Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Like most little boys his age, Miles Brown loves to be outdoors playing soccer and football and battling imaginary ninjas. But just a couple of years ago, his activities were greatly limited by juvenile idiopathic arthritis. He lived with constant pain so great that it affected his mobility. On the worst days, he had to use a wheelchair. Diagnosed in 2012 at age 3, Miles, who lives in Biloxi, Miss. and Montgomery, Ala., underwent weekly injections from his doctor in Mobile in an attempt to reduce the pain in his hips, legs, wrists and elbows, and to limit the damage to his joints from the constant inflammation caused by the disease. But the treatment regimen wasn’t working, so his family traveled to Birmingham to see Matthew Stoll, M.D. at Children’s of Alabama. Dr. Stoll is one of the few pediatric rheumatologists in the United States. After about a year on a specialized treatment plan that includes new medication, physical therapy and quarterly checkups with Dr. Stoll, Miles’ pain is well controlled and, according to his dad, Lance, joint damage has been ”stopped in its tracks.” Miles’ mobility has improved so much that he played on a soccer team this year and looks forward to playing other sports in the future. And, of course, he’ll continue his efforts to keep everyone safe from those imaginary ninjas.
