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    Hi Everyone,
    After a child/adult has surgery and the correction and is now inches taller, how does the skin and muscles react? Is there ever a problem? Is there anything that can be done pre-op to the skin or muscles to prepare them?
    Thanks,
    Sue
    Amanda's surgery Aug. 3, 2006

  • #2
    Hi Sue,

    Most young people who have scoliosis surgery don't "grow" so much that their skin is a problem. Your skin is very elastic and can stretch, even with the leanest of people. Unless you will gain multiple inches (many) the skin shouldn't be a problem.

    The muscles on the weak side of the spine will obviously be stretched beyond their familiar limits. Exercises to stretch that weak side is helpful. Even things as simple as hanging (on a pull-up bar or something so your body hangs with its weight) can stretch that weaker/shorter side so the muscles aren't as traumatized after correction surgery. Other exercises include simply raising both arms above your head and bending as far as you can to the opposite side of the weak side of the back and holding for several seconds. Lay on the floor on your back and cross the leg that is opposite the weak side of the spine over the other leg and stretch as far as you can with the leg while keeping your back/shoulders touching the floor. You can think of lots of stretching exercises. There are also good exercises in general for scoliosis patients at http://www.iscoliosis.com

    How old is Amanda? Do you know what surgery she will be having? Keep us posted.
    Carmell
    mom to Kara, idiopathic scoliosis, Blake 19, GERD and Braydon 14, VACTERL, GERD, DGE, VEPTR #137, thoracic insufficiency, rib anomalies, congenital scoliosis, missing coccyx, fatty filum/TC, anal stenosis, horseshoe kidney, dbl ureter in left kidney, ureterocele, kidney reflux, neurogenic bladder, bilateral hip dysplasia, right leg/foot dyplasia, tibial torsion, clubfoot with 8 toes, pes cavus, single umblilical artery, etc. http://carmellb-ivil.tripod.com/myfamily/

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    • #3
      Carmell,
      Amanda is 13 yrs old. We have a pre-op appt. with the surgeon, Dr. Leake in July. I will find all the details then. Her spine curves all the way down, with the severe area in the lower back. I asked if he could just correct the lower back and he said no because Amanda would "flop over". He will do spinal fusion surgery on the whole spine. I understand that some people have surgery in front (anterior) and back (posterior). Amanda has a G-tube (a devise that allows us to feed her directly into her stomach and she also has a ostomy in front, so I do not know how the surgeon is going to do the surgery. I have a lot of questions for him at the pre-op appt.

      Thank you for the exercises for Amanda. I will start doing them for her. She is unable to do anything on her own.

      Sue

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