Mike Dodrilll Research Papers

Born on July 12, 1968, Mike Dodrilll was born in Kokomo, Indiana. He had a normal childhood until at the age of 2, when he was diagnosed with Perthes disease. Perthes disease is a rare childhood condition that affects the hip bone. It occurs when the blood is disrupted to the rounded head of the thighbone. Without any blood supply, the bone goes through a process called avascular necrosis (when the bone cells die).

He had a hospital bed in his room that he stayed in the entire day. His leg would be immobilized through traction (when the leg is held up by weights). Due to the disease, Mr. Dodrill had many needs such as help with daily tasks. But, Mr. Dodrill said that his family and environment was “very supportive, very nurturing, and very
loving.” His mother was the most supportive, she would bring food and crafts to keep him nourished and occupied during this time. After two years of being bedridden he moved along to the second part of the treatment, a brace. The brace would keep his leg immobilized so that he would not put too much weight or pressure on the joint. The beam was much like the one in the movie Forest Gump. It was 2 long rods parallel on each side locked in with screws and bolts. It would have a strap for your thigh and another strap near the shin area. The rod like structures were then attached to the shoe. Not only did he have prop for support, but he would also needed a particular set of shoes. When he bought his shoes he would have to buy a larger size for one foot. He would then add a 3 inch riser to the shorter leg. This was because one leg needed to catch up in length and size. During the three years with the brace Mr. Dodrill has had to also undergo therapy. This helped him to restore the hip range of motion through stretches and exercise.

Luckily the injuries were not as severe as they could have been.
If you are at the age of eight or older you are more prone to hip deformities. This could have led to surgeries and a longer recovery time. Mr. Dodrill was lucky enough to have been diagnosed early. He did not have to undergo any surgeries and the recovery was a lot easier for younger children. For they are still young and have a greater potential of growing a new and healthy bone. During the 2 years of traction his body replaced the dead bone with a new bone. However, the new bone is a woven bone (a softer bone) that is very weak and delicate. The longest process is reossification (when the bone hardens) and needed time to develop and become stronger. During the middle of this process he was then transferred to the brace. Once reossification is complete the femur (thigh bone) has fully healed.

He was told he would never be able to walk normal let alone run again. Which held him back from being able to things as a kid like sports. But through multiple treatments and therapy he was able to work through it and defy what the doctors had said. Being bedridden for almost 3 years made him anxious to run around and be active. But when you are at a young age it made him want to go out and do things. He would unlock the brace during his visit to his cousin’s house and run and play with them. Mr. Dodrill said that he would get into trouble for getting the bolts undone and breaking the
brace.

In most cases, the children with Perthes grow into adulthood without any further problems.
During his time in college Mr. Dodrill had played lacrosse and volleyball which required a lot of movement. He described that “after playing I experienced a bit of pain in that hip from the lateral movements, the cutting, the acceleration, plus I was getting older.” Today, Mr. Dodrill experiences no problems with his hip joint and continues to coach and teach volleyball and
science.