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  • Scared mom.

    I just put in my question in the wrong area of this forum. Sorry. I am new to all this. My daughter has scoliosis and recently it has significantly worsened since she is maturing. She is 12 yrs old with a 42 and 61 degree curvature. The doctor she saw at University of Michigan suggested she needs a spinal fusion with 3 vertebrae left unfused at the bottom. We are so worried about having this done. Has anyone had any ongoing chiropractic adjustments and seen any improvement? She used to go and we saw some improvement but she was not that bad at that time. The doctors said we could wait 6 months and come back for updated x-rays to see any progression. But we are concerned with waiting because she is right in a growth spurt and are afraid that it will worsen alot and not have as favorable outcome with surgery. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  • #2
    Hi,

    Chiropractic adjustments will not premanently correct scoliosis. I don't know that I would want to wait another 6 months for an appt. if the curves are measuring 42 & 61 and your child is in a growth spurt, however, that is a personal decision. Did the dr. give you a Risser measurement? This would indicate the maturity of the skeletal frame and gives the dr. an estimate on how much growing the child has left. If your dr. is not a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, you may want to seek the opinion of one.

    Best wishes to you, these are hard decisions to make. Feel free to ask any questions you may have - you have found a good support group!

    Renee

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    • #3
      Hi,

      My daughter's curves in February of 2005 were 42/35. By summer they were 60/55. When she had surgery in November they were well into the 70's. She was 13. We wish now that we hadn't waited. Every scoliosis patient is different and your daughter may be one of the lucky ones whose curves do not progress rapidly. Is she in a brace? I agree with finding out about the risser sign. 0 means lots of growth left. 4-5 means basically done growing. I would also agree on finding the most experienced pediatric ortho with a specialty in scoliosis in your area.

      My best to you. It is an individual decision. There are several good books that give that stats on curve progression along with other criteria when considering surgery. One is by Dave Wolpert and I got one from the library but can't remember the author. It was written by a well respected Dr. in New York. I think they are listed on NSF website in the store.

      Cheryl M
      NCM

      Comment


      • #4
        Thank you very much for the replies. I appreciate the book referrals. I will definitely look into those. As for the risser stage, I called the dr office back and they said it was "0". Which explains why she told us that our daughter had alot of growing yet to do. She has worsened dramatically just in the last six months alone, and that is why I am worried. But the doctor did not seem to think it would make much difference to wait that long for a decision.
        As far as why you were sorry about waiting, can you tell me why exactly. Did it not get corrected as good as it should of been had you gone in earlier?
        Thanks

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by bwenzlick
          As far as why you were sorry about waiting, can you tell me why exactly. Did it not get corrected as good as it should of been had you gone in earlier?
          Thanks
          That's it exactly. The correction you get is estimated as a proportion of the curve -- usually a 50% correction is considered quite good. So the higher the curve at the time of the surgery, the more curve the child ends up living with.

          No question surgery is very difficult on everyone, but if it's any comfort, this is a very well-understood procedure, performed successfully on dozens of kids that I've heard about since our own daughter was diagnosed in 2003. In fact, in all of the operations I've followed on the forums, nobody has ever died or been paralysed, which are the big fears of most parents. A very few children have had an infection in the wound. One girl on spinekids had some pain from the rods so they had to go in and trim them about six months post-op. Most kids, however, plod through their recovery and then get back to normal life. If your surgeon is experienced with adolescent scoli fusions, you're likely to have a successful outcome.

          Cheers - Patricia
          Patricia
          Scoli Mum from New Zealand
          Daughter Caitlin's surgery 2nd May 2005
          Posterior fusion T3 - L1

          Comment


          • #6
            Scared mom,

            My situation is much like yours, my daughter is 12 with a risser 0 she is only 4'6 inches and weighs a whopping 63 lbs. In July her curve measured 41 degrees and last month it went to 56 degrees. My doc recommended inserting growing rods which correct the curve and hold it in place but still allow for growth. She had the surgery 4 days ago and we returned home today. It was a 3 hour surgery and my daughters curve post op according to xray is now at 6 degrees, she has a beautiful straight spine, flat stomach and shoulder blades which are perfectly even. Am I glad I didnt wait? absolutely. I Was so scared and unfortunately we will have another surgery in the next two years but had I waited any longer I dont know what would have happened as her curve was becoming quite aggresive. She will be home now for 4 weeks and then will return to school. Its a tough road but one I feel will be well worth it. Best of luck in whatever decision you make.

            Linda

            Comment


            • #7
              Hi,

              If the Risser measurement is still 0 and you see that she is in the middle of a growth spurt, I would definitely keep a close eye on her and insist on an appt. (or seek another opinion of a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in scoliosis) if you notice a visible change over the next few months. My son had a similar experience to Cheryl M's daughter in that his curves progressed very rapidly and aggessively over a period of a few months this past year. I kind of wish we had his surgery sooner so the correction of the rotation would have been better but I was so sick with worry & I tried to balance my research of surgery and recovery with minimizing his time out of school and such, so many factors to consider but ultimately the most important is what dr., procedure, ect. will be most successful for your child. I wish you and your family the best, please keep us posted on your "journey".

              Renee
              Last edited by flowerpower; 02-22-2006, 11:07 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Thank you again for all the responses to my concerns. She has seen Dr Michelle Caird, MD who is an orthopedic surgery specialist at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. She received her fellowship in 2004 at the The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and would be performing surgery at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. I am trying to find out as much as I possibly can to make sure my daughter gets the best care possible.

                Has anyone heard of her or familiar with any of the hospitals?

                Thanks again so very much....
                Barb

                Comment


                • #9
                  Growing Rods?

                  Thank you Linda,

                  Could you tell me if there is a difference in the growing rods you were talking about compared to a regular fusion? Does this mean she will not grow anymore (atleast in the upper body) except for the initial inch(s) gained from straigtening after surgery? Also, I don't know if this surgery or a lack of upper body growth if any will effect child bearing later in life. If anyone knows about that, please let me know.

                  Thank you very much
                  Barb

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Linda,
                    Are the growing rods only done in some places in the country? Are there only a few Dr.'s that do this? It seem to be a conservative way to preserve growth for a young child. I have heard other's mention them. My daughter is a risser 0 and 10 years old with a 38 degree curve that has increased by 19 degrees this year. I am concerned that I may soon face the same senario.
                    Thank you for the information. Currently my daughter is in the Spinecor brace. We acheived no correction in a Boston, but won't have our first Spinecor checkup until April. Hopefully this will work, but I am looking ahead to my options if it doesn't.
                    Thanks!
                    Cheryl
                    Last edited by cherylplinder; 02-21-2006, 10:36 PM.
                    God has used scoliosis to strengthen and mold us. He's good all the time!On this forum these larger curves have not held forever in Spinecor,with an initial positive response followed by deterioration. With deterioration, change treatment.The first year she gained 4 or 5 inches and was stable at around 20/20 in brace, followed by rapid progression the next year.She is now 51/40 (Jan2008)out of brace (40/30 in Spinecor) and started at 38/27 out of brace(Jan2006.) Now in Cheneau.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      heyyy

                      well welcome to the site

                      before you consider surgery (which will probably be need ed in the future) i would strongly think about bracing. i dont know if youve some of the other threads, but SpineCor brace is the brace im in. There has been a lot of discussion on it. It not only stops the curve, but decreases it as well. Its amazingggggg. i would check it out.
                      Diagnosed @ age 14 (now 15)

                      i HAVE A LOVELY SPINECOR BRACE

                      CUrVES* 14&&17 as of 4.22.06 (out of brace)

                      ATLANTA, GEORGiA

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Barb,

                        My doctor said her growth will continue as normal. When we feel she has reached or is nearing her growing potential then we will put the permanent rods in. He did fuse a small area in her back but I dont have all the numbers on that yet. Follow up visit will be on March 20th and I will have him write down where he fused I know he told me but in the whirlwind of the hospital I do not remember. I was told childbearing will not be affected in any way, but Im guessing epidurals may be out. Its a tough journey with so many questions isnt it?

                        hugs,
                        Linda

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          "epidurals out"??

                          Im guessing epidurals may be out.
                          Incorrect "guess'.


                          Your child can have a perfectly normal reproductive life--including an epidural-administered below the fusion.

                          Other women on the Forum have shared that experience.
                          k
                          Last edited by Karen Ocker; 03-07-2006, 05:14 PM.
                          Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
                          Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

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                          • #14
                            Karen,
                            Thanks for that info. For some reason I thought it would not be possible. That is very good to know.
                            Linda

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              epidurals

                              I have had 2 scoliosis surgeries about 14 or 15 years ago. I am 32 years old and I have 4 children. The first 2 were twins and I was given a spinal. The 3rd I had an epidural. It helped, but only worked on one side of my body. The last, I was refused an epidural because of the scoliosis and the anesthesiologist was afraid to give it to me. So, I guess it depends on the doctors around you.

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