Archive for Joanne Barker
Engineered cartilage could turn the tide for patients with osteoarthritis
About one in seven adults live with degenerative joint disease, also known as osteoarthritis (OA). In recent years, as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and other joint injuries have become more common among adolescent athletes, a growing number of 20- and 30-somethings have joined the ranks of aging baby boomers living with chronic OA pain. ... Read More about Engineered cartilage could turn the tide for patients with osteoarthritis
Tagged: acl, orthopedics, research, sports medicine
Learning to speak with the help of a bone-anchored hearing system: Owen’s story
Why does 4-year-old Owen love Ghost Spider? For one thing, her suit has purple highlights. For another, her hand forms the sign for ‘I love you’ whenever she casts a web. These reasons say a lot about Owen: a loving kid who knows American Sign Language (ASL) and whose favorite color is purple. For several ... Read More about Learning to speak with the help of a bone-anchored hearing system: Owen’s story
Tagged: hearing, otolaryngology
Predicting brace adherence could change the game in scoliosis treatment
When it comes to preventing scoliosis progression, is it possible to make bracing more effective? For decades, spine specialists focused on improving the braces themselves, making them lighter, less obtrusive, and easier to put on and take off. (The Boston Brace, developed at Boston Children’s Hospital in the early 1970s, is one example.) Key takeaways ... Read More about Predicting brace adherence could change the game in scoliosis treatment
Tagged: idiopathic scoliosis, orthopedics, scoliosis, spine division
A state policy made it harder for families to find shelter. Research helped change the policy.
Physicians and policy makers usually work in separate worlds: those of medicine and government. But when a change in Massachusetts policy led to an unprecedented increase in the number of homeless families seeking shelter in the emergency department (ED), physicians at Boston Children’s Hospital set out to reverse that policy. What happened next shows that ... Read More about A state policy made it harder for families to find shelter. Research helped change the policy.
Tagged: emergency medicine, health equity
How hearing aids opened up a world of sound for Harry
Maybe it’s unusual to bring a musical instrument to an audiology appointment, but that didn’t stop Harry King. When he picked up his new hearing aids from Boston Children’s Hospital, he brought his ukulele. After a procedure to drain fluid from his middle ears the year before, Harry had become obsessed with sounds of all ... Read More about How hearing aids opened up a world of sound for Harry
Tagged: hearing, otolaryngology
Broken signals: Things you may not know about nerve injury
When Dr. Andrea Bauer talks about nerve injuries, she talks about phone cords. A damaged phone cord transmits staticky or broken sounds, or no sound at all. Similarly, peripheral nerve injuries (injuries that affect the arms, hands, legs, and feet) disrupt signals to and from the brain, causing numbness, loss of sensation, and lost function. ... Read More about Broken signals: Things you may not know about nerve injury
Does cannabis affect surgical outcomes? We need more data.
After alcohol, marijuana is the most commonly used recreational substance among U.S. adults and adolescents. Up to 22 million Americans 12 or older use cannabis. In a 2022 survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 0.7 percent of 8th graders, 2.1 percent of 10th graders, and 6.3 percent of 12th graders reported using marijuana ... Read More about Does cannabis affect surgical outcomes? We need more data.
Tagged: informatics, orthopedics, spine division, surgery
Cerebral palsy hasn’t stopped Irvin from living large
Irvin, now 18, became fascinated with sports mascots when he was a little kid. What did they do, and could he do that too? Anytime he had an appointment at the Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, he and his mother would stop by Fenway Park to visit Wally, mascot of the ... Read More about Cerebral palsy hasn’t stopped Irvin from living large
Tagged: cerebral palsy, orthopedics
Uncertainty surrounds ACL treatment decisions in young athletes. It shouldn’t.
It’s an injury once seen mainly in adults, yet it’s become increasingly common in younger patients. From 2000 to 2020, the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in children and adolescents increased between three- and five-fold. For young athletes, an ACL tear spells six to nine months of downtime, heightened risk for secondary ACL ... Read More about Uncertainty surrounds ACL treatment decisions in young athletes. It shouldn’t.
Tagged: acl, orthopedics, sports injury, sports medicine, surgery
The key to preventing shin splints may be underfoot
Medial tibial stress syndrome, also known as shin splints, is a common and often recurring injury among adolescent runners. Recovery can involve weeks of downtime and sports modifications. Even then, many athletes experience chronic pain. Despite the prevalence and impact of the condition, sports medicine experts have yet to reach consensus about the cause. Theories ... Read More about The key to preventing shin splints may be underfoot