Injured teen recovering: Gainesville 16-year-old had surgery for a broken vertebra

After the harrowing ordeal the Hildebrant family has been through this week, even the slightest sign -- a toe wiggle in this case -- can inspire hope.

Ben Hildebrant, the 16-year-old son of Loren and Sharon Hildebrant of Gainesville, is recovering in the intensive care unit of Atlanta Medical Center after a Thursday morning surgery to repair his fractured C-5 vertebra. Ben suffered the injury in a pool accident Tuesday.

"The surgery was amazing," said his father, the pastor at Flat Creek Baptist Church in Gainesville. "It took less than an hour, and they were able to fuse the broken bone and clean everything up.

"He's in a whole lot of pain right now, which is to be expected. But before he went into surgery he was able to move a toe on his right foot, and that was one of the things we've been looking for."

Loren added that the movement was minimal, and Ben hasn't been able to duplicate it, "but it was there."

Previously, Ben, a rising junior at West Hall High School, had shown no movement in his right leg. The long-term prognosis was still unclear Thursday as officials at Atlanta Medical Center are focused on the immediate care of the injury, Loren said.

"The doctors expect him to stay in ICU for another day or two, then move down to a regular room," he said. "After that, maybe in three or four days, we'll move to Shepherd Spinal Center. They'll get into more of the long-term rehabilitation there."

Loren said his son, who played on the offensive line for the Spartans, has continued to show a positive attitude and he's hoping to be able to walk onto the football field before the season is over, even though he realizes his playing days are finished.

"It's an incredibly long road ahead of us," Loren said. "And Ben and I have been very honest with each other.

"He realizes that that part of his life is over, and now we're going to find out what the next part of his life will be. His desire is to be a preacher, and we've talked about the fact that this is going to make a strong testimony one day ... it's going to give him the ability to empathize with people that have gone through very traumatic situations in life."

Among others, Ryan Bozarth, 17, and Emily Taylor, 15, pulled Hildebrant out of the water after he suffered the injury diving into Taylor's pool. Loren Hildebrant has credited the teens with saving his son's life.

Source: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20070803/localnews/188413.shtml

Osteoporosis – Not Just a Woman’s Concern

Women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease, but the diagnosis of osteoporosis in men is often overlooked or undiagnosed.

The Woodlands, TX -- While May was National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, Northwest Diagnostic Clinic continues to elevate the awareness of this fragile bone disease in men, while promoting healthy bone fitness and encouraging bone density testing for both women and men.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 2 million American men have osteoporosis, and another 12 million are at risk for this disease. Yet, despite the large number of men affected, osteoporosis in men remains under-diagnosed and underreported.

Men typically have larger and stronger bones, which explains in part, why osteoporosis affects fewer men than women, and because most of the focus about this bone disease concentrates on the risk factors for women, men think it ‘can’t happen to them.’

"Osteoporosis is a disease where bones become fragile, and if left untreated can progress painlessly until a bone breaks," notes Denis L. Galindo, M.D. "These broken bones or fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist. Prolonged exposure to certain medications, smoking, excessive alcohol use, low calcium intake, low Vitamin D levels, inadequate physical exercise, age, heredity, and race are some of the risk factors in men associated with osteoporosis. If you notice a loss of height, change in posture, or sudden back pain, it is important to inform your doctor or if age 70 or greater, you should inquire about BMD testing."

Northwest Diagnostic Clinic can accommodate bone density tests at both The Woodlands and Cypress Station locations on their GE/Lunar Prodigy bone densitometers. This low-emission imaging system provides excellent reporting of the health of a patient's bones, helping our physicians to diagnose and treat osteoporosis and osteopenia, and to monitor the "bone health" of patients on certain long-term medications.

This service is generally covered by most insurance plans and Medicare provides for biannual screening exams for patients meeting certain clinical criteria. If you are already a Northwest Diagnostic Clinic patient, contact your physician's nurse to arrange a referral for this test. If not, you can request an appointment with one of our physicians.


Source: http://woodlandsonline.com/npps/story.cfm?nppage=21275

What is a Fracture

Most people were introduced to the orthopedic surgeon at a young age when they were brought to the emergency room with their first broken bone. For me the memory of the event is now faint (something about a bicycle and pavement), but the cast that I was able to tote around the classroom is fondly recalled as one of my moments of youthful pride.

Introduction to Fractures
Fractures, broken bones -- you can call it what you wish, it means the same thing -- are among the most common orthopedic problems, about 6.8 million come to medical attention each year in the United States. The average citizen in a developed country can expect to sustain two fractures over the course of their lifetime.

Is it a Fracture or a Break?
Despite what you may have heard, a broken bone is not worse than a fracture, they both mean the same thing.

In fact, the word fracture, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is defined as "the act of being broken." There are different types of fractures and broken bones, but these words mean the same thing!

Fractures happen because an area of bone is not able to support the energy placed on it (quite obvious, but it becomes more complicated). Therefore, there are two critical factors in determining why a fracture occurs:

the energy of the event

the strength of the bone

The energy can being acute, high-energy (e.g. car crash), or chronic, low-energy (e.g. stress fracture). The bone strength can either be normal or decreased (e.g. osteoporosis). A very simple problem, the broken bone, just became a whole lot more complicated!

Statistics
Orthopedic surgeons treat fractures throughout the skeletal frame, except for the skull (neurosurgeon) and face (ENT, or ear, nose, and throat, surgeon). Extremity fractures are most common, and usually occur in men younger than age 45, and then become more common in women over age 45. The reason for the difference is when women go through menopause, and stop producing estrogen, the rate of bone loss increases. This is why women are particularly susceptible to osteoporosis and subsequent fractures. The most common fracture prior to age 75 is a wrist fracture. In those over age 75, hip fractures become the most common broken bone.

Source: http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/otherfractures/a/fracture.htm

Bone group in plea for help

A SUPPORT group is calling for dedicated facilities in York for sufferers of a bone deteriorating disease.

The appeal comes after one woman said she had to wait four years before being given a vital scan.

Pauline Bartle, who has osteoporosis, said that before she had the DEXA scan - used to measure bone density - she was put on the wrong medication and her condition deteriorated.

Enid Webster, of the York Support Group of the National Osteoporosis Society, said the group was pushing for a scanner at York Hospital.

Enid, 78, of Osbaldwick, said: "Many members have been advised a scan is only available privately at the Nuffield Hospital, in York, or through a referral from a hospital consultant which they say is difficult to get.

"We do have problems with different doctors giving out different advice. The procedures need to be made clear to everyone to prevent any patients suffering unnecessarily."

The group is also pushing for a specific osteoporosis consultant at the hospital rather than being treated by consultants from related disciplines.

Pauline, 71, of Hull Road said: "I was put a drug to treat osteoporosis and I was advised by my GP that in three years time I should go for a scan.

"When the three years came up, I returned to my doctor and was told I could not have the scan because the service had been removed under the PCT.

"It was only with the help of the York osteoporosis support group that meant I kept on pushing for the scan that I eventually got one through a hospital consultant.

"After I had the scan the results showed that my condition had deteriorated and I had three fractured vertebrae, rather than two as before.

"I think it is 100 per cent imperative that everyone who needs it is given the option to have a scan at York Hospital and they should be referred by their GP."

Dr Geddes for the North Yorkshire and York NHS Primary Care Trust said: "I cannot comment on a particular case but while there is not a scanner at York hospital, patients at risk of osteoporosis can be referred by their GP to the Nuffield Hospital for a scan.

Dr Ian Woods, medical director at York Hospital said: "It would be unusual for a hospital this size to have its own osteoporosis specialist because osteoporosis shows itself in many different ways.

"It may become clear from someone who has broken a bone, or someone taking hormone replacement therapy, or from a problem with a person's metabolism.

"Because it can come up as a condition in many different areas of the hospital, its treatment is covered by people such as orthopaedics, dieticians, and occupational therapists."

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition that affects the bones, causing them to become thin and weak. It happens more commonly in old age when the body becomes less able to replace worn out bone.

In some cases osteoporosis can be severe. About three million people in the UK have osteoporosis and there are over 230,000 fractures every year as a result.

Source: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/yorknews/display.var.1588733.0.bone_group_in_plea_for_help.php

Kepu out with broken collar bone

Counties-Manukau prop Sekope Kepu will be out of the Air NZ Cup rugby competition for several weeks with a broken collar bone.

Counties meet Canterbury in the second round of the cup at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

Kepu was helped from the field after being injured against Auckland on Saturday.

"We are waiting on further medical assessments but we expect to have him out of action for around six weeks," Counties coach Kevin coach Kevin Putt said yesterday.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4147433a23437.html

What Does the Doctor Do?

To treat the broken bone, the doctor needs to know which kind of fracture it is. That's where X-rays come in handy. X-rays give the doctor a map of the fracture so that he or she can set the bones back in their normal position.

With breaks in larger bones or when a bone breaks in more than two pieces, the doctor may need to put in a metal pin - or pins - to help set it. For this operation, you'll get some medicine so you'll be asleep and unable to feel any pain. When your bone has healed, the doctor will remove the pin or pins.

After your bone has been set, the next step is usually putting on a cast, the special bandage that will keep the bone in place for the 1 to 2 months it will take for the break to mend. Casts are made of bandages soaked in plaster, which harden to a tough shell (that's why they last so long!).

Sometimes casts are made of fiberglass or plastic - and some are even waterproof, which means you can still go swimming and get them wet! And sometimes they come in cool colors or patterns that you can choose.

Source: http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/aches/broken_bones.html

Wirth likely done this season

MARION – Rob Wirth hasn't called it a season, but will be out at least another four weeks after a Friday CAT scan revealed a broken bone in his wrist.

Wirth, the Southern Illinois Miners' starting catcher for most of the season, will miss between four and six weeks after getting diagnosed with a broken hamate bone.

"I'm always optimistic, and I think we will make the playoffs. I plan on, hopefully, coming back," Wirth said as he watched Traverse City take batting practice prior to Friday's game. "Right now, I'm just trying to keep my legs in shape; trying to do anything I can to stay in good baseball shape, I guess. Right now I'm just trying to soak up this bad news."

A .298 hitter, Wirth played in 52 games before taking a cut against River City Monday at Rent One Park.

Wirth said he hurt the wrist holding the bat too hard or with an awkward swing that night. He scored 30 runs, third-best on the team, and was third on the squad in RBIs (31). Today he will be fitted with a cast, where his wrist will try to heal itself as the Miners try to get back into the wild card race.

Doctors told Wirth surgery was probably not his best option, because the bone did not shift when it broke, but the prognosis did little to lessen the blow.

"It's really a three-prong hit," Miners manager Mike Pinto said. "You're losing a guy in the middle of the order, who hit four for us most of the year. You're losing a .300 hitter and a guy who knows every one of your pitchers, knows the league and calls our games.

That's a big hit."

Pinto said the wrist would be re-examined in about three weeks.

Wirth, 26, wasn't sure if he would return to his hometown of Wonder Lake or stay with the team through its final five weeks of the regular season. Should the Miners make the postseason, the first round of the playoffs would fall in the sixth week of Wirth's rehabilitation.

"I'm just going to hang around, try to help the catcher, help these guys get to the playoffs, and see what happens," Wirth said.

Source: http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2007/07/28/sports/20995141.txt