Clubfoot is a rare birth defect in which an infant’s foot is turned inward, often so severely that the bottom of the foot is facing upwards or sideways.

There are fewer than 200,000 recorded cases per year in the United States, with boys twice as likely to be diagnosed with the deformity than girls. While most cases of clubfoot are diagnosed at birth, many cases can also initially be detected during a prenatal ultrasound. In about half the cases, both of the infant’s feet are affected.

Baseball season is in full swing and with it comes celebrated wins, upsetting losses, and inevitable injuries. While we hope your season doesn’t result in the latter, we want to make sure you know where to turn if it does. This three-part blog series outlines three common baseball injuries treatable at MidAmerica’s Palos Hills and Mokena clinics: Rotator cuff tears, knee injuries and elbow tendonitis. So no matter what position you’re playing on the field, you know where to turn to for the care you need.

Rotator Cuff Tears

Rotator cuff tears are a common baseball injury, especially for pitchers. Your rotator cuff keeps your arm in its socket. It’s made up of a group of four muscles that combine as a tendon to help rotate and move your arm. This is why pitchers often fall victim to this injury.

Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that typically forms just prior to puberty. While most cases of scoliosis are so mild they do not necessitate treatment, there are cases of scoliosis that have been linked to conditions such as muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. If left untreated, scoliosis may also result in heart and lung problems. Luckily, this condition is treatable at MidAmerica’s Palos Hills and Mokena clinics.

Sciatica is a term describing the symptoms of leg pain originating in the lower back, traveling through the buttock and down the sciatic nerve located at the back of each leg. The sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the body, made up of individual nerve roots branching from the spine in the lower back.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a pinched nerve in the wrist that can cause, numbness and tingling in the hand and arm. It is due to compression of the median nerve, which passes through the carpal tunnel at the base of the wrist and into the hand.

As pressure builds within the carpal tunnel, the median nerve no longer conducts electricity properly which leads to the symptoms of numbness and tingling in the hand and fingers. As Carpal Tunnel Syndrome progresses it may limit your ability to work, participate in sports, or perform daily activities. It’s a condition that affects nearly 3 million Americans annually and is treatable at MidAmerica’s Palos Hills and Mokena clinics.

The spine consists of vertebrae and discs. Between the vertebrae and discs are spaces, and when this space is narrowed it can place pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves traveling through the spine into the arms and legs. When this happens, it is known as spinal stenosis.

Bone spurs are projections of the bone that develop along the bone’s edge. They can develop throughout the body in the knees, fingers, shoulders, hips, and spine. Patients can find significant relief from bone spurs through home treatment, physical therapy, and in worst-case scenarios, surgery.

MidAmerica Orthopaedics is proud to welcome Pediatric Orthopedic Specialist Dr. Prasad Gourineni, MD to our practice on June 1.

With over twenty years of experience under his belt, Dr. Gourineni comes to MidAmerica Orthopaedics after practicing in nearby communities.

Dr. Gourineni completed medical school at Andhra Medical College, India, as well as residencies at Mangalore and Northwestern Universities. After discovering his aptitude for hip preservation, Dr. Gourineni completed fellowships in Vail, CO, Dallas, TX, and Bern, Switzerland, acquiring vast amounts of knowledge about open surgical dislocation and hip osteotomies.