Need some suggestions

[lawman1077]

My daughter Rachel just turned 10 and for her birthday was fitted with the Boston Brace. She hates it! Screams and cries the whole time. I want to do the right thing for her, but also hate to see her in such discomfort. Her Dr. does not like the soft bracing, he also told us the Boston brace has only about a 40% chance of helping. I am looking for any kind of help and direction.

Dan (father to Rachel, 38 degrees in her lower back)

[cherylplinder]

I put my 10 year old in the Spinecor in January of 2006. It has corrected her from 38T/27L to 22T/20L. We love it. She had a 100% chance of progression with traditional bracing. The Spinecor was a long shot, but worth it. Best of luck. I would be happy to talk with you. Just let me know.
My daughter is named Rachel, too. She hated the Boston brace, too. She only wore it the month before they got her in for x-rays to see how much it corrected her. She had no correction in that brace.

[christine2]

Hi Dan

My daughter is in spinecor (only 6 soon to be 7yrs.) We have not had experience with ridgid braces so I can only imagine the discomfort. The spinecor is very easy to wear and the results it is getting is great. The key to any brace is compliance and Spinecor makes that a little easier.

This was my plan:
1. go to Montreal just to see what the docs had to say (they are very honest)
2. See what the initial correction was. From what I understand, if braced properly, then what you get initiallly is close to what you get long term (I think, don't quote me on that)

3. If I had any doubts then I would seek out a different route.

Remember there is no right or wrong here, the decisions are hard to make but in the end it is your decision.

Christine

[mariaf]

Dan,

Have you researched vertebral stapling? You can search on the internet and on this forum as well.

Your daughter (at age 10, with 38 degree lumbar curve) sounds like an ideal candidate for it. The success rates are much higher than with traditional bracing. I believe that Dr. Betz (one of the best orthos in the country who came up with the stapling procedure) estimates the success rate to be about 80 percent for thoracic curves, and 85 percent for lumbar curves.

As you can see by my signature, my son had this procedure over three years ago when he was five and is doing very well, as are many others.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you want additional information.

Good luck,

[amandap]

Hi Dan,

I realize its hard to see your child in such discomfort I've been there; but you are doing the right thing.

Maria has already mentioned this but vertebral stapling is an alternative to bracing. Essentially the staples work as an internal brace; that not only help to maintain the curve but also offer the possibility of some correction.

My daughter Lorena is 6 yrs old and she had this done in June of last yr by Dr. D'Andrea @ Shriners Philadelphia. We could not be happier with our decision to have this procedure done our only regret is that we did not do it sooner. Lorena wore a Milwaukee brace 24/7 for 6 months and it was the worst 6 months of her life ~ she too hated the brace.

Shriners Philadelphia is a wonderful place with the most AWESOME cutting edge doctors. Here is a link to their website http://www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/Philadelphia/

Please feel free to ask whatever questions you may have or feel free to email me.

Good Luck

Amanda

[lawman1077]

Thank you to everyone who responded. I have been researching the vertebral stapling and will consult with her Dr.

Dan

[Celia]

Hi,

If you're researching vertebral stapling, here are two articles which may help in your decision:

http://www.scoliosis-support.org/uploads/stapling1.pdf

http://www.scoliosis-support.org/uploads/stapling2.pdf


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