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Jeremy Frank, MD - US. Olympic Training Center
Orthopedic conditions affect people of all ages, from new borns to elderly individuals. Some conditions may be congenital while some may be developed after birth.
Our expert team of physicians, surgeons and nurses specialize in providing the utmost care and best possible treatment for spine disorders in the pediatric population.
Sports medicine involves treating sports injuries which occur when playing indoor or outdoor sports or while exercising.
The hip joint is one of the body’s largest weight-bearing joints and is the point where the thigh bone (femur) and the pelvis (acetabulum) join.
Limb lengthening is a reconstructive procedure where the deformed bone is straightened or missing bone is replaced.

Rebecca, Scoliosis Patient

Athlete’s Recovery is Going Swimmingly After Scoliosis Surgery
at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital

BeccaA 12-year-old Boca Raton competitive swimmer is three inches taller and looking forward to her next race after undergoing surgery for scoliosis at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. There’s no stopping her now.

Becca was diagnosed with scoliosis in fourth grade after her pediatrician discovered the lateral curvature of her spine during a routine check-up. “Becca was never in pain,” her mother Lauren says. “You never would have known there was a problem.”

Lauren took Becca to an orthopedic surgeon who prescribed a brace, which Becca wore for three years, taking it off only for swimming, the sport she’s so passionate about. Becca, a competitive swimmer, counts eight Florida Gold Coast swimming medals among her accolades and last year, became the youngest entrant in the Florida Keys Community College 12.5-mile race around Key West. She took first place.

Innovative Advances in Medical Treatment
Despite her athletic accomplishments, by 6th grade her spinal curvature was more severe and eventually could have affected her internal organs. Lauren took Becca to Michael Jofe, MD, pediatric orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff at, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Hospital Miramar. He recommended posterior spinal fusion.

Although the surgery is about 50 years old, Dr. Jofe explains, more recent instrumentation called pedicle screw fixation offers patients increased correction and a quicker recovery. Rather than hooks and wires, screws are placed into every vertebrae and attached to rods, allowing for increased correction of every component of the spine.

“He explained that the longer we waited, the longer the rods would have to be and the more flexibility she would lose,” Lauren says. “As an athlete, we didn’t want her to lose flexibility.”

Compassionate, Family-Centered Care
In January 2006, Becca underwent surgery at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Lauren says the anesthesiologist updated her regularly and that the nurses who cared for Becca during her four-day hospital stay were incredible. “In the beginning it’s scary,” Lauren says. “They did everything for her. They were wonderful and explained exactly what would happen. There were no surprises.”

Best of all, Lauren could remain at Becca’s side since the hospital offered a free lunch and she could shower at The Conine Clubhouse, a home-away-from-home for families with hospitalized loved ones. “They think of everything,” she says. “The whole experience was wonderful.”

Remarkable Recovery and Return to Competition
Becca agrees. “I was back in the water after two weeks,” she says. As a bonus, she was three inches taller, a result of the surgery, and got a new wardrobe. “She was really remarkable in her will to get better,” Dr. Jofe says. In fact, she entered the Key West swim race again in June, just six months after her surgery. “Not only did Becca finish the 12.5 mile swim,” Lauren says. “She won it! Her time was 10 minutes faster than last year.”

View Becca’s Video
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