The essential components of driving involve turning steering wheels, changing gears in manual cars and application of the hand brake. Little is known about the role of the shoulder in these movements and how orthopaedic problems affect movement, and how patients can be assessed to see if they can safely return to driving. This project is investigating when a patient can safely resume driving after four common types of shoulder surgery.
New Minimally Invasive Orthopaedic Surgery for Children with Cerebral Palsy Tim Theologis, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford £61,000 Cerebral palsy is the most common serious physical disability in childhood. Children with diplegic type of cerebral palsy, mainly affecting both legs, often experience significant walking difficulties. These difficulties usually deteriorate over time due to the development of joint deformities and increasing height and weight. Both the deformities and walking difficulties can be greatly improved with orthopaedic surgery, which involves lengthening several muscles and realignment of bones, at the same time (multi-level surgery) and very prolonged rehabilitation time. It is important that surgical techniques and post-operative rehabilitation need to improve further to preserve and improve muscle strength and motor function. In this study, Mr Theologis and his team in Oxford, plan to combine new strength preserving surgical techniques which allow earlier mobilisation, with resistance strength training at an earlier stage post-operatively, to provide a ‘strength preserving programme’ for children with cerebral palsy. He anticipates that this new minimally invasive or ‘keyhole’ technique of multilevel surgery, combined with intensive post-operative strengthening, will lead to a faster and more optimal recovery time from surgery for children with cerebral palsy, their families and carers. This would be a significant advance on present practice.
...AND FINALLY, WHO REMEMBERS MRS. DOROTHY LATTA?
neighbours, John Charnley would have been able to witness at firsthand, the positive effect that his surgery had on restoring her quality of life. Unfortunately a subsequent elbow break in her 80’s again required orthopaedic surgery, but she kept on going to the last. Before her death, Mrs. Dorothy Latta made arrangements for a generous legacy to be left to orthopaedic research in order to enable current and future generations to receive practical benefit from the underfunded area of limb prosthesis. Following extensive peer review, Joint Action’s Grants Committee identified a worthy recipient of The Latta Fellowship to a total of £400,000 from Dorothy’s estate, in Mr Eleftherios Tsiridis a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon from Leeds General Infirmary. Mr Tsiridis (or Teri as he is fondly known) has designed a five year study that brings together multi-disciplinary specialists Professor Z. Jin, Dr R. Wilcox and Dr A. Jones from the department of Bioengineering at Leeds University to optimise the treatment of fractures in the femurs following hip replacement surgery. These fractures in the femur (thigh bone) are a relatively common complication that occurs during or after hip replacement surgery. The fixation of such fractures is technically difficult, and it is important that the treatment is optimum to ensure that the fracture heals and further damage does not occur. This study will use computer models to compare the many different treatment methods that are currently used. The computer models will allow the research team to examine the loading (weight put through the bone) and movement in the fracture for each different method. This Latta Fellowship is expected to culminate in providing valuable information that will have a direct benefit to orthopaedic patients requiring surgery for hip fracture. This work would not have been possible without the foresight and generosity of Mrs. Dorothy Latta, for which we, and future generations of orthopaedic patients, can be very grateful. If you wish to discuss ways that you could also make a lasting impact on an underfunded area of research, perhaps in memory of a loved-one, then please contact Julia Smith at Joint Action, in the strictest confidence, on 020 7405 6507.
Joint Action appeal is raising funds to improve patient care and the t: 0114The280 3200
We are delighted and honoured to announce Joint Action’s largest ever orthopaedic research Fellowship, The Latta Fellowship, which has been made possible by the vision of a remarkable woman called Mrs. Dorothy Latta. Mrs. Dorothy Latta passed away 2nd April 2006 at the grand old age of 93 following a very active and full life. She benefited from one of the first Charnley hip replacements in the late 1960’s and as one of his next-door
treatment of diseases of, and injuries to, the musculoskeletal system by funding high quality research in the UK, as outlined in our Research Agenda. If you wish to be a part of this research by helping to fund it, please complete the relevant sections of the response coupon.
Keeping People Mobile
British Orthopedic Association