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  • Dodo

    Hello everbody,
    Our son 7 years old has scoliosis (a curve 32 degrees) and his boston brace application will be on wednesday.
    We hope everything would be better yet we have some questions.
    We wonder how his physical activities would be affected and what will happen in his PE lessons in primary school.
    Also would his brace be observed by others when wearing his t'shirt.
    We would appreciate so much receiving some answers in lightning us.Thanks for everbody and may God help everbody and every family facing scoliosis.

  • #2
    Answers

    murat, i'll try my best to answer your questions. His physical activitys aren't effected alot just he can't run as fast because he will run out of breath faster and he will look kinda weird running in the brace so i choose to walk fast instead of run while i'm in the brace. He will have to take it off for PE because he can hardly move and if he falls it kinda hurts in the brace. I have a TLSO brace so i don't know the differance between a TLSO and a boston but you can barly see mine at all when i'm wearing t'shirts even if i wear tight shirts you can barly tell except when i sit down because on mine the left side goes all the way up my arm so it sticks up when i sit but know ever asks about it. i hope i helped in answering all your questions

    ~Sammie~
    Brace:TLSO
    how long i have to wear it: 3 years
    how long i've had it: 10 months
    curves in brace: 34 top 35 bottom (same out of the brace)
    curves in the beginning: 45 top and 48 bottom
    most support i've gotten from: Friends
    Age:14
    Activies: Softball, Basketball, Track, and Drama

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    • #3
      Murat,

      I also have a boston brace, and was faced with the same questions. About PE... At my school we had to dress out for PE, and I would put my brace in my PE locker. It barely fit! But, since your son is 7 I am assuming that he doesn't have to dress out. My friend who had a brace was also faced with the PE problem. They didn't have to dress out, so she had to take off her brace and store it in the office during PE.
      About the clothes... If you wear the right clothes the brace doesn't show at all. When you wear loose clothes the only time the brace shows is if you bend over. But, since I'm a girl in the 9th grade, I tend to not want to wear really loose clothes. So, I find shirts that are more form-fitting. You can wear form-fitting clothes to a certain extent, but I am guessing that boys your son's age don't usually wear tight clothes. Also, with the brace you will probably have to go up a few sizes in both shirts and pants. That was good for me because I'm short. I am 4'11 1/2" and I'm almost 15, so the brace boosted me up to a size 0 in Juniors! (finaly!!!) Also, your son probably won't be able to wear tanktops because the brace comes up under the arm on the right side, maybe on the left on other braces.

      I hope this helps you.

      Rebecca
      ~~Rebecca, 15 years old, 10th grade~~
      I was braced for 2 years and 4 months
      I went through 3 Boston Braces
      Original curve~34*
      Curve in 1st Brace~9*
      Curve in 2nd Brace~14*
      Curve in 3rd Brace~27*
      Curve after bracing~34*

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      • #4
        Thank you

        Many thanks for the answers we received.
        I hope for us and for everbody facing scoliosis things go all right.

        Comment


        • #5
          I haven't got my brace yet, but my doctor said that I could take mine off for PE. Also, If he can take it off for a certain number of hours, tell him to choose wisely how he uses them.

          Becca/Rebecca

          P.S: I also have a 32 degree curve!
          Listen my child to this story of dreams
          ~:~ For the beginning is more difficult than it seems
          When the ten daughters are reunited in order
          ~:~ When the four sided box loses it's border
          When eye of the pheonix is in your hand
          ~:~ When the bird of fire can see again
          When the moon sleeps and the sun plays
          ~:~ When the king of the sky shines his ray
          Underneath a river of colors
          ~:~Lies a gate to golden wonders

          I luv Gilmore Girls!!!

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          • #6
            Sorry please don't shoot me people :-) but I wore it for P.E . It never really came into my mind to take it off. I had a Doctor that was very strict with time allocation of hours (which was 23/7) and parents who encourage me to be me, brace and all.

            I was in the brace (a TLSO which is very similar to a Boston, my TLSO at one stage had my shoulders on a good slant with one arm very high up and one arm at normal height) up until I was 7, and then again from when I was 11 until I was 13. During that time I had the full encouragement of my parents....anything is possible, there's no reason you can't do whatever you wish to and go for it girl :-p.

            Yes the brace takes time to get used to, your lungs have to learn to breathe a bit 'shallower' and you have to learn to adapt to wearing a hunk of plastic l.o.l .....I know I was 'lucky' that I didn't know any different, the brace was simply a part of me; but with any diagnosis I faced the battle the second time round (I'd got a taste of the brace free side lol)

            During my time wearing a brace (all my teachers all the way through knew I wore a brace) , I did it all, and all in the brace......severe Asthmaticy kid to boot so no my lungs weren't the best, even before the brace went on:-p. I ran cross country's events, I tore around the playground like any other kid, I ran in the Athletic Carnivals (and even on a couple of occasions did the 800m and 1500m with only a little rest), I played team games, I gave Hockey a whirl and you could even find my hanging upside down on the Juingle Gym. And no I wasn't an Athletic Kid, trust me I wasn't by far, neither was I the slowest, I was just the kid who gave 110 percent and always gave it a go.

            Yes there's some things you shouldn't do whilst wearing the brace....sports such as Football, Gymnastic type activities or Rugby come to mind; mostly to keep other people 'safe' from injury . Other things you may have to work out a way to do a little differently, but with some determination you'll more often than not work out a way. If you see the brace as something to conquer, not to overconsume you, it becomes manageable and just 'a part of you'.

            As a child I didn't think 'I can't do it with my brace on', before I could think, I was already doing it anyway. Yep I came home and inside from play with a few bruises and scrapes, but what kid doesn't.

            Looking back, was my childhood any different or missed out on for wearing a brace.....not at all

            Alison
            Last edited by Alison; 08-02-2005, 09:24 PM.

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            • #7
              Just a few thoughts

              --> I'm not sure what boy's clothing is like in the US, but your son might find shorts and jeans with elastic in the waist to be the most comfortable.

              --> I'm not sure if you've thought of this, but you might want to have a think about whether he wears his underwear over the brace, or underneath the brace. He might find underneath the brace diffcult to manage at school for going to the toilet. If he wears them over the brace you might need to get him a size larger.

              --> How is your son feeling about wearing the brace??. At 7 you'll probably find a lot of kids in his class won't notice the brace. Or if they do (ie if they bump him) will probably be quite inquisitive and have curiosity questions about the brace. Not sure whether he wants to 'hide it' from people, but have you considered taking it in for 'show and tell'. Gives you a chance to explain why he needs to wear a brace, and also gives the kids in the class a chance to ask questions about it and to get used to it; kids are pretty accepting at that age.

              --> Just thinking ahead, but it'll be a bit of a trial and error for your son to see if the desk and chair he sits in at school are suitable for him whilst wearing a brace. Liase with the school on this one, he may need to sit on a cushion (for comfort), have a desk that's a bit higher, or be allowed to get up for wriggle breaks. When there fitting the brace (ie doing the last minute adjustments) get them to check that the brace is ok (ie isn't digging into his legs) when he sits on a chair and doesn't need to be trimmed a bit at the top of the legs....there's nothing worse then a brace that pinches.

              Good Luck

              Alison
              Last edited by Alison; 08-02-2005, 09:21 PM.

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              • #8
                My daughter also wore her brace 23/7 for a year and a half, until she had surgery. She played basketball and soccer actively and wore the brace at PE, by her own choice. I wrote a note to the school regarding making special allowances for her brace and there was no problem except when they had subs. Even then, the sub was informed and that was that. Erica did not participate in things like toe-touches that were impossible to do with a brace. She did report getting tired and losing her breath quicker than others, but still chose not to remove the brace. In soccer, it depends on the official rules of the game where she played. Her coach allowed her to wear her brace for practice but not for games, due to soccer rules at the county prohibiting braces. She would give me her brace to take to the van when she changed in the school bathrooms before each game. This was to keep OTHERS from getting injured on her brace, not to keep Erica safe! She definitely had the choice in PE and sports to wear or not wear her brace, an chose to wear it.

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                • #9
                  I have a Boston Brace as well, and it never limited me to do the sports, or activities that I wanted to do. I run track and have done cheerleading since I got my brace, and I think the sports helped me adapt to my brace. I didn't wear my brace in PE.

                  I am in high school, and I got my brace two weeks before high school started, and i didn't want any one to see my brace. So I learned what to wear quickly. I try not to wear tight shirts, because you can see the outline of the straps through the back of the shirt if it is to tight. I also make sure my shirts are made of thicker material. Since your son is a boy it should be really easy to find clothes that won't show his brace at all. For pants, jeans will hide his brace the most.

                  In the beginning when I was first getting used to my brace I walked very stiff, but after I got used to it I walked normally again. I think in the beginning the hardest thing to overcome was buying clothing. But of course I am a girl. My friends never treated me differently. Some of them didn't even notice till I told them.


                  Sam

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