Bone and Joint Care Built Just for Kids
On April 24, 2011, Hazlet resident Rosie Thomas was busy entertaining a houseful of guests. It was Easter Sunday. Her son, John, now 12, was outside playing with his cousins. They were climbing a 6-foot-tall fence when John slipped and tumbled to the ground.
“He walked inside, and his arm was really crooked,” Rosie says. “I had no doubt in my mind that it was broken.”
Rosie and John left the party and drove to the Emergency Department (ED) at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. They were immediately escorted to the pediatric ED within K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
The attending physician set the bones and put a splint on John’s arm, which allowed enough space for swelling to go down before the arm was placed in a cast.
“Treating fractures in kids is different from treating adults, which is why it’s important to see a pediatric orthopedist,” Dr. Adolfsen says. “A large portion of what we do is treat fractures like John’s.”
About 30 percent of pediatric fractures involve the growth plate — an area where the bone is still developing. An injured growth plate requires treatment from a pediatric orthopedist to make sure it heals correctly and to prevent lifelong deformity to the bone.
“We have a team of eight pediatric orthopedists right here at The Children’s Hospital,” Dr. Adolfsen says. “That’s something you’d normally find only at a major academic center in a metropolitan area.”
“Children’s bones heal quickly, so once a cast comes off, they’re typically back in action, playing sports, participating in gym class, and doing everything else that kids do,” Dr. Adolfsen says.
“He walked inside, and his arm was really crooked,” Rosie says. “I had no doubt in my mind that it was broken.”
Rosie and John left the party and drove to the Emergency Department (ED) at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. They were immediately escorted to the pediatric ED within K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
Fast, Child-Friendly Care
“As soon as we walked in, the staff took us to a private room,” Rosie says. “In less than 15 minutes, a physician was there. He ordered X-rays and found that John had broken two bones.”The attending physician set the bones and put a splint on John’s arm, which allowed enough space for swelling to go down before the arm was placed in a cast.
Kid-Focused Specialists
Two days later, Rosie and John visited Stephen Adolfsen, M.D., a pediatric orthopedist at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. He examined John’s arm and put on the cast.“Treating fractures in kids is different from treating adults, which is why it’s important to see a pediatric orthopedist,” Dr. Adolfsen says. “A large portion of what we do is treat fractures like John’s.”
About 30 percent of pediatric fractures involve the growth plate — an area where the bone is still developing. An injured growth plate requires treatment from a pediatric orthopedist to make sure it heals correctly and to prevent lifelong deformity to the bone.
“We have a team of eight pediatric orthopedists right here at The Children’s Hospital,” Dr. Adolfsen says. “That’s something you’d normally find only at a major academic center in a metropolitan area.”
Getting Back to Being a Kid
John sported a cast for 12 weeks while his bones healed. It came off July 5, just in time for summer.“Children’s bones heal quickly, so once a cast comes off, they’re typically back in action, playing sports, participating in gym class, and doing everything else that kids do,” Dr. Adolfsen says.
About the Doctor
Stephen E. Adolfsen, M.D.
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery
Neptune | 732-897-4200
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