Muscular Dystrophy Surgery

Bellevue Christian trio still in the game

When Nat Townsend found out he needed Tommy John surgery, he wondered if it was worth it.

"Why do I want to go through this again?" he asked himself.

The Bellevue Christian baseball player had already endured 12 surgeries since third grade because he suffered from a developmental bone abnormality called osteochondroma.

About the same time, teammate JoJo Howie learned he also needed surgery to repair a condition called osteochondritis. Because of reduced blood flow, bone and cartilage in his elbow had begun to chip and fray.

Their senior seasons seemed over months before the first practice. Then Ryan FitzPatrick tore his hamstring.

"It was pretty shocking," Howie said.

Each member of this tormented trio wondered if their high-school careers were over. They all reached the same conclusion.

Townsend fought through osteochondroma, so he figured he could take on Tommy John surgery. Howie never let muscular dystrophy slow him down, and he refused to let elbow surgery get in his way. And FitzPatrick, well, if a non-ossifying fibroma — a void in the bone of his upper right arm that fractured while he threw a pitch as a 12-year-old — couldn't keep him off the field, he wasn't going to let a balky hamstring stop him.

When the Vikings play Cashmere in the Class 1A state playoffs at 1 p.m. Saturday in East Wenatchee, all three will be in the lineup. They all have limitations, but that doesn't matter. They weren't expected to make it this far.

"It shows the character they have to persevere," Bellevue Christian coach Brian Potoshnik said. "When they want something bad enough, they just keep working. They're not going to let anyone take it away from them."

Townsend and Howie had surgery on Nov. 9 last year. Townsend's ulnar collateral ligament was reconstructed and Howie had 12 holes drilled into the bone to improve blood flow.

The pitchers are left with visual reminders of what they endured. Townsend has a four-inch scar — his 13th surgery since third grade left one of the smaller marks — on his right elbow. Howie has six circular scars spread over his elbow that, if connected, could form a small constellation.

Both surgeries were successful, but their chances of making it back for Bellevue Christian's season were slim.

"If I wanted to continue playing, I needed to have this happen," said Townsend, who will get a chance to make the baseball team at Azusa Pacific in Azusa, Calif., next year. "I wanted to come out with these guys and just be out here. I needed to get it done.

Calf reduction surgery, Liposuction, Botox - Germany

Calf reduction has a subordinate role in plastic surgery, particularly in comparison with breast augmentation, breast reduction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), etc. However, there are many people (mostly women) who, due to their large calves, suffer psychological strain that is at least as intense as that of women who undergo breast augmentation because their breasts are too small, or women who decide on breast reduction surgery due to overly large breasts. This article should serve as information on the options available to you. In the end, whether you undergo calf reduction, and which method you decide on, depends on the subjective amount of psychological strain you are experiencing.

The choice of calf reduction technique depends on what caused the calf to become too robust. Often bulky calves (also known as “radish calves" or "radish legs”) are caused by simple accumulation of fatty tissue; in this case, liposuction is the best method for calf reduction.

In many cases, however, the calf muscle is also excessively thick. Liposuction has no effect in these cases. Extreme growth of the calf area can be observed in patients with muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a hereditary disease which takes many different forms. Aesthetic concerns are not the main issue for patients with muscular dystrophy, making surgical calf reduction pointless.

Internal factors that create 'fat calves', such as water retention (edema) or lymphostasis (lymphedema), also require treatment for the cause of the problem, not cosmetic surgery.

If the calves are perceived as too large due to intense physical activity, the enlargement can be reduced by avoiding certain exercises and types of training. Exercises which build up calf muscle should be avoided, in particular standing on your toes with and without weights, climbing stairs, hiking, and sprinting.

Calf reduction using Liposuction is an excellent treatment option in the event that the increase in size is caused by accumulation of fatty tissue. The amount of excess fatty tissue can be tested even by non-medical professionals, simply by pinching the tissue between two fingers. If what you pinch consists almost entirely of skin, then the calf is predominantly muscle. If this is the case, then calf reduction using liposuction is unlikely to be successful. Using liposuction for calf correction creates irregularities only very rarely. Ankles should be treated with restraint, as a radical course of action can cause swelling and changes in pigmentation. The post operational recovery phase depends on the amount of fat removed. It can take a few days, or a few weeks (in extreme cases). You should abstain from sport and wear a surgical stocking for 6 weeks after the operation.

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