hiya, im new here =)

[rsoccer212]

hiya ppls, im rob from jersey! so i see you peoples are a close community, so maybe i can join in. well, i have scoliosis, the one with 2 curves. the top is going to my left hand, other to the right. they are both about 50 degrees, the doc says. he also said i am probably going to get surgery, and my mom is really scared. but my mom's friend's son had scoliosis(dont know degrees) and he fixed it by hanging on a pull up bar. so my mom is telling me to hang and what not. im not sure if its helping. is there any way to get rid of this scoliosis without surgery? also if i was to get sugery, would i be able to bend by back and stuff? i am really worried about this. i help you all can help. thanks! ^_^

[chic xx chic]

hi rob!

i have scoliosis with 2 curves both 40 degrees. i have a brace too.

were you given the option for a brace?

and i read around and u can still bend......... i think so at least.

i never experinced it though. x]

[rsoccer212]

nah the doc told me that i cant have a brace, because its 2 curves. but you saying that you have 2 curves and a brace makes me think that my doc is lying...

[chic xx chic]

i do have 2 curves and a brace. 40 over 40.

i bet he is.. because i have one ?

weird stuff. :rolleyes:

[Spencer's Dad]

I think it is more likely your doc just doesn't know that two curves can be braced. It may feel natural to think that ppl that tell you someting you dont like are lying to you, but my experience has been they are telling you what they believe is the truth, only they dont know as much as there is to know.

If it were me, or my son, and I heard about bracing two curves but my doc said it couldnt be done, then I would go back and tell the doc what I knew. If I still did not like his answer, I would get a second opinion from another doc.

[The Slice]

Rsoccer 212, hanging from a bar will NOT straighten your curve (at least not pernanently). It will be straighter while you are hanging (kind of like pulling on a spring) but will go back to where it was when you stand up again. Your age, and stage of growth will have alot to do with what can be done. If the doctor says that a brace will not work on two curves, it is likely that he is mistaken, unless the curves are very high up (not common). Ususally high curves occur when it is the third curve. It makes me wonder whether you saw your regular doctor, or an orthopedic specialist who knows scoliosis. It also may be a case of misunderstanding - that is to say that what the doctor may actually have been saying is that you may be at the end of your adolescent growth spurt, so that the use of a brace to slow, or stop the curve is pointless. At the same time, at 50 degrees, your curves are advanced enough that bracing is pretty much pointless as you will need surgery anyway. (This is the most likely explaination.)

[rsoccer212]

well, i saw my pediatrician and he sent me to a orthopedic surgeon. but the surgeon said i dont need surgery(he looked without x-rays) and he was an adult surgeon and sent me to a pediatric orthopedic doctor. and he took xrays and and said that i was still not done growing (btw im 14 and about 6'1", really tall). he also said it was caused by my growth spurt, and that the 2 curves countered each other. my spine is still flexible so earlier surgery the better, my pediatric ortho said. oh and he said that the surgery was going to involve metal bars and screws.

i really dont want to get surgery, i was always scared of going under the knife. is there any other way of straitening my back? :(

[chic xx chic]

physical threapy ?!

[Scoliosis_Gal]

hi rob
Just like heather, i have 2 curves (35 over 40) and i have a brace. If yr only 14 and yr still growing that makes you the perfect candidate 4 a brace. I got mine @ 13 and after 2 yrs i should be done growing (15 yrs & 5'8'') and i dont have to wear it much longer. I think you should do some research...ask some people like me & heather who r in the same position some questions and then go tell yr doctor what you know. If he still doesn't think he can put you in a brace, try seeing a diff doctor. I know a couple of good doctors...but i dont think you really want to fly to california to see a doctor...that would be kinda stupid. and expensive. :eek:
Anyway, i think the best thing for you to do is research the surgery, its good to know just in case. I might have to have surgery (my mom is going to drag me there, i swear) and I have done a lot of research. I know someone that had the surgery, and the only thing she cant do is lift her legs back far and turn all the way around. Other than that you dont have many limitations. From what i know, at least.
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly :p

[Sherie]

Hey Rob,
My daughter is also 14 with an s-curve,upper about 35, lower is around 50. I agree with slice, probably the reason they won't brace is because of the degree of your curves. Generally over 40, they say bracing is not very effective, but you should find out for sure if that is the reason.

We have tried numerous therapies, only to be disappointed. Most recently the Clear institute, which does not seem to be helping, I think it's more effective on thoracic curves and smaller curves and it's a huge commitment to undertake. I started out with a lot of hope of turning things around, but after a year of trying Spinecor, Clear Institute and Pneumex, we have only been disappointed. Spinecor is a good option for smaller curves but we didn't get any correction in her lumbar curve (the inventor of it told me herself that a 40ish lumbar curve is very rigid). She was in a hard brace for several months but didn't tolerate it well (I think her curves were progressing and made it painful for her to wear). If I were to recommend to you anything at all, it would be bracing but if you would like to know about the other therapies we've tried, please send me a PM.

[rsoccer212]

thanks to everyone, i already feel smarter :p

therapy, hrmm, ill look into that some more...

the conversation with the pediatric otrho is coming back to me.... he said somthing around "they dont make 2 curve braces" and "over 40 degrees we recommend surgery." i dont understand about that they dont make 2 curve braces, seeing that you, heather and molly, have 2 curve and braces. but you both have smaller curves.

but the main thing is that i gathered from this thread is that i need surgery, cause bracing is pointless :(

the thing that scares me the most is that we dont have insurance, so he surgery comes out to around 100,000$(when i overheard my dad's conversation). but there is some light. my parents are polish, and we travel to poland about once a year. and surgery there is a lot cheaper, so my parents think that going to poland and doing the surgery there is the way to go.

[Sherie]

Check out Shriner's, they'll do the surgery free regardless of income. We are considering them even though we have good insurance because they do alot of these types of surgery and only care for children under the age of 18. You should be able to find one near you, but a lot of folks go to
Shriner's in Philly, they seem to have a very good reputation.

[Scoliosis_Gal]

rob,
i totally understand not wanting to go under the knife and all, but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do. If yr parents are serious about taking you to Poland to get the surgery done, make sure you do a lot of research so that you know what to expect, and maybe take a trip out there and meet with some doctors that would do the surgery. I've never been to Poland, but not every country has hospitals as nice as we do here in the US so you might want to just check. You wouldnt want to have a higher risk just to avoid the money issue. Personally, I agree with Sherie, because from what she says they have had a lot of exprerience, and its WAY closer to home than Poland is.
You can search the threads here for more infromation about non surgical approaches, there are plenty. All of the people here are really nice so dont be afraid to ask lots of questions!!
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly:p

[chic xx chic]

hofefully you wont have to get the surgery.. but 50 degrees ?! =//

i wish you luck

[rsoccer212]

thanks for the info about that hospital. ill look into it some more, call them maybe.

what you said about the risks over the costs really got to me. i might even call the doc in Poland and talk to him about what they will do. but my parents called them before and they said that the procedure is the same, but the recovery time is longer :confused: but really they said that in usa they let you heal at home, rather than in the hospital in poland. i was reading a thread about someone scared about the pain of the surgery, the replays there were talking about lots of meds and pain killers. i need to see if we can get some meds there (pharmacists are more lenient there).

im settling to the fact that i will need surgery ='( so i have one more question. will i be able to bend my back? i was worried about this since the doc said this, only he didnt answyer my question fully.

thanks for all your support! makes me feel so much better ^_^

[rachael]

I second looking into a shriner's hospital, I'm not sure which one is closest to you, but I bet somebody on here could help you. I had mine done years ago at the Scottish Rite in Dallas for free, we would of never afforded it otherwise, and now I am a big supporter of them.
Anyway, not everyone goes through intense pain when they have surgery, so don't be too scared of it. I thought getting my wisdom teeth out was more painful (of course, I had a really bad experience with that), just the recovery takes a lot of time and I am just slightly limited in some mobility, but hardly noticeable.

[gardenjen]

Hi rsoccer 212! I took my daughter to Philadelphia a few years ago to see Dr. Betz. Her curves were 47/45. He does motion films to see if your curves are still flexible. If your bottom curve corrects itself with motion films, you might be a candidate for thoracoscopic surgery where the incision(s) are small slits between your ribs and he only has to fuse the top curve. If that's the case, the bottom curve straightens by itself when the top one is made straight (and you are left with more flexibility in your lower spine). She was a candidate and scheduled the surgery but decided to cancel it and try to maintain her curves the way they are with exercises called Schroth exercises. You can read about minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery on the spineuniverse.com website (and just in case you're curious, about Schroth exercises at scoliosisrehab.com). It's true that Shriner's services are free if your insurance doesn't pay and you get expert care there. Dr. Betz was the President of the Scoliosis Research Society a couple of years ago. Good luck!

[aprilshowers]

As far as being able to bend, my orthopedic surgeon said that you cannot bend your back where the rods. For me, if I were to get surgery, which I don't think I will, there would be about 6 inches of my spine I could not move, but the rest would still be movable. He did say flexibility is decreased.