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  • Cheneau Light brace

    Hello everybody,
    My daughter was diognosed with scoliosis at age 10, and we went through physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, osteopatic treatment, watsu and Spinecor bracing in 3 years. But nothing seemed to be effective.
    After wearing Spinecor brace for 23 hours a day for a year, which was a torture for my daughter, her condition got worse, though a doctor in Studio City,CA promissed a miracle. Degree of her cirve doubled. I had no other choice but to travel to Europe to find an alternative to surgery that was recommended by 4 different orthopedic doctors here in the United States.
    We found Dr.Weiss in Germany, who developed his grandmother's Katarina Schroth alternative method of treatment, using physical and breathing exercises and bracing. He uses original Cheneau brace and his own Light version of Cheneau brace which is very easy to wear. We were lucky to find Grant Wood in San Mateo, CA who can adjust the brace when it needs to be adjusted, since children grow fast. I saw many children in Germany and Russia who improved their condition 50% after wearing the brace for 6 months. Yes, it takes years, but it works. And it is better than surgery.

  • #2
    Originally posted by SUSANNA FREDERI View Post
    ... I saw many children in Germany and Russia who improved their condition 50% after wearing the brace for 6 months. Yes, it takes years, but it works.
    I'm confused. Does it take 6 months, or years? I'd love to see the long term studies. Surely you have them if you claim such definitives ... ?

    Anything is preferable to surgery (on that we can agree), but from what I've seen, there is NO long term proof the Cheneau is any more effective than a Boston, Milwaukee, Spinecor, Providence, Charleston, et al.

    In fact ... more curiousity on my part ... if Schroth works so well, why do they supplement with a brace?

    Regards,
    Pam
    Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
    AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


    41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
    Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
    Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


    VIEW MY X-RAYS
    EMAIL ME

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by SUSANNA FREDERI View Post
      I saw many children in Germany and Russia who improved their condition 50% after wearing the brace for 6 months. Yes, it takes years, but it works. And it is better than surgery.
      I take it you saw their radiographs? You can't eyeball "50% improvement."

      How many sets of before/after radiographs did you see?
      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


      • #4
        Just started Rigo-Cheneau

        Hi, I don't post much but this thread just caught my eye. My daughter just started wearing a Rigo-Cheneau brace a month ago. We had a hard time deciding what path to take for her but after talking to the parents of several patients (braced in the U.S.) who are wearing the brace we decided to try it. Their children experienced a 50% or more reduction of their curves in about a 1 1/2 year period, some less, confirmed by out of brace x-rays. The reduction occurred gradually over the course of that time. Most continue to wear the brace at night, which after full-time brace wear, is not so bad. Not everyone has this success, but it seems like for many it is at least promising. I have not heard of such results associated with any other brace. Time will tell whether it works for our child.
        mamandcrm

        G diagnosed 6/08 at almost 7 with 25*
        Providence night brace, increased to 35*
        Rigo-Cheneau brace full-time 12/08-4/10
        14* at 10/09 OOB x-ray
        11* at 4/10 OOB x-ray
        Wearing R-C part-time since 4/10
        latest OOB xray 5/14 13*
        currently going on 13 yrs old

        I no longer participate in this forum though I will update signature from time to time with status

        Comment


        • #5
          Cheneau brace

          Hi-

          My daughter also wears the Rigo-Cheneau brace and does Schroth. We had tried many treatments beforehand, and while I am not sure if they had any benefit, this is the first treatment that she said "felt right." It is also the first treatment in which she is more aligned. According to scoliometer readings, after 4 months, she also has had a reduction in rotation. She gets a 50% correction in brace, but we have yet to get out of brace x-rays. She has been wearing the brace and doing Schroth for the last year.

          Best of luck to your daughter,

          brooke

          Comment


          • #6
            Therapy

            My daughter is too young for the the Schroth therapy--she would not be able to sustain the mental or physical discipline for it I'm told by her orthotist. When she's older we'll research it if the Rigo-Cheneau works or is working for her. Although I know it really tells me nothing I am amazed by how straight her spine looks when she takes her new brace off. We haven't had the in-brace xray yet so I don't know what kind of correction she's getting but, boy, it is night and day from my last look (at her last appointment) where it was like a snake. Just curious, is there a reason why has your daughter not yet had an out-of-brace x-ray if she's been in it for a year? We are relatively new to this, but I thought the general protocol was out of brace x-rays every 4-5 months. Thanks for your thoughts...

            Chris
            Last edited by mamandcrm; 01-11-2009, 08:28 AM.
            mamandcrm

            G diagnosed 6/08 at almost 7 with 25*
            Providence night brace, increased to 35*
            Rigo-Cheneau brace full-time 12/08-4/10
            14* at 10/09 OOB x-ray
            11* at 4/10 OOB x-ray
            Wearing R-C part-time since 4/10
            latest OOB xray 5/14 13*
            currently going on 13 yrs old

            I no longer participate in this forum though I will update signature from time to time with status

            Comment


            • #7
              Chris-

              I agree that Schroth could be difficult for a 10 year old. My daughter is 13, and I do not think she would have been disciplined enough to do Schroth at 10 years old. Although I wish I had been more aware of the Cheneau brace back then.

              Best to you-
              brooke

              Comment


              • #8
                My daughter (she is 7 years old) is also in the Rigo-Cheneau. Her curve was about 30+ in May/June of '07. We were told to "wait and see" if her Chiari decompression surgery would help her spine self-correct (she had fluid in her spinal cord down to her T-11). Within four months, it progressed to about 45 degrees, even though the fluid worked its way out. I felt vulnerable and useless just waiting and doing nothing, so I did some research and tried the Pettibone procedure. This was very effective for my friend's teenage daugther, so I figured it couldn't hurt. This chiropractor suggested the Spin-cor, which we tried. By the time we got the ball rolling on this, she was due for more x-rays. In April of '08, her curve was 56 degrees.

                The Spin-Cor was completely a waste of time. I understand from some of the testimonials I've read on here that it is successful in some instances. However, my daughter was only 6 years old and about 28-30 pounds. An ace bandage would've worked better for her! The Pettibone procedures also proved useless. The weight belts/headgear for the Pettibone were unrealistic for a >30lb. 6 year old. Not only that, but it was not a safe idea to weigh down her head onto her spine after having a Chiari decompression.

                Again, feeling that I was letting my daughter down, I continued to read and research. We got the Rigo-Cheneau brace in June of '08 from Luke Stikeleather (who is an incredible man who I believe is "called" to do this work). Within five weeks, her in-brace x-rays were 34 degrees! Yes, I know some of you skeptics are thinking, "yeah, but that is in-brace, what about out of brace?"

                We had out-of-brace x-rays, and in 6 months there is a 10 degree improvement. She still has a lot of room to grow, which will work to our advantage. If the 10 degree improvement is still not enough for the skeptics, at least think about the fact that her curve improved rather than getting worse (which is what happened with the other attempts).

                We also went to Wisconsin to learn about the Scroth method. They usually don't recommend it for patients under 10, but we begged and pleaded for them to take us. It was amazing to see how much her back straightened out with the exercises. I have some photos that I will try to post. Yet, I can see why they felt she was too young. It takes a lot of discipline and self-awareness about her own body/muscles etc. Now that she has accepted and is accustomed to the brace, we are going to start implementing the therapy little by little.

                I know that we all have unique situations. I just really think it is important to not only measure the curve, but to keep in mind the size and age of the patient. One must also take into consideration how much more the patient is expected to grow.

                I wish all of you the best with your situations. I am thankful for this site so that we can all share. I hope my two cents is helpful for at least one person.

                Bridget

                Comment


                • #9
                  Very promising!

                  Originally posted by BBROWN View Post
                  (snip)
                  Within five weeks, her in-brace x-rays were 34 degrees! Yes, I know some of you skeptics are thinking, "yeah, but that is in-brace, what about out of brace?"

                  We had out-of-brace x-rays, and in 6 months there is a 10 degree improvement. She still has a lot of room to grow, which will work to our advantage. If the 10 degree improvement is still not enough for the skeptics, at least think about the fact that her curve improved rather than getting worse (which is what happened with the other attempts).
                  There is no evidence that bracing doesn't work. It might work. The failure to show it works might be due entirely to poor study design to date.

                  I hope it works for your daughter.
                  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


                  • #10
                    My daughter also sees Luke (he is local to us). He is the sole reason she is not scheduled for VBS right now. I can't say that we won't still end up there, but his confidence, compassion, conviction regarding the brace, and his ability to back up what he says with "been there" patients who confirm it is persuasive. We are fortunate that we live near his practice.

                    Chris
                    mamandcrm

                    G diagnosed 6/08 at almost 7 with 25*
                    Providence night brace, increased to 35*
                    Rigo-Cheneau brace full-time 12/08-4/10
                    14* at 10/09 OOB x-ray
                    11* at 4/10 OOB x-ray
                    Wearing R-C part-time since 4/10
                    latest OOB xray 5/14 13*
                    currently going on 13 yrs old

                    I no longer participate in this forum though I will update signature from time to time with status

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Rigo Cheneau Orthotist in Midwest

                      Luke is one of few orthotists in the US trained in Rigo Cheneau bracing and is an excellent clinician. He works closely with many Schroth-certified physical therapists. Another Rigo Cheneau orthotist, Patrick Flanagan, lives in Illinois and provides services in Milwaukee at Spinal Dynamics in Wisconsin. More at: http://www.sdwpt.com/services/bracing-services.php

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        In-brace x-ray

                        My daughter just had her in-brace x-ray in the Rigo-Cheneau which Luke made for her and she started wearing a month ago. Her curve measures 3 degrees in brace, down from 36 degrees out of brace. Yes, I know, it's in-brace, but it's still awesome.
                        mamandcrm

                        G diagnosed 6/08 at almost 7 with 25*
                        Providence night brace, increased to 35*
                        Rigo-Cheneau brace full-time 12/08-4/10
                        14* at 10/09 OOB x-ray
                        11* at 4/10 OOB x-ray
                        Wearing R-C part-time since 4/10
                        latest OOB xray 5/14 13*
                        currently going on 13 yrs old

                        I no longer participate in this forum though I will update signature from time to time with status

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Mamandcrm

                          Excellent news.
                          from CT, USA
                          6 year old daughter diagnosed 7/06 33* T9

                          Spinecor 8/06 - 8/2012
                          8/06 11* 3/07 5*-8/07 8*-2/08 3*
                          10/08 1* 4/09 Still holding @ 1*
                          10/09 11* OOB 4/10 Negative 6*
                          10/2011 Neg.11* IB 11yrs old 0 rotation
                          4/2012 12* OOB 0 rotation
                          8/2012 18* OOB for 2 weeks. TSLO night time
                          2/2013 8* OOB 3 days TSLO nightime
                          3/2014 8* Out of Brace permanently

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Good news for Gillian

                            I wasn't sure where to update for my daughter but I figured here would be best as this is where I've posted before. She had her first out of brace x-ray since getting the Rigo-Cheneau. She started wearing the brace 4 1/2 months ago and her curve at that time measured 35 degrees. She was out of brace for 46 hours prior to this current x-ray. Her curve now measures 28 degrees. We're pretty happy about that, margin of error and all.
                            Last edited by mamandcrm; 06-08-2009, 03:24 PM.
                            mamandcrm

                            G diagnosed 6/08 at almost 7 with 25*
                            Providence night brace, increased to 35*
                            Rigo-Cheneau brace full-time 12/08-4/10
                            14* at 10/09 OOB x-ray
                            11* at 4/10 OOB x-ray
                            Wearing R-C part-time since 4/10
                            latest OOB xray 5/14 13*
                            currently going on 13 yrs old

                            I no longer participate in this forum though I will update signature from time to time with status

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              --diagnosed in 6/08, 25 degrees, Providence brace
                              --36 degrees in 12/08, Rigo-Cheneau full-time
                              --5/09 out of brace x-ray, 28 degrees
                              Thanks for the update.
                              I have a question if you feel like sharing: I've been trying to understand the whole inbrace/out of brace xray thing. I understand the basics (I think). Looking at your signature info, did the 36 degree reading in 12/08 occur out of brace? Was this an indication that the Providence (night time ) brace wasnt as effective as you hoped and you then decided to switch to Cheneau?
                              I wonder if you recall the inbrace correction of the Providence. I would have guessed that they shot for close to 100% correction. If that is the case, it must have been a shock to go from close to 0 inbrace to the 36 last December. (assuming I am interpreting these numbers correctly).

                              ( suppose I should probably put a signature file with my daughters info too. These are helpful to follow along. )

                              Comment

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