{Perthes Disease} FAQ's

My post about Nate's Perthes was long and drawn out, so I thought I'd share some general information about Perthes Disease here and as we find out. We are always learning more with each doctor's visit to Shriner's Hospital in St. Louis.

So what is Perthes?

Perthes is when the blood flow stops going to the top of the hip and causes the bone to die. There are stages to this as shown below.





Perthes is patient specific, meaning that each and every case is slightly different. Age of patient, stage they are in when diagnosed, etc. can all play an important part. Time and length of disease can also vary, as it's about the bone dying and being regrown.

Doctors have differences on treatment. Some are wait and see with restricted activity, some are straight to surgery. This can vary depending on patient too.

Long term effects and complications can arise, but not always. This isn't a "fix it now and be done forever" issue.

Random Info:

We've been told some small tidbits of information in appointments and as I hear more, I'll share here.

One of the biggest things is range of motion. This was mentioned at Nate's first post-op check-up. We asked about when you know he's ready to not have the brace and the doctor mentioned range of motion. So there's no time specific date for the brace, although Nate will be in for the rest of the school year - roughly 5-6 months.

Helpful Pages:

- OrthoInfo

- OrthoKids
- Mayo Clinic
- Perthes 101 
- PerthesKids

Nate the Great

This will be a page I update as I find out more, helpful information. From now on though, new blog posts will deal specifically with Nate and his growth and updates. I also have a Facebook page for Nate - Nate the Great Perthes Warrior! On the page is a link to our GoFundMe, set up by my wonderful aunt, as we face a lot of medical bills. We have insurance but there's a copay and a percentage left for me to pay. 

If you have questions or comments, leave them below and I'll answer them!