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A few adults have had vertebral body tethering (VBT)

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  • #31
    Thanks for reporting back.

    Did they say why it took so long?

    I am speculating they are taking/doing the growing kids first because there is more of a time window there.

    I would also like to know the total number of adults that this group has tethered given your experience.
    Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

    No island of sanity.

    Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
    Answer: Medicine


    "We are all African."

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    • #32
      Originally posted by Pooka1 View Post
      Thanks for reporting back.

      Did they say why it took so long?

      I am speculating they are taking/doing the growing kids first because there is more of a time window there.

      I would also like to know the total number of adults that this group has tethered given your experience.
      They did not and I didn't ask. Maybe the online system takes longer to process than calling in, though when I tried calling in I got the machine every time.

      On your last question, I personally have no idea. I found out about this through this forum in the first place. If I end up going I'll definitely ask them however.

      Comment


      • #33
        I think it would help if instead of finding out how many adults, we used the term 'people skeletally mature' and then further classify with say for example, aged over 20 or 30 etc.

        Someone with an 18th birthday today would be classed as an adult and I think this just skews the figures

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        • #34
          Originally posted by burdle View Post
          I think it would help if instead of finding out how many adults, we used the term 'people skeletally mature' and then further classify with say for example, aged over 20 or 30 etc.

          Someone with an 18th birthday today would be classed as an adult and I think this just skews the figures
          Good point. Maybe 3sisters can venture a guess as to how many skeletally mature people have been tethered. Given the experience of a forum member, I have to wonder if they are prioritizing kids at that facility. I think they should prioritize kids so no complaints from me.

          Also, how many other surgeons besides Betz et al. are tethering adults? Is it only that group?
          Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

          No island of sanity.

          Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
          Answer: Medicine


          "We are all African."

          Comment


          • #35
            My understanding is that it can only be done on a flexible progressive curve. This is why I keep saying that I don't think it is an option for skeletally mature adults over say about 25. People like Flerc keep telling me it is and I would be interested for me. I can see the xrays of a 50 year old female on the website but no details of how representative she is of the numbers asking for the technique.

            Scolismart keep pushing it claiming that their chiro therapy is a necessary pre- treatment to keep the spine as flexible as possible. And then they show pictures of Dr Betz who performs the VBT.

            Proponents of the technique keep saying that it is suitable for adults but I cannot find anyone who has had it done who falls into my category.

            The Facebook group is for parents with children who have VBT?

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            • #36
              I started a new thread asking for specifics.

              If there is only one group who doesn't take insurance and who might be prioritizing children, I don't think there can be many skeletally mature people who have been tethered to date but who knows.
              Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

              No island of sanity.

              Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
              Answer: Medicine


              "We are all African."

              Comment


              • #37
                This interview with Dr. Betz is from March 2015.

                https://posna.org/Blogs/The-Resident...th-Randal-Betz

                He talks about tethered people a bit older and a more skeletally mature than previously but he is not talking about tethering adults as far as I can tell.

                A requirement seems to be able to bend the curve out to <30*. If an adult can do that then maybe they would be considered. My kids don't have structural lumbar curves but if they ever decompensate below their fusion, I am hoping they retain the ability to bend out their lumbars well below 30*.

                I don't know who tethered that 50 year old woman but I am guessing it wasn't Dr. Betz.

                I am keeping an eye on this tethering for my one daughter who had a false double and was fused leaving some curve. The other daughter is pretty straight because she had a different kind of thoracic curve that could be hyper-corrected which drove the lumbar very straight.
                Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                No island of sanity.

                Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                Answer: Medicine


                "We are all African."

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by 3sisters View Post
                  Linda, not to discourage those who had recent fusion, but many teens and young adults have been tethered. They do not post here; many are happily found on the link MariaF shared, though.
                  How many of the young adults who were tethered were skeletally mature?

                  Is there only one known case of tethering a skeletally mature person?
                  Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                  No island of sanity.

                  Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                  Answer: Medicine


                  "We are all African."

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
                    It was?

                    --Linda
                    Yes, I can confirm Pooka's claim that VBS posts were discouraged here. It became exhausting trying to explain the same things over and over again - responding to claims that surgeons were experimenting on children, etc. (Bad flashback - LOL)
                    mariaf305@yahoo.com
                    Mom to David, age 17, braced June 2000 to March 2004
                    Vertebral Body Stapling 3/10/04 for 40 degree curve (currently mid 20's)

                    https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScoliosisTethering/

                    http://pediatricspinefoundation.org/

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