Aug 29, 2008 4:13 pm US/Eastern
Medical Advances Help Cerebral Palsy Patient
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
State-of-the-art technology is helping Alex Weinstein stay on his feet. He was born with cerebral palsy -- a condition that was getting progressively worse. "I was always falling at school and at home."
"He seemed to get shorter and shorter as he was getting older because his legs were bowing more," said Alex's mom, Shelley Weinstein.
It was feared Alex might one day have to rely on a wheelchair.
At the
Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, Dr. David Scher knew an operation could help, but it wasn't clear exactly where on the legs and feet to operate.
The solution: motion analysis.
Reflective markers are put on his body. Digital cameras follow the markers and send that information to a computer -- giving doctors a 360 degree view of the body. "As if we were looking at them from the front, from the side and from the top down all simultaneously."
The computer analysis lets doctors pinpoint where to operate. Last year Alex underwent a complicated surgery. His legs and feet were rotated while his hamstrings and hip muscles were lengthened. After a long recovery, Alex is now learning to walk with his new legs.
"And they measured him and he was a little bit taller than me and I was like 'Oh my God, now he's taller than me,'" Alex's mom exclaimed.
Alex is already starting to move faster.
Doctors expect more improvement and the best news -- his condition won't get any worse.
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