Dr. Sutherland

[Guest guest]

For those of you who knew Dr. Sutherland, I thought I'd post this.

He was one of my favorite doctors. He always made me smile when I

had my yearly visits with him. It made the visits something to look

forward to. I also liked how he talked to my parents with the

utmost respect and positivity! He was a truly kind man and talented

physician. He will be greatly missed.

*****

H. Sutherland, 82; advanced orthopedic motion analysis

By Jack

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

May 2, 2006

The methodical, tedious process of analyzing human gait patterns

truly hit its stride when Dr. H. Sutherland brought computers

into the equation.

With the technical assistance of aerospace engineers in the 1960s,

Dr. Sutherland introduced to orthopedic medicine the concept of

computerized motion analysis. Then, taking the breakthrough a step

further, he devised surgical techniques to treat children with such

conditions as cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

" He revolutionized how people with cerebral palsy walked, " said Dr.

Dennis Wenger, director of orthopedic education at Children's

Hospital.

As founder in 1976 of the groundbreaking Motion Analysis Laboratory

at Children's Hospital, Dr. Sutherland developed an international

reputation in pediatric orthopedics.

" He was a true pioneer in orthopedic surgery for children and a

leader and visionary behind the development of one of the leading

programs in the United States, " said Blair Sadler, president and

chief executive officer of Children's Hospital. " He was the ultimate

combination of teacher, clinician and researcher. "

Dr. Sutherland, who retired from active clinical practice in 1990

but continued to contribute to his field as a researcher and mentor,

died April 21 at White Sands retirement residence in La Jolla. He

was 82.

The cause of death was complications from prostate cancer, said Dr.

Hank Chambers, director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at

Children's Hospital and a longtime colleague.

Before computerization, physicians relied on watching patients walk

or analyzed film or photographs to identify gait abnormalities.

" They took movies of kids and analyzed them frame by frame, "

Chambers said. " It would take Dr. Sutherland 16 hours to complete

the process by hand on butcher paper. With computerized gait

analysis, the process is reduced to three hours. "

Three-dimensional motion analysis, complete with energy

measurements, became the hallmark of Dr. Sutherland's lab. By the

mid-1980s the technology was widespread.

" Through Dr. Sutherland's efforts and those of similarly committed

colleagues, motion analysis has swept through the world, " Chambers

said. " More than 150 laboratories currently care for children and

adults with gait abnormalities. "

In the Children's Hospital lab, the gait of a patient is measured by

3-D computer software to determine range of motion. Force plates

embedded in the floor tell what forces are at work as the patient

walks. Electromyographic markers are used to measure muscle

activity.

The technology Dr. Sutherland introduced spawned techniques for 3-D

animation of movies and video games, Chambers said. The Motion

Analysis Laboratory also breaks down the mechanics of major league

pitchers.

" Gait analysis hadn't changed for 1,000 years (before

computerization), " Wenger said. " 's skill was getting the right

people involved; he brought in engineers from Lockheed in San

Francisco. He was able to make them understand the importance of the

project because he was so kind and easy to associate with. "

Dr. Sutherland's next step was obtaining government grants to

provide the financial impetus to realize his vision.

Concentrating on children with cerebral palsy, he proposed what some

contemporaries viewed as radical surgeries to improve patients'

gaits.

One innovation was the Sutherland Osteotomy, a hip surgery he

developed in the late 1970s.

In 2000, he introduced a computer chip-controlled knee brace

designed to improve the gait patterns of patients with cerebral

palsy, partial spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, polio and

muscular dystrophy.

Dr. Sutherland published dozens of papers on his specialty and, as a

member of the medical faculty at the University of California San

Diego, taught medical students, medical residents and visiting

fellowship recipients from abroad.

" He was a mentor to me and one of the most generous men I've ever

met, " Chambers said. " He would sit down with a resident or trainee

from the orthopedic department and talk for an hour, patiently

answering questions.

" His unselfishness, coupled with his devotion to his patients,

students, family and faith, endeared him to the medical community of

San Diego and the world. "

For much of his career, Dr. Sutherland performed six to eight

surgeries per week. " The procedures he used were effective and used

throughout the world by other surgeons, " Wenger said.

Dr. Sutherland continued to work in the Motion Analysis Laboratory

until a few years ago and visited India in 2000 to lecture and meet

with patients and surgeons.

" He came to conferences until about a year ago, " Wenger said. " He

was wise and constructive, particularly about hip conditions in

children. He made the point that it is safer to do the surgeries on

patients when they are young rather than wait 10 years. That's

almost revolutionary thinking for someone of his era. "

Hollingworth Sutherland was born June 18, 1923, to missionary

parents in Taming, China.

He grew up in Nampa, Idaho, attended Northwest Nazarene College and

graduated in 1944 from the University of Washington. In 1946, he

obtained his medical degree from Marquette University.

After an internship in St. Louis and a year of general surgery

training, Dr. Sutherland joined the Air Force and served from 1949

to 1952 as a medical officer and surgeon.

While undergoing orthopedic residency training in San Francisco, he

became familiar with the gait abnormalities of cerebral palsy

patients and amputees.

Realizing this was a fertile area for research, he consulted

aerospace engineers to adapt a technology used in tracking missiles

in space, Chambers said.

In 1972, he was recruited to San Diego by Dr. Wayne Akeson, the

founder of UCSD's orthopedic department.

Told that a motion analysis lab would be created to further his

work, Dr. Sutherland agreed to leave his post in San Francisco.

Dr. Sutherland went on to write two textbooks on his specialty. He

served in the early 1980s as president of the American Academy of

Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and teamed with Wenger and

Dr. Mubarak in establishing a fellowship program at Children's

Hospital.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Mildred; daughters, Dr. Anne

Sutherland Abel of ton, S.C., and Kathleen S. Sutherland of

Spokane, Wash.; sons, Sutherland of Redmond, Wash.,

Sutherland of Spokane, Wash., Sutherland of Placerville and

Sutherland of La Mesa; sisters, Margaret Sutherland Carlson

of Lockport, Ill., and Ellen Sutherland Reisch of Nampa, Idaho;

brothers, Dr. C. Sutherland of Atkinson, Neb.,

Sutherland of Sacramento, Sutherland of Boise, Idaho, and Dr.

Sutherland of Nampa, Idaho; nine grandchildren; and six great-

grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for May 20 at 3 p.m. at La Jolla

Presbyterian Church. Donations are suggested to Children's

Specialist Foundation, in care of Kit Holm, 3020 Children's Way, San

Diego, CA 92123; Sutherland Scholarship Fund at Northwest Nazarene

University, 623 Holly St., Nampa, ID 83686; the Medical Benevolence

Foundation International Headquarters, 3100 S. Gessner St., Suite

210, Houston, TX 77063-3743 or www. MBFoundation.org.

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