In Good Health - Winter 2012 - Fairview - (Page 10)

Tackling Robert deSwart, MD Orthopaedics Specialty interests: Pediatric orthopaedics, corrective scoliosis surgery, sports medicine, shoulder disorders, general orthopaedics Thanks to innovative surgery, teenage twins play on top-ranked football team knocked knees ORTHOPAEDIC CARE CLOSE TO YOU To make an appointment with an orthopaedic specialist at Fairview Hospital, call 866.733.6363. For children, proper bone growth is no kidding matter. Twins Austin and Justin Donich are living proof. The two boys, now 17, were born with bowed legs that made it difﬁcult for them to run and participate in sports. On top of that, they were not happy with the way they looked. “Cosmetically, their bowed legs embarrassed them,” says their mother, Dawn Donich, MD, a radiologist. “When they were younger, it was not very noticeable, but the problem got worse and worse. When they were in middle school, I decided to do something about it and took them to see Dr. deSwart.” A board-certiﬁed and fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon, Robert deSwart, MD, practices at Fairview Hospital. “I met Dr. deSwart when we worked at the same medical facility,” Dr. Donich says. “He is very personable and explained that he would perform the surgery himself. I also wanted the surgery done at Fairview Hospital because it’s a community hospital.” Traditional surgeries to correct bowed legs include osteotomy, which involves cutting bones, realigning them and securing them with pins or a plate-and-screw combination. A newer procedure called epiphyseal stapling uses surgical staples to restrict growth on one side of a leg while allowing growth on the other. But there are drawbacks to each of these procedures. “My colleagues and I integrate state-of-the-art techniques with proven traditional methods of treatment,” says Dr. deSwart. “Most importantly, we genuinely listen to our patients’ concerns and provide personalized care for their speciﬁc needs.” Dr. deSwart treated the Donich twins with a breakthrough in pediatric orthopaedics. When the boys were 13, he performed a minimally invasive procedure during which he inserted a device called the 8-plate™. This device gently guides bone growth and gradually realigns limbs in a natural, safe manner. “The boys’ legs were straight in one year,” says Dr. Donich. “Now they’re in 11th grade and play football at Kirtland High School, which is ranked No. 1 in its division and recently won the state championship. They’re so happy. They never could have played with their bowed legs. Their straight legs have given them a lot of conﬁdence.” Twin Needs Unlike the stereotypical cowboy with legs curving outward, the Donich twins’ legs curved inward. “When they ran, their knees would knock together,” says Dr. Donich. “They had to swing their legs outward, and this caused problems with their ankles.” If left untreated, this would likely result in arthritis in the knees and hips. Austin and Justin Donich are on the football team at Kirtland High School. you KNOW? DID 10 I IN GOOD HEALTH Cleveland Clinic’s Orthopaedic and Rheumatology Program ranked among the top four nationally by U.S.News & World Report (the top-ranked in Ohio).

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Good Health - Winter 2012 - Fairview

In Good Health - Winter 2012 - Fairview
Contents
Give birth your way-midwives are ready to help
Could you have an irregular heartbeat?
Truck driver steers his heath back on track
Doing it her way
Don't fall for these eight myths about back problems

In Good Health - Winter 2012 - Fairview