Anyone have experience with scoliosis?

hadasa

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:10 pm

My 14-year-old son has just been diagnosed with scoliosis. What are the treatment options?
I'm getting rather nervous. He's such a tense, sensitive kid, who hates to stand out for any reason. I can't begin to imagine what wearing a brace ch"v would do to his psyche.

chocolate moose

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:13 pm

I read Deenie as a child.

ChossidMom

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:14 pm

My sister's 12 year old daughter was diagnosed about a half a year ago. They were almost sure she would need surgery. They went to to one of the biggest experts in israel and now she has a brace which she wears all the time. It's not easy, finding clothes to fit and look good, but if it's instead of surgery it's worth it. They're not sure she won't need the surgery but they are hoping the brace will do the job. They are constantly running for fittings and adjustments.
Behatzlacha and Refuah Shlema!

avigailmiriam

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:32 pm

Scoliosis treatment can vary. If it's mild, doctors often leave it alone and the child grows out of it. If it's more severe braces or even surgery are used to treat it.

peace

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:39 pm

I had scoliosis when I was 14. Feel free to pm me and I'll try to help you out as best as I can!

amother

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:43 pm

DH's scoliosis was never treated, and as he's gotten older he has developed severe chronic back pain (he's 37 now.)

sleepyhead

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:43 pm

I had mild scoliosis as an adolescent. I went to a Dr. in manhattan - If you need his name I can try to look for it. Scoliosis varies in severity, and treatment options vary from merely watching (which was the case with me) to wearing a brace, to surgery.

Lechatchila Ariber

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:49 pm

If you catch it early enough it can be treated and fixed before it sets.
for a boy 14 should still be on time depending.

see a chiro or physio.

amother

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 5:54 pm

We have scoliosis in the family. My father wore a brace as a child and it worked. I have one brother who had surgery, a sister that needs surgery, 3 siblings who wore a brace including me. Most of us have it really mild. We all got the brace together, wore it for a few months until we got so mad that we decided to smash it up! The problem is that its so strong that no matter how much we banged and jumped on it, it didnt break! Much to our parents dismay, we went on strike and that was the end of it. We all look fine today Very Happy

avigailmiriam

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 6:11 pm

amother wrote:

My mother and her siblings were all born pigentoed (their feet pointed over 90 degrees inward) and had to wear special orthopedic shoes and braces. One day they decided to throw them in the river. My grandmother was furious--those shoes were not cheap!

chaylizi

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 6:42 pm

I wore 2 different braces in high school. before, during and after that I had lots of physical therapy. I had a bad enough curve to qualify for surgery, but the brace helped.

amother

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 10:17 pm

My sister was diagnosed when she was about 13 and she needed surgery. Braces would not have helped at that point. She went to a top doctor in Boston.

octopus

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 10:19 pm

no one ever told me anything about my spine until I asked for an epidural with my second. He said that my spine curves a little bit- a touch of scoliosis. No one (not even the anesthesiologist with my first) ever told me this. anyone's thoughts?

anonymom

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 10:30 pm

amother wrote:

That sounds like a riot! But I don't understand. Three kids shared one brace?

chaylizi

Mon, Dec 29 2008, 11:49 pm

octopus wrote:

funny. I have diagnosed and treated scoliosis & I had an epidural with my first. no one said a word about it.

Amital

Tue, Dec 30 2008, 12:09 am

I have severe scoliosis, and so do several of my siblings. (All around 90-100 degrees of curvature total--we all have three curves.)

I worn a short brace (Boston brace) for about two years, a tall brace that comes up under your chin (Milwaukee brace), and a new experimental sleeping brace that twisted a person at night (we used to try to fall asleep on the couch so we didn't have to wear it--not at all comfortable). One of my sisters tried the last two, as well, and then even a machine that delivered shocks to the back muscles on one side in order to "strengthen" them. All these things did was make us miserable and uncomfortable. They didn't stop my curves from getting worse, nor did they affect my sister's.

That sister went on to have surgery to implant rods in her back 11 years ago, and it was rough. She had to wear the Milwaukee brace for months without taking it off, and was in the hospital for over a week. There were all sorts of complications, which could have been the hospital, and her scars are pretty thick.

The good news is that things are rapidly improving--one of my brothers also had to have the surgery. He had it about 4 years ago, and techniques have drastically improved (and I'm imagining have continued to improve!). He grew three inches in the operating room, didn't have to wear a brace, was hospitalized for only a few days, and was encouraged to get up and walking right away. He recovered quite well, BH. His scars are minimal, and he doesn't suffer pain now.

What my parents have learned from this is that braces don't seem to work at all, and they spent thousands on them. They say they would never do that again, and I think that based on my experience and my sibs, we probably wouldn't do that to our kids either. Our curves all got worse with the braces. But I'm not up to date on treatments offered, so...

The treatment offered to my brother was mostly "wait and see"--if it gets bad enough, they'll do surgery. Apparently, they don't use the braces as much anymore. I haven't followed anything lately, because BH my youngest siblings seem to have escaped, and my kids are too young, so my info is dated. But feel free to PM me with more questions--or post them here!

Last thing--the epidural. I was told in an early consult no one would touch me for an epidural, which was fine with me, as I have delivered my kids so far in birthing centers. My poor sister delivered in a hospital, and she also was told the epidural wasn't possible (different hospital from my backup), so when she needed a C-section, they had to knock her out with general anesthesia.

hadasa

Tue, Dec 30 2008, 2:45 am

Oh, dear, this thread is getting me even more nervous. B"h the doctor said he definitely does not need surgery. Hopefully, this will turn out to be of the wait-and-see variety. If not, am I correct in assuming that the only conventional treatment is a brace? What are the social effects of wearing a brace, especially in a rather socially awkward teenager? Does anyone know of alternative practitioners in Israel who have had success in treating this?

mummy-bh

Tue, Dec 30 2008, 5:20 am

I have scoliosis. Did the doctor tell you what your son's curvature measures? Mine is in the high 20's. I had a boston brace from age 11-12, which I hated (because I found it so uncomfortable) but I must tell you that the kids in my class were absolutely fine about it and I had no problems socially because of it, even though I was far from the most popular kid around. I was on the borderline for surgery when I was 14 my doctor wanted to do it but I was so afraid I totally refused. B"H I have no problems with my back now (apart from quite severe backache when pregnant, but I don't think that'll be much bother to your son Wink

)

Lechatchila Ariber

Tue, Dec 30 2008, 7:18 am

hadasa wrote:

If not, am I correct in assuming that the only conventional treatment is a brace?

hadassa I don't believe in watch and see with scoliosis. I suggest you take him to a chiropractor or a physio and get treatment now so as to cure it while it is still in it's early stage and prevent it from getting to a more severe stage.
It may always be mild but better to fix it altogether while it's still easy.
and no it does not have to be a brace.

hadasa

Tue, Dec 30 2008, 8:13 am

Ok, I got the x-ray results. So far, b"h it's at the wait-and-see stage. The doctor said to strengthen the back muscles with swimming and exercise, and to come back in six months.

Now, if I could figure out how to get a sedentary Yeshivah boy to exercise... They do have a pool at the Yeshivah, he promised he'll make an effort to use it.