Need Advice Please.

[Nae's Mom]

Can someone tell me what to expect next... My 14 yr. old daughter was having severe pain in right hip and shoulders last week so I took her to new doctor as ours was on vacation. She ordered Scoliosis Xrays. The xrays were taken frontal and lateral view of spine during standing with a marked catheter. We went back today and this was the findings;

There is dextroconvex scoliosis centered at appoximately the L1-2 level with rotary componet. Using the Cobb technique, the angle is approaching 30 degrees. There has been minimal compensatory lower thoracic spine levoconvex scoliosis as well of less than 5 degrees. Otherwise there is preserved vertebral body height and disk height. No spondylolistesis.

All the doctor said was she needs to see a specialist. (Boy, I hate that word!)

Will she need a brace, surgery or physical therapy? Will she be able to continue playing Volleyball and Basketball?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Joanne

[Snoopy]

Joanne,

Don't you just love medical terminology? First let me suggest that your daughter is seen by a pediatric othopedic specialist who specializes in Scoliosis. If you need help finding one, let us know what state you are in and we'll try to help you with that.

At 30*, your daughter could be in a grey area. When you take her to a specialist, they will give you a Risser number (Risser means the amount of growth she has left. Risser 0 means a lot of growth and 5 means done growing) and that will play a big part in the doctor's decision. Most doctors don't consider doing surgery until about 40-50*. Some doctors consider bracing at 25-30*. However, if your daughter is almost done growing, they may just watch her curve to see if it progresses. For most girls, they can continue to grow for up to 2 years after they start their period.

Your daughter should be able to continue playing volleyball and basketball even if she gets a brace. Kids are usually encouraged to remain active. If she should need surgery, she would probably be out of sports for up to one year.

I hope this help a little.

Mary Lou

[LeaEvelyn]

Hi Joanne,
Was just wondering if you ever got your daughter into a pediatric orthopaedic? And if so, how is she doing? Did the doctor recommend a brace for her? Just curious. Take Care
LeaEvelyn

[Nae's Mom]

Thanks for asking! She sees the specialist next Thursday (3-23). Will keep you posted.

[LeaEvelyn]

Great. I hope it turns out ok for her. Take Care.
LeaEvelyn