After years of treatment for a rare hip disorder, 9-year-old Landon Gallo of Montco is back on his feet and back in the game, write Stephanie Stahl and Ed Specht for CBS News.
What started as a limp mistaken for growing pains turned out to be Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, a condition that restricts blood flow to the hip socket and can cause permanent bone damage if untreated. Landon’s doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia prescribed a tough course of therapy: six weeks in V-shaped casts designed to help restore circulation and healing.
“It seems a little bit barbaric to take a kid who is active, who loves to run and play, and to put him in casts so that he can’t walk,” said Dr. Wudbhav Sankar, Landon’s orthopedic surgeon. But the treatment worked.
After his casts were removed, Landon endured months of physical therapy before returning stronger than ever. Today, the energetic fourth grader is back to playing soccer, lacrosse, Taekwondo, and even skiing with no restrictions. His mom, Jessica Gallo, says seeing him thrive again “is so exciting to see how far he’s come.”
Doctors say this rare disorder affects boys more often than girls and typically appears between ages 4 and 10.
To learn more about Landon’s recovery and this rare condition, visit CBS News.
