06/10/2026
Good morning everyone this will be a long read so with that said Bradleys dad Craige here. Bradley’s mom, Tara and myself spend most of our lives trying to figure out how to help bradley navigate the world of Cerebral Palsy and the cards it has dealt him, last fall after alot of research we decided to have bradley get botox injections to help with his muscle tightness and tendon issues. After the procedure everything was doing as it should. Bradley felt better, he was able to move more freely, his legs were straighter. Basketball ball season starts mid winter, everything is going great but bradley starts having severe knee and leg pain. Tara contacts his team of doctors and specialists they all say its from his using muscles he has not used before, ok we go along with it because they are the professionals, well as time goes on it gets worse, Tara contacts them again same story but they say lets try different leg braces, did not cure the problem, lets try knee braces at night, still not fixed after months of going back and forth they finally order X-rays!!! It is discovered he has fractured patella’s and a diagnosis of Sinding-Larsen-Johansson (SLJ) syndrome. This is an overuse injury that affects the growth plate at the bottom of the kneecap (patella). While SLJ itself is an inflammation and not a broken bone, the repetitive stress and pulling of the patellar tendon can lead to small stress fractures or avulsion fractures.
How Cerebral Palsy Contributes to SLJ
* Spasticity & Contractures: Hyperactive leg muscles (especially tight quadriceps) pull forcefully on the patellar tendon.
* Repetitive Micro-trauma: Spasticity—along with conditions like a crouch or jump gait—causes repeated, abnormal tension on the soft, unossified growth plate at the bottom of the kneecap.
* Prevalence: Studies show that between 5% and 28% of children with spastic CP develop SLJ or related patellar fragmentation.
Common Symptoms
* Pain and tenderness localized directly at the bottom tip of the kneecap.
* Swelling or a bony prominence in the affected area.
* Worsened discomfort during knee extension, stair climbing, or physical activity.
Yesterday Tara and bradley had a Telehealth visit with his doctor who has given him the injection, tara brought up his racing, him having a hard hit causing his knees to smack against anything could set him back to square one as he is not completely healed from the fractures as well as stressed muscle use with the gas break repetition, So with this said we are going to have to miss the first race of the season as I try to figure out safety measures for him, as well as possibly hand controls, he is heartbroken but understands
