Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago issued the following announcement on Dec. 12.
When children and adolescents need sports injury care, the best treatment and management of their conditions comes from specialists with training in pediatric medicine.
This fall, Chicago area families have more convenient access to pediatric sports injury specialists than ever before. The Lurie Children’s Skokie Specialty Care center, 3722 W. Touhy Avenue, has pediatric sports medicine specialists available five days a week, and with family-friendly hours. This outpatient center comes in addition to the sports medicine providers available in Northbrook, Westchester, New Lenox, Lincoln Park and the main Lurie Children’s hospital in downtown Chicago. Same-day appointments are available at some locations.
“It matters that a physician has the experience and specialization in working with bones and muscles that are not yet fully matured,” said Cynthia LaBella, MD, the medical director of Lurie Children’s Institute for Sports Medicine. “We take your child’s individual needs into account, focusing on sports-specific and age-appropriate treatment, education and rehab exercises to return your child to activity safely, and prevent recurrent or new injuries.”
Lurie Children’s multidisciplinary sports medicine team has expertise in ankle and foot injuries, athletes with special needs or disabilities, elbow injuries, head and spine sports injuries, knee and leg injuries, shoulder injuries and wrist and hand injuries. Furthermore, the hospital’s Clubfoot Program, Concussion Program and Knee Injury Prevention Program (KIPP) ensure children with these conditions are getting comprehensive care, including in the operating room, when necessary.
“The basics of an ACL reconstruction surgery are similar for a teenager and an adult, but an adolescent’s growth potential, functional goals and risk of re-injury can be vastly different,” said Craig Finlayson, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in pediatric sports medicine. “We tailor our pre- and post-operative care individually to each young person, keeping in mind their unique risks and needs. This may include more specialized procedure for younger patients with significant growth remaining or adjunctive procedures to reduce the risk of re-injury. Lastly, we understand that surgery is only one part of the equation. Our pediatric physical therapists are highly skilled in working with children of all ages to guide them through the rehabilitation process, optimize function and enable a safe return to activities.”
In addition to physicians and surgeons, the sports medicine team includes a pediatric emergency medicine doctor, pediatric advanced practice nurses, pediatric physical and occupational therapists and certified athletic trainers.
Furthermore, Lurie Children’s sports medicine specialists are actively engaged in research studies to better understand sports injuries and conditions. This includes research looking at concussions, sports specialization, ACL and ALL reconstruction in children and adolescents, and tibial spine fractures in children.
For more information on Lurie Children’s sports medicine team, including practice locations and how to make an appointment, visit LurieChildrens.org/SportsMedicine.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
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