13 year old -scoliosis

[Anonymous]

Still a couple hour wait at Hanways Merrifield office, too.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who complained about the DC wait for Hanway. We never had that experience at Merrifield, but have definitely waited an hour. But OTOH, we've also been seen within minutes too. There's just no predicting. So happy DD's out of the brace now!

[Anonymous]

8:28... Exactly! !

Another point without getting into too much esoterica, is that the location of the curve and exactly how far in her growth affects the bracing strategy. Different brace designs do different things; some hold in place, some are designed to derotate the spine. The clearest research on the subject is that compliance with bracing (i.e. wearing the brace 16-18+ hours a day) has the most statistically significant effect on arresting the progression of the curve. Figuring out with your child when those hours are (for our DC sleeping and non-P.E. school time plus a little bit extra... she is out of brace for athletics practice), what clothing she can wear without calling too much attention to the brace, keeping her self esteem up even in the face of questions...these are all things you will encounter. All are solvable with open communication. There is a Facebook page that www.curvygirlsscoliosis.com runs if she is into social media (be VERY careful about the web address...don't just Google "curvy girls" as you will end up in places you didn't want to know existed... )

We scheduled initially at the Shady Grove location of Childrens' (just because it was the soonest appointment). Waits have varied from 15 min to an hour. Shorter wait times were for appointments at the beginning of the doctor's day, so I would encourage you to go early at any location if you can arrange it. Next app'l is at the Fairfax/Merrifield location w/ Dr. Martin so we'll see.

[Anonymous]

I know this is not what you asked for but it may help. FYI side planks can improve scoliosis according to this study:http://www.gahmj.com/doi/abs/10.7453/gahmj.2013.064?journalCode=gahmj&

and if you go to marksdailyapple.com
and type in scoliosis in the search box there are some good articles, especially about the problems of sitting (for anyone, not just scoliosis sufferers). I don't sit half as much anymore; I bought a gel mat from bed/bath/beyond and stand on there to do work. Maybe there are some changes that you can make (even if not at school, in the way your DC does homework--I have mine do theirs on the kitchen counter, standing on the gel mat)

Good luck, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The spine grows crooked because the muscles are unequally strong. You need pt, not a brace.

Oh, my, I think you may not be knowledgable about scoliosis.

No. Form follows function. Bracing causes muscle atrophy, and the problems recur after bracing. Sometimes one can use electrical stimulation to cause the weaker muscles to become stronger and so repair the problem.

OK, OP
Ignore this nut job.

I went to school (80s) with girls braced who played volleyball and participated in cheerleading. Furthermore, I am a PP whose daughter is braced, and she's doing fine. If the curve isn't corrected (assuming it's enough TO brace), the problems that result later on can be debilitating.

Can you "over-brace?" yes, which causes the body to conform to the brace itself
But that's also monitored by the ortho and bracing specialist.

Right now, my 10 yo was given a 6-month break from her brace b/c her spine is adapting well.

Just find a good ortho. (I suggested Children's, too.) And then follow their advice.

Ignore the nuts posting who are giving bad advice.

We have a relative who was braced as a teenager who is a professional athlete today. No weak muscles there! Her doctor allowed her to spend less time in the brace because she spent so much time in athletic practices, but exercise alone, not even supervised by a pt, would have done what the brace did for her.

They don't know what causes scoliosis, but there is sometimes a genetic component. My relative's mother found out that she also had scoliosis after her daughter was diagnosed.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, exercise alone would not have done what the brace did.

[Anonymous]

They may want to schedule your child for an MRI to rule out anything else. We said no initially b/c they wanted to sedate my child, who was 7 at the time. However, she was involved in a study that didn't involve sedation. And she was fine.

I was a wreck, but that's a different story!

[Anonymous]

Chiropractic! Find one that specializes or is certified in CBP. If caught early enough it really can help.

[Anonymous]

Regarding exercise to help with scoliosis, I think it can help with a small (<10 degree) curve. My DD had a curve between 5 and 10 degrees when she was 12. We saw 2 specialists who didn't recommend bracing, just monitoring. DD started rowing (crew) and her coach suggested PT since she had little back or arm strength. The therapist identified back and shoulder muscles my DD wasn't using, and gave her exercises to specifically work on those muscles. DD has continued rowing throughout high school, continues to do the exercises and now at 17 her curve is gone. Not saying this'll work for everyone but it did for my DD.

[Anonymous]

Anything below 30 degrees just gets watched.

[Anonymous]

Not in our experience, idiopathic progression can happen very quickly to beyond 30 degrees (between 6 month appointments). Watching needs to be at short intervals during the child's high growth period.