Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

TLSO brace and hot weather

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • TLSO brace and hot weather

    Hi everyone. I'm a Mom with a 12 year old daughter getting her first brace next week. This has come on us so fast, I barely know what questions to ask, but one thing really concerns us.

    We live in South Florida and the weather here is upper 80's and lower 90's for over six months a year! On top of that, our orthotist says perforations in the brace don't work! Is this true? How do you experienced brace wearers out there deal with the heat?

    My daughters curves are low enough (27 and 18) that the brace should work if she wears it. I just don't know how we'll get through the summer!

  • #2
    G'day

    Rather like Australian weather so i can understand perfectly :-).
    Here's a few things we did

    :Changed the singlet as much as I needed it in Summer, sometimes it was up to 3/4 times a day, as I found on hot days it got quite gross and sweaty and made me all sweaty and gross and felt worse. In school time I had a spare singlet in my bag.

    :Around the house, I rarely wore a shirt in the hotter months just the Brace and a skirt/shorts. Might sound strange, but when there wasn't anyone around except my family members I didn't particularly care because I kept cool.

    :I can't really say much about the perforations in the brace, cause i never had any, it was just brace all over :-)

    :It is tough at the start especially, wearing a brace in hot stinky weather, there's no doubting it :-( but over time you do get used to it and it does get a little easier and your body kind of "Regulates" to the temperature and you feel normalish

    :I don't know much about this, but I read somewhere that there is a type of singlet called a Coolmax / Knit Rite, they are supposed to draw sweat away from the body and keep you cooler if you do some digging around on the net (or maybe you can find them in the shops,I'm not quite sure, need to askan American that one :-) you might be able to find some more info, here's the link where I read it

    http://www.scoliosis-support.org/mod...&showtopic=843

    :Occasionally in Summmer months I would have my "hour out" of the brace in the middle of the day, this included my shower. It meant I got a bit of "out" time out of the brace (occasionally I would have a quick swim) when it was the most stinking hot

    :Lots of fluids/ice-creams and encouragment also helps too

    Even though it may seem a tough battle to start with, it will get easier. And its very important that she wears it because a brace left on top of the cupboard doesn't quite work as effectively :-)

    Best wishes for the start of the "brace journey" for you daughter, and you too :-)

    Alison

    Comment


    • #3
      I forgot to add I am (was and still am today, if I get into Prosthetics and Orthotics next year all my patients in years to come will have stickered braces :-) that I am a HUMONGOUS fan of decorating the brace. Why?? because its a boring, piece of white/beige plastic and its quite impersonal. And if you decorate it with stickers its kind of "your brace". I also always named my brace, because if I got frustrated at it I could yell at it with an actual name and not just brace.

      When I was little, we decorated it with stickers all over the brace, because mum and I thought it was pretty cool having stickers all over my body and I didn't wear see through stuff so it didn't matter. When I was older and in the brace, I would only decorate the bottom bit (the bit thats under your pants, the hips bit). It meant I wasn't seen as "Freaky" with stickers showing my through my clothes (esp the lovely white school shirts) but it was still funky and "my brace"

      Alison

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks Allison,

        Decorating is great advice. My daughter wanted a special color for her brace, but our orthotist doesn't provide colored braces. We're going to try colored markers first. If that doesn't work we'll use decals. I'm thinking....racing stripes?

        Just kidding , but anything to make things more lighthearted..

        Tikka's Mom.

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi,
          We don't usually get such hot weather here in Britain but we have had problems with the heat, especially on holidays. My daughter does have perforatins in her brace and, to be honest, they don't seem to make much difference. They do cheer her up though - we call 'em 'tickle holes' and use them accordingly.

          One thing we have found helpful is an aerosol can of water spray - Evian make one - which is really refreshing and fun to chase Daddy with too!
          Lorrie

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi Tikkasmom
            I have lived in Central Florida and now live in Southern California. My daughter has to be the most hot natured child God ever created. I will concede that Southern California is no where near the heat of Florida. My main thought after reading your post was AIRCONDITIONING! The difference b/w Florida and California is that in California we use the ac for only a few weeks in the summer. I just want to encourage you because my daughter being as hot natured as she is has braved a summer in her brace and it wasn/t nearly as bad as we thought it would be. I really think that your AirConditioning will be her saving grace. Be positive and just do what you have to do to get her to wear the brace!
            Encouragement coming your way!
            Kim
            Kim

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks so much for the tips. It's really good to know that one can adjust to the heat. Our orthotist told us this , but we like to hear it from the people who actually WEAR the brace.

              We'll keep the AC on full blast during the summer. I'm sure the electric bills will be a sight to see.

              Thanks again!

              Tikka's Mom

              Comment

              Working...
              X