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  • #16
    Originally posted by mariaf View Post
    Here is the name and info. of the orthotist. He is in Spring Valley, NY which is about 45 minutes from New York City in Rockland County.
    Thanks Maria, That's a bit of a drive for us. But I'll keep that name in mind should we not like the fellow around here.

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    • #17
      Hey I am not sure but I think the difference is that the Providence aims to straighten but not over-straighten (counter-bend) the spine whereas the Charleston aims to over-correct (counter-bend) as much as possible.

      Now in practice, I don't think they really ever over-correct but do come near to straight like with my daughter at first.

      I don't "get" how the Charleston can possibly work with an S-curve (because it has only one bend) but what the hell do I know??
      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


      • #18
        Actually, my daughter has been in a Charleston Bending Brace for fourteen months now. She had a greater than 100% correction in brace on her major curve, the in-brace Cobb angle was measured at -4 degrees (negative four degrees). Her compensatory lower curve was able to achieve a 50% in-brace correction. She has had great success with this brace even though the doctor said she was likely to progress to surgery. I am curious where you come up with the conclusion that the Charleston brace doesn't typically over-correct the curve, as that is the whole point of the brace as I understand it.

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        • #19
          Well two things...

          First, -4* is not distinguishable from straight (0*) considering the precision (+/- 5*).

          Second, there is some limit on how much they are going to bend these kids. I assume they bent my daughter the maximum (why wouldn't they?) and she was about straight in brace. If it was possible and advantageous to bend them much farther then I wonder why they didn't do that with my daughter?

          So I guess I don't know that most other kids are not extremely overcorrected but then I have a few questions for my surgeon.

          I was not able to be at the initial brace appointment but was told the surgeon was very pleased after seeing her correct to near straight in brace... so pleased he revised his guess about her needing surgery from 80% likely (based mainly on her ID twin's case) to 60% unlikely.

          ETA:
          I would think that if she should have been over-corrected more, he would not have been so pleased nor have revised his surgery prediction estimate so high. But again, I don't *know* any of that as such.

          If I ever intended to see the orthotist again I would ask. I don't intend to see him again. I will be buttonholing the surgeon ion this point if I remember.
          Last edited by Pooka1; 04-22-2009, 04:51 PM.
          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


          • #20
            Providence Brace

            Concerned Dad

            I'm not an expert but to me it looks like the Providence brace is the one to go with. It works for pretty much every type of curve except a high thoracic curve. If anybody knows better and I'm wrong please correct me on that.

            Take a look at how they build one of these.

            Scroll to page 16 for a great photo. The back is pushed until the curve is 0 degrees or as close as they can get to 0. The brace is molded off of those measurements.

            The bigger the curve the more the brace is forced to push.

            All braces are uncomfortable but it seems to me that a brace designed to correct a 15 degree curve will be two or three times as comfortable as a brace designed to correct a 25 degree curve. That doesn't even count the fact that bracing is less effective in larger curves. Why doctors wait to brace, I dunno. If it's going to work at all it's right at the beginning.

            (still crossing my fingers that my son won't need a brace for as long as possible)
            Last edited by Dingo; 04-22-2009, 05:29 PM.

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            • #21
              Pooka1,

              Actually, the negative curve is quite noticeable in the x-ray. It certainly is easily distinguishable.

              I've attached a web address of an othotist's manual which shows what the orthotist is aiming for when fitting the Charleston Bending Brace. Starting on page 12, it shows the different curve types and the "Correct Positioning" pictures to show the way they want the spine to look in this brace. Obviously, there will be variance due to spinal flexibility and skill of the orthotist, but it is the point of the Charleston Bending Brace to overcorrect the spine. I just thought you had actual info to back up your statement and was curious what that was.

              http://www.srs.org/professionals/bra...s/section7.pdf

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              • #22
                My daughter has a T curve and the manual says to correct those 100% (not to over correct them). So I guess the orthotist fit the brace correctly to my daughter when he achieved a near straight spine.

                If I understand the figures, most curves are not over-corrected but few are.
                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


                • #23
                  What is a T curve?

                  Pooka1

                  What is a T curve?

                  My son has an S curve, sometimes called a double curve.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by Ballet Mom View Post
                    Pooka1,

                    Actually, the negative curve is quite noticeable in the x-ray. It certainly is easily distinguishable.
                    By the way, you have a better eye than I do. When I first saw my daughter's fused radiograph, it looked straight to my eye. But the surgeon said it was 5*.

                    Clearly, I would not be able to eyeball a 4* as different from straight but I haven't looked at a million of these radiographs.
                    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


                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Dingo View Post
                      Pooka1

                      What is a T curve?

                      My son has an S curve, sometimes called a double curve.
                      Thoracic

                      Also Tyranosaur, anther fossil of which was found recently in China that fills in the gap between the smaller earlier species and the later larger species, all of whom lived and died before the Big Bang.
                      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

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