Saving kids' knees

Nathan Green knows it takes a lot of foot work and hard work to become a top player.

"I'm just kind of good at it, so it just kind of stuck," Green told Ivanhoe.

But his dreams of college soccer were almost wiped out when he tore his ACL. Traditional surgeries would damage the growth plates. Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Eric Wall developed a tendon reconstruction at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to keep Green in the game. He used Green's hamstring tendon to create a new ACL. The new procedure avoids any contact with his growth plate.

Jacob Sorger suffers from a less common but just as painful problem -- juvenile osteochondritis dissecans, or JOCD, which is caused by pressure on immature bones.

"I couldn't even walk up the steps when I got home, it was hurting that bad," Sorger told Ivanhoe.

Dr. Wall took a bone graft from Sorger's hip and transferred it into his knees with a small tube.

Now both boys are back up and running. Rehab took about six months before they were able to play soccer, but that's better than their other option -- which would be to not play at all.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jim Feuer
Public Relations
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
(513) 636-4656