condition present at…
Young athletes coming off a long layoff too quickly can put themselves at risk for injury. There are steps kids can take to lessen their chances of injury as they return to previous activity levels. Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville Young athletes have their own unique needs, as do their bones and muscles. Call (502)…
Youth baseball puts a lot of stress on young arms, which can result in shoulder or elbow injuries sometimes called “little league shoulder” or elbow. “These kids are throwing harder sometimes than their elbow can take,” said Joshua W. Meier, M.D., pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville. Elbow and shoulder injuries also…
Children with various neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease can be at risk for hip dislocation. What is varus derotation osteotomy (VDRO), and how does it help children with neurological disorders? Children with neurological disorders can have spastic or weak muscles. Spasticity in muscles…
With kids playing multiple organized sports or on several different teams, overuse injuries such as shinsplints in children have been on the rise. Shinsplints often occur in runners — but they can happen in sports such as football, soccer and others that require quick, cutting and sideways motions. How do you help your child prevent…