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Question regarding scoliosis-right thoracic curve

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  • Question regarding scoliosis-right thoracic curve

    I am sixteen years old this year and i have a right thoracic curve of 4 degrees. May I know if such a problem will stop me from growing taller and ,even worse, cause height loss? I really hope for an answer as I am only 5'4 and very worry about my height. Thank You!

  • #2
    4 degrees?!? i'm shocked because anything less than 10 degrees is considered impossible to measure on an xray...is that a typo and you mean 40?
    diagnosed aged 14 (2001)
    braced from july 2001 to february 2003 to hold curves
    fused T11-L3 on july 16th 2005 (aged 18)
    Discharged by surgeon july 11th 2007 (aged 20 and almost 2 years post-op)
    scoliosis support forum

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    • #3
      Hi Friend...

      If your curve is truly 4 degrees, it will not have any effect on your height. You don't say, but if you're a female, you probably won't grow much taller anyway. If you're male, you probably still have several years of growth left.

      Regards,
      Linda
      Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
      Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

      Comment


      • #4
        Haha...You're not wrong..It's only 4 degrees and it's detected by the forward bending test which is rather reliable. Ever since I was diagnosed to have a thoracic curve, I've stop growing taller (for 2 yrs). And if a recent measurement by myself using a measuring tape is accurate, I lost close to 1 inch. Being the shortest among my peers, my self-esteem and confidence are affected greatly. Thank you for your reply.

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi Linda Racine..thanks for your bothering to reply. I hope I do not come across as a whiner. But I am really concern about it. The last time i was checked if the start of this year. How is your scoliosis? Sigh...if there is no such problem in people...

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi Friend...

            I had surgery for my scoliosis in 1993.

            You didn't come across as a whiner. However, if the measurement is correct, you don't really have scoliosis (scoliosis is defined of a curve of at least 10 degrees), and it isn't the cause of you not growing. It's next to impossible to measure one's own height. Do you go to a physician for a physical every year? If you do, they should have your correct height measurement. Are you male?

            --Linda
            Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
            Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

            Comment


            • #7
              I agree - 4 degrees is hard to detect. From your description, it sounds like the measurement is NOT a COBB angle measurement from an xray. This is a more accurate way of measuring a scoliotic curve. Have you had an xray taken recently? Has it been measured (COBB measurement) by an orthopedist? Until you have an xray measured by an ortho, I'm not sure how we can help you, other than suggesting you ask these questions of a medical professional. Good luck!
              Carmell
              mom to Kara, idiopathic scoliosis, Blake 19, GERD and Braydon 14, VACTERL, GERD, DGE, VEPTR #137, thoracic insufficiency, rib anomalies, congenital scoliosis, missing coccyx, fatty filum/TC, anal stenosis, horseshoe kidney, dbl ureter in left kidney, ureterocele, kidney reflux, neurogenic bladder, bilateral hip dysplasia, right leg/foot dyplasia, tibial torsion, clubfoot with 8 toes, pes cavus, single umblilical artery, etc. http://carmellb-ivil.tripod.com/myfamily/

              Comment


              • #8
                Hi Linda,

                Yes I'm male. Do i fit in here? I don't go to a physican every year but a health-check team sent by the authority would come to my school to do a check-up yearly on all students. At 5'4 and 16 years old, it is really depressing and I thought it was due to my mild curve. Thank you for enlightening me.

                Hi Carmell,

                Yes. It is not a COBB angle measurement. For forward-bending test, the patient is to bend forward and touch his toes. The doctor will then, from behind, detect a curve and use an instrument to roughly measure the curve. I've not taken an x-ray recently. Thank you for replying and your suggestion. Hope you are fine!

                Comment


                • #9
                  My son is 16 and has scoliosis plus Scheurman's Kyphosis (plus a foot deformity).

                  He was initially found to have scoli at a 7th grade school nurse screening and she used the bending test. His "score" was in the range of what you reported as well. When we went to the orthopaedist and he gave us a "degree" of 24, I commented that either he had progressed a lot in a short time or the nurse was really off the mark. They explained to me that the "number" given in the screening was a different measurement than what the orthopaedist did . . they were not the same "measurements".

                  So if you get to an orthopaedist, you may find your curve to be actually much higher than the number you have now. THAT is the number used to determine bracing, surgery and the like.

                  So don't be alarmed if ultimately you get a "number" for your curve that is much higher than what you now have.

                  There are fewer boys than girls with spinal curves, but there are still boys out there! Welcome.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    scoliosis can stop you from growing, but a 4-degree curve doesn't really make a difference, and it would have to be a big curve to shrink you an entire inch. i doubt that scoliosis has affected your height, and 5' 4'' isn't that short, i'm 4'11'' and there's people at my school who are shorter than me, so i wouldn't really worry about it.
                    Marlana
                    16, Senior
                    Spina Bifida
                    Boston Brace for 2 years
                    Spinal Fusion July 25, 2002
                    Post-Op Brace for 6 months

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thanks for posting, Joe's Mum. The school nurse actually told me that a slight curve is ok and doing sit-ups will prevent it from worsening. Is it true? Also, will sitting straight improve the condition? Will scoliosis stop me from growing? I'm really confuse.


                      Thanks for ur posting violinprincess..4'11 isnt short for girls but I'm male and 5'4 is short generally. Do you mean that with scoliosis, it is impossible for me to grow taller even with skipping?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        i think you need to go and see a scoliosis specialist and be assessed properly, so that you know the degrees of your curvature and what steps to take from here. school nurses aren't as highly qualified as surgeons and they certainly can't put together a treatment plan
                        diagnosed aged 14 (2001)
                        braced from july 2001 to february 2003 to hold curves
                        fused T11-L3 on july 16th 2005 (aged 18)
                        Discharged by surgeon july 11th 2007 (aged 20 and almost 2 years post-op)
                        scoliosis support forum

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          the bend over test isnt really to accuarate...when i did the bend over test in school my curve showed up as 16 degrees when we went and had x-rays it was 36 degrees so your curve may be worse then they actually say i would suggest you go get some x-rays to be more certain also i had a 52 degree curve before surgery and onlt grew a inch to an inch and a half with it almost completly staitened so i wouldn't think a 4 degree curve would affect your hight hope this helps ~Shannon~
                          Last edited by starchild_81212; 12-03-2005, 09:31 AM.
                          ~Shannon~
                          Surgery: May 25th 2005! Woot!
                          13 months Post-op
                          E-mail me!:
                          starchild_81212@yahoo.com or Star_child_81212@msn.com

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Heya. I'm 16yrs old with a right thoracic curve too but mines 35 degrees is. I dont no for certain because the hospitals dont generally bother to give precise measurements over here in England. I was told my surgery would give me another 2inches of height which is really scary cos ill be 6ft afterwards! how weird is that! I don't know of any 16yr old 6ft girls in North Yorkshire!!!
                            Jenny
                            18 years old
                            Sept '04 - Diagnosed with 40° thoracic/lumbar curve
                            Sept '07 - anterior spinal fusion T8-L2

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