Boy back to running, playing sports after treatment for rare hip disorder
KYW
By Stephanie Stahl, Ed Specht
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PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A little boy from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, endured years of treatment for a rare childhood hip disorder, and now he’s back to playing sports.
Doctors say 9-year-old Landon Gallo had to be temporarily immobilized, making for a challenging journey. But now he’s better than ever, even sprinting without pain, after his treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Three years ago, Landon was limping and sidelined with pain that was originally thought to be growing pains.
“It was like the inside of, like my bone hurt, like my hip bone hurt,” Landon said.
He was eventually diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, which happens when blood flow to the hip socket is interrupted. Left untreated, it can cause bone damage and a painful disability.
“When I first heard the diagnosis, I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” Landon’s mom, Jessica Gallo, said.
The treatment was to cast Landon’s legs in a V-shape. Landon was able to scoot on the floor at home, but getting around was a challenge.
“It seems a little bit barbaric to take a kid who is active, who loves to run and play, and to put him in casts so that he can’t walk,” said Dr. Wudbhav Sankar, Landon’s doctor at CHOP.
But Sankar said the casting allows blood flow to return to the hip socket.
Sankar said the cause of this rare disease isn’t known, and it’s usually treated with surgery or the casting that Landon had for six weeks.
After the casts were removed, Landon had extensive physical therapy, and now he’s back to the things he loves – soccer, lacrosse, skiing, Taekwondo and more.
He’s been cleared to play sports with no limitations.
“He’s doing really great, and it’s so exciting to see how far he’s come,” his mom said.
Doctors say this hip disorder is four times more likely to strike boys than girls and usually happens between ages 4 and 10.
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