Broken leg sidelines MCC football standout Miller

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Muskegon Catholic Central will launch its 2007 football season next week without its best player, senior Donnie Miller.

The standout running back/linebacker broke his right leg in a freak accident at Tuesday's practice and is expected to be sidelined at least six weeks.

MCC coach Mike Holmes said Miller was running the ball during a team scrimmage and ran into a blocker. Miller's cleats were planted as he twisted and fell to the ground in pain.

An ambulance transported Miller to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken tibia (the non weight-bearing bone in the leg).

Miller (6-1, 210) has a doctor's appointment today and should know his status for the rest of the season afterward.

For sure, he is expected to miss most of the regular season, including the opener Aug. 24 at Kehren Stadium against Mona Shores.

"It's a devastating thing for us," MCC coach Mike Holmes said. "But we have to keep playing. If you coach a long time, unfortunately, these things happen."

Last season, Miller rushed for more than 1,000 yards (9.1 yards per carry) and was a key two-way player as the Crusaders won the Division 7 state championship.

A college prospect with good speed and power, Miller has received attention from Ivy League schools and Division I schools in the Mid-American Conference.

Miller said there is no cartilage damage and the leg suffered a clean break. He's currently in a splint and will have a cast put on the leg.

"I'm trying to stay positive," Miller said. "It's not as bad as it could be. I'll just keep my head up and help keep my team together."

Holmes is busy making adjustments with Miller's absence. He's been through this before -- most notably when all-state running back candidate Jason Eichorst suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 1992 scrimmage.

"We're crossing our fingers and hoping he'll come back at some time," Holmes said. "If he has a chance to come back later and help us out that would be great. I know we don't have him for the near future."

On Monday, Miller received a hand-written letter from Harvard coach Tim Murphy. Miller, who has a 3.8 GPA with a 27 on the ACT, hopes his injury won't scare away schools in the recruiting process.

"It will be a tough few weeks," Miller said. "People in the Catholic community have been very supportive. They're all helping to keep my spirits up. That helps, I don't have to go through it alone."

Source: http://www.mlive.com/preps/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1187273710121100.xml&coll=8

Pioneering surgery gets Irene walking

16 August 2007 - Just three weeks ago, Irene Godier was doubled over in excruciating pain and faced almost certain paralysis or even death because of the crippling damage to her spine.

Yet today the 79-year-old is able to walk in her garden with a smile, thanks to a Norfolk surgeon whom she describes as “a quite extraordinary man”.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Am Rai used a pioneering technique that he had gradually developed with his team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and rebuilt her spine using an expanding titanium cage.

The four-hour operation, which he believes is not undertaken anywhere else in the country, was Mrs Godier's only hope after a scan in May revealed that a vertebra in the small of her back had shattered and crumbled away due to the brittleness caused by osteoporosis.

The future looked bleak, with shards of broken bone pushing dangerously close to her spinal nerves and likely to lead to paralysis in her legs, problems with her bladder and bowel and ultimately death - but, instead, Mrs Godier was able to get back on her feet within two days of surgery.

“The x-rays showed she had broken her vertebra in the lumbar region - this is common in elderly people because the bone is very soft and weak so occasionally sneezing or coughing or a minor fall can cause a fracture,” said Mr Rai.

“She had a scan which showed that the broken fragments of bone were causing a pressure on the spinal nerves.

“This is quite a dangerous situation - the risk of paralysis is great and walking with crutches would damage the vertebrae further by walking about and pushing the bone in to the space which the spinal nerves would occupy.”

Usually, the major surgery would be more invasive, take 10 hours and involve months in hospital, but Mrs Godier had a comparatively rapid recovery.

“This sort of operation would normally mean making two incisions, one from the back and one in to the abdomen, but people are in hospital for months afterwards where as Mrs Godier had the operation and was mobile within 48 hours,” he said.

“This procedure can also help people with cancer of the spine and infection of the spine, and it's slowly been developed over a period of four years.

“It's a very expensive piece of metal but it has helped her discharge within 10 days and let her carry on with her life.”

Mr Rai said he will write a series about the technique, which he believes will be taken up at other hospitals.

“Surgery is getting more and more complex but we can offer a lot more and get the patient up and about and out of hospital much quicker.

“If you go back 10 years this patient would have been in hospital for months.”

Mrs Godier is now recuperating at home in Norwich and hopes to one day be rid of her crutches and visit her daughter in Antigua next year with her husband, Alec.

“I was a very active woman and knew I would never be the same again, whereas now I am walking around and feel a damn sight better than I was before the operation because I was screaming out in pain whenever I took a step,” she said.

“I think Mr Rai is quite an extraordinary man; to me I think that he's God brought down to earth.

“Obviously I'm extremely grateful to him, he has given me a new lease of life and as soon as I am able I will take him a big bottle of champagne.”

THE OPERATION

Mr Rai and his team fixed screws to healthy vertebrae, which were connected by rods above and below the fracture in Mrs Godier's spine.

They then took out the broken vertebra through an incision in her back and, using this same opening, placed the expanding titanium cage in the gap to support her weight.

“We put the cage in to the front of the vertebra through a very small space that's probably about two centimetres across, without touching or damaging the nerves,” said Mr Rai. “If you do, the patient is going to be paralysed.”

Source: http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED16%20Aug%202007%2008%3A12%3A35%3A470

Broken Bone

Although bones are relatively tough in order to support the body, even they can break under pressure or force. Certain diseases that cause bone deterioration or fragility that may make a person more susceptible to bone fractures such as osteoporosis, rickets and osteoarthritis.

There are a number of ways to break a bone. The most common being the following.

• Fall from a height
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Direct blow
• Child Abuse
• Repetitive forces such as those caused by running can cause stress fractures of the foot, ankle, tibia or hip

Symptoms
Often you can tell there is a broken bone just by sight. Here are the common symptoms to look for if you suspect a bone is broken.

• A visibly out-of-place or misshapen limb or joint
• Swelling, bruising, or bleeding
• Intense pain
• Numbness and tingling
• Broken skin with bone protruding
Limited mobility or inability to move a limb

Be sure to see your healthcare provider. Rehabilitation may be needed after treatment.

The information in this article does not substitute advice or information from your physician. Please consult your doctor for further information on specific medical conditions or symptoms.

Source: http://www.utmedicalcenter.org/cms/Departments/Rehabilitation/Diseases+and+Conditions/Broken+Bones/361.html

Male exercise reduces broken bone chances later in life

Bone fractures and other bone problems later in life can lead to dire consequences. After all, limiting mobility later in life is not a good thing from a physical and psychological perspective. Can it be prevented? Calcium intake and eating the right way can surely enhance bone density and help prevents these kinds of problems.

While much of the attention goes to women and possible causes of osteoporosis, I don't hear that much about men and possible bone problems later in life. But, osteoporosis can happen to men as well. But, just like with women, there are ways to prevent it.

The solution? Get regular doses of exercise throughout your early life. Prepare those bones and muscles to be as strong as possible for later in life as a result, and perhaps you won't have to deal with something as life-changing as a hip replacement.

Source: http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/06/19/male-exercise-reduces-broken-bone-chances-later-in-life/

Lasers accelerate healing of broken bones

Broken bones can sideline anyone for months, but now a high tech device is helping heal those bones and other injuries faster.Advertisement

Many professional sports teams already use it, and now this healing invention is helping the rest of us.

While Judi Charron was painting her kitchen last november, she fell off a stool and broke her wrist.

The break required a metal stabilizer that Judi was expected to wear for at least three months.

Twice a week her chiropractor C.J. Valenti used a cold laser on her wrist to stimulate healing.

"Due to that fact I got rid of that contraption I'd say at least six weeks ahead of schedule, the doctor was very surprised," said Judy.

No one's sure exactly why it works, but there are theories.

"What a cold laser does is simply increase the energy that a cell can produce and quite frankly the more energy a cell can produce, the faster the cells can heal," explained Valenti.

Erchonia is the first company that received FDA approval for using cold laser for accelerated healing.

Valenti says the technology's been used in the states for about ten years, but in Europe it's been used for three decades.

The laser has different frequency settings for bone and soft tissue.

Valenti uses it almost every day in his practice.

Treatments take about five minutes and are covered by insurance.

The Erchonia laser can be used to help speed healing in bone, open wounds, burns, tissue injury, deep tissue injury or active infections.

WKYC-TV, Cleveland, Ohio
Source: http://www.wbir.com/news/health/story.aspx?storyid=48022

Broken leg may have ended Rutledge's year

The Southland rugby team's massive task of beating Auckland this weekend just got tougher, with hooker Jason Rutledge ruled out with a broken leg.

The Stags' 25-20 win over Taranaki in New Plymouth, its first win in the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup, came at a heavy cost.

Reserve rake David Hall also has a foot injury and is a doubtful starter against Auckland, while wing Mark Wells will be on the sideline after injuring ribs.

The Stags may have to face an unbeaten Auckland with a third-string hooker, with Marist's Matt Holloway coming into the squad.

A former New Zealand under-21 player, Holloway is contracted to Southland but missed the cut for the Stags squad this season.

A gutted Rutledge said yesterday he would be out for six to eight weeks, meaning the end of his season unless Southland reaches the playoffs.

"I have had my fair share of injuries and this is another year with another one. But I have to keep my chin up. I will be out for six weeks minimum and hopefully be back for the quarter-finals," he said.

Rutledge broke the fibula, or calf bone, a long slender bone on the side of the lower leg, after a player landed on his leg when he was tackled early in the game.

"I heard a crack and tried to play on, but it kept clicking so I called it a day."

The 29-year-old, who has played close to 70 games for Southland, was keen to make his mark after being given a starting berth ahead of Hall at the weekend.

Stags co-coach David Henderson was disappointed for Rutledge, son of All Black Leicester Rutledge.

"He has done a lot of hard work leading into this season, so it's pretty hard to swallow.

"That could be his season. He's pretty dark."

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/southlandtimes/4163415a6439.html