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| Photo by Lori Carlton |
During a high school basketball game, Will, who was 16 years old at the time, and two other players became tangled in a massive pile up while vying for the ball. With pain radiating down his leg, Will managed to make his way to the bench. His first thought was that it was a minor sprain and before long, he would rejoin his teammates.
Unfortunately, the pain grew exponentially worse over the next few weeks. An MRI revealed two herniated disks in his lower back. The disks were pinching his spinal cord, disturbing the flow of neurological signals from his brain, and resulting in pain, numbness, weakness, and loss of motion in his foot and leg.
Will’s original doctor recommended physical therapy. When that didn’t garner the anticipated results, surgery was immediately suggested. Will and his family sought a second opinion and found Dr. David P. Roye, Jr., Chief of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, who was recommended to Will’s mother, Margaret, by a parent of a fellow basketball player.
Dr. Roye felt that it was still too early for surgery, and prescribed a second round of physical therapy. While Will started to slowly improve, another problem emerged. That’s when it was discovered that he had a rare condition called Bertolotti’s Syndrome, an irregular formation of the lumbar bones and vertebrae, which went undetected by Will’s original doctor. It was this syndrome that drastically halted Will’s progression.
At this point, it was clear that surgery was inevitable. Dr. Roye explained that the surgery would relieve the pressure on Will’s spinal cord and correct Bertolotti's Syndrome. “Dr. Roye was right on top if it. He took away all of our anxiety and uncertainty about what needed to be done,” explained Margaret.
Will’s surgery on July 30, 2010, went smoothly and he returned home a week later. He started physical therapy three times a week and soon saw major improvements. He was back in school six weeks later and back playing sports four-and-a-half months later. Today, he is a tough competitor on the basketball court and lacrosse field, and looking forward to his freshman year at Gettysburg College.
“Through this experience, we learned how extremely important it is to get a second opinion. We are so grateful to Dr. Roye, Dr. Anderson and their excellent team. Will has been able to return to doing what he loves — pain free,” said Margaret.
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