William Meehan, MD, director of Boston Children's Hospital's Sports Concussion Clinic
Yesterday’s suicide of former NFL star Junior Seau has once again raised troubling questions about the short- and long-term impact of concussions on the brain. While it’s not clear that Seau was diagnosed with concussions during his 20-plus year career, his method of suicide—shooting himself in the chest—echoes that of former Chicago Bear Dave Duerson, who killed himself in 2011 and left a note saying that he wanted his brain to be studied for the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). According to Boston University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, CTE is “a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma.”
Notice that it doesn’t say, “a history of concussion”. What’s troubling about CTE is that it’s not just happening to former NFL linemen who make their living crashing into each other every week. William Meehan, MD, director Boston Children’s Hospital’s Sports Concussion Clinic, says he’s seeing serious concussions in kids who play sports not typically associated with them. Full story »
If your child—young or old—aspires to be a runner, the Runner’s Program at Boston Children’s can help them get off on the right foot. The Sports Medicine experts that will help your child also deliver the same world-class care to world-class athletes at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
We all know that running is a great way for kids to get exercise and have fun, but since 35 to 75 percent of runners each year need medical treatment for running-related injuries, running safely is important. Pierre d’Hemecourt, MD of Boston Children’s Division of Sports is presenting at the Runners’ Seminar Series for the Boston Marathon, and talks to us about Children’s Running Program, which helps runners of all ages run as safely as possible.
The Running Program mainly focuses on best practices and injury prevention tools for kids, high school and college athletes, as well as adults.
“We want to encourage running,” says d’Hemecourt, “but in doing so, we want to show runners how they can prevent injuries and stay healthy.” The program’s plan does just that, and when a patient comes in for an appointment, they go through four 15-minute stations of clinical help. Full story »
On June 6, 2011, the Boston Bruins were playing the Vancouver Canucks in game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals. Bruins forward Nathan Horton had passed the puck to his teammate Milan Lucic when he was blindsided by the Canucks’s Aaron Rome, who buried his left shoulder into Horton’s face. Horton’s head was spun backwards, down towards the ice. The back of his head was the first part of his body to make contact with the ice. He was knocked unconscious. His arms became rigid. His eyes rolled back in his head. He had a convulsion.
Nathan Horton was concussed.
Concussion is all too common in sports, particularly those, like ice hockey, that involve body-to-body collisions. Yet it’s still somewhat of a medical mystery. Until the last 10 to 15 years, most medical professionals didn’t think concussions posed enough risk to warrant much research. Thus, we know very little about it today.
Although the signs and symptoms of a concussion can be serious, as seen in the case of Nathan Horton, it can be hard to see them when you look at images of concussed brains; CT scans and MRIs often don’t clearly show how a concussed brain has been injured. There’s no bruising, no bleeding and no swelling. Full story »
Bad weather kept Marc Savard from watching last night's game in his donated box, so teammate Brad Marchand came up to hang out with Children's patient Patrick and family.
Snow No! I was super excited to watch TV yesterday so I could check out press coverage of Bruins forward Marc Savard, who was scheduled to publicly announce an AMAZING donation he’s giving to the kids of Children’s Hospital Boston.
Unfortunately winter storms in Toronto grounded his flight to Boston and Savy’s big announcement was postponed. The weather may have stolen some of Savard’s thunder, but it can’t take away the great things he’s doing for kids. Marc recently purchased an entire luxury suite at TD Garden, the home of the Bruins, and is donating it to Children’s patients for every home game of this and next season.
Children’s Child Life Services will be awarding the tickets to various patients throughout the hospital, with a special focus on children suffering from the medical and psychological effects of head trauma. It’s a cause dear to Savard, who has had to temporarily stop playing with the Bruins after suffering two concussions last season during play.
“Marc Savard understands firsthand the challenges faced by children suffering from the effects of head trauma,” said Beth Donegan Driscoll, director of Child Life Services at Children’s Hospital Boston. “The partnership with him is an exceptional opportunity for Children’s Hospital Boston patients and their families to experience the thrill of a Bruins game at the generosity of this very special man.” Full story »
Boston Magazine recently released its 2011 Top Doc list, made up of the best 650 physicians in the Hub. Seeing as Boston is home to some of the greatest medical minds on the planet, the list reads like a prestigious who’s-who roster of talent; a medical dream team spanning every aspect of treatment, from surgery to research and innovation.
Broken into 57 different specialties, doctors included on the list are voted for by fellow medical professionals, meaning that the Top Docs have not only gained the respect of the public and media, but of their peers as well.
Children’s Hospital Boston is proud to announce that over 10 percent of the entire list was made up of our staff, many of whom will be familiar to Thriving readers.
In 2004 Children’s Chief of Cardiac Surgery,Pedro del Nido, MD, was the first person to use the da Vinci surgical robot to fix a defect in a child’s heart, using child-sized tools of his own design. Read about another family whose child was also saved by Dr. del Nido’s surgical expertise and steady hands.
ABC World News recently ran a story featuring Children’s Hospital Boston patient Caleb Seymour, an 8-year-old football player who tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on the field. Unfortunately, Caleb is just one of many young athletes facing this type of knee injury. Recent data shows ACL tears are rising rapidly among young people, and their long-term effects can be substantial. Kids who suffer serious ACL damage can have life-long problems with leg mobility, uneven leg growth or arthritis.
To help Caleb avoid these problems and get back on the field, Mininder Kocher, MD, MPH, associate director of Children’s Division of Sports Medicine, has been working with Caleb and his family to get the young man back in playing shape. He’s also been teaching them stretching exercises and other tips that will help him avoid similar injuries in the future.
And while rehab is tough work, Caleb gets inspiration from a another New England football player who also suffered an ACL tear: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on November 2, 2011
Nosebleeds in children can be very frightening, both for the parent and kids. In the following blog post, David Roberson, MD, FACS from the General Pediatric Otolaryngology Program at Children’s Hospital Boston explains why they happen and the easiest way to treat them.
Though they’re not usually a serious medical concern, nosebleeds in children can be scary. I witnessed this first hand recently when my 12-month old son hit his nose on the floor and burst into tears. I quickly examined him and told my wife that he would be fine. Just when everyone began to calm down, his nose began to bleed. “He’s bleeding,” my wife cried. “We have to take him to the doctor!”
Since I’m pediatric nose specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston I wasn’t exactly sure who my wife was in such a rush to see, but the worry in her voice made me understand just how scared parents get when their kids’ nose starts to bleed.
What causes nosebleeds?
The inside of our noses is lined by mucosa—the same moist tissue that lines our mouth—and just like in our mouths, constant airflow around that mucosa can irritate it. If you clip your nose shut for an hour and breathe only through your mouth you’ll see why mucosa doesn’t like constant airflow—when it dries it cracks and eventually bleeds. Considering the fact that we breathe through our nose all day every day, it’s pretty remarkable that everyone isn’t walking around with constant nosebleeds. Amazing or not, the bottom line on nosebleeds in children is this: a drying of the nasal mucosa is the cause of almost all nosebleeds. Full story »
On September 12, at 6 p.m. Mark Proctor, MD, director of Children’s Brain Injury Center, will lead a dynamic discussion on concussions in pediatric patients during a live, interactive Webcast. A multidisciplinary team from Children’s Hospital Boston departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuropsychology, Neuroradiology and Sports Medicine, will join Proctor. Sign up for an email reminder about the webcast and read on to learn more about the patient featured in the presentation.
Even at just 7-years-old, Nicklas Johnson seemed more comfortable on skates than he did walking. A natural born athlete, Nick split his time between the hockey rink, soccer and lacrosse fields, but it was clear that the ice was his true passion. But in 2006 Nick sustained a hockey injury that would force him to reevaluate not only his love for the sport, but his future as well. Full story »
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If your child—young or old—aspires to be a runner, the Runner’s Program at Boston Children’s can help them get off on the right foot. The Sports Medicine experts that will help your child also deliver the same world-class care to world-class athletes at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
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