Hi Everyone! I have been getting lots of information from this forum.. So, now I have some questions for you all.
First a little background: My 15 1/2 yo son was diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic in July by our chiropractor. He had grown about 9 inches in 2 years! Because we prefer alternative treatments when possible, we did physical therapy for 4 months with no noticable result. Last week we took him to Shriner's Hospital in Spokane, WA to see Dr. Ferguson. My son, Graham, has 3 curves - Upper Thoracic T1-T7 45*, Lower Thoracic T7-T12 64*, Lumbar T12-L4 45*. They are recommending spine fusion surgery to be done sometime within the next year. They also did a bone-growth analysis and anticipate that he will grow more ( he is 5'10").
So, I guess I will start with the most obvious questions:
1. Is this recommendation what most of you have heard from other doctors for this degree of curve? They told us that anything over 55* will only progress and that bracing won't help.
2. Has anyone had any success with alternatives to surgery at this level?
3. How do you decide to have the surgery? My son is extremely healthy and active. He has had no symptoms at all, no pain, etc. We only noticed the curve because he was riding his bike in front of my dh and leaning over the handlebars. He is a junior black belt in Karate, training for his Sr. black belt in May. How do you decide to take a seemingly healthy, strong person and debilitate them for 1-2 years hoping to make the rest of their life better? Maybe that sounds a little extreme. It just seems that if he were sick or in pain it would be a much easier decision. I know that other parents will understand this questions.
So, that is enough to start with. You all seem to be a very supportive group and I am hoping to gain some knowledge and some peace from your responses.
Thanks so much!
Katy
First a little background: My 15 1/2 yo son was diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic in July by our chiropractor. He had grown about 9 inches in 2 years! Because we prefer alternative treatments when possible, we did physical therapy for 4 months with no noticable result. Last week we took him to Shriner's Hospital in Spokane, WA to see Dr. Ferguson. My son, Graham, has 3 curves - Upper Thoracic T1-T7 45*, Lower Thoracic T7-T12 64*, Lumbar T12-L4 45*. They are recommending spine fusion surgery to be done sometime within the next year. They also did a bone-growth analysis and anticipate that he will grow more ( he is 5'10").
So, I guess I will start with the most obvious questions:
1. Is this recommendation what most of you have heard from other doctors for this degree of curve? They told us that anything over 55* will only progress and that bracing won't help.
2. Has anyone had any success with alternatives to surgery at this level?
3. How do you decide to have the surgery? My son is extremely healthy and active. He has had no symptoms at all, no pain, etc. We only noticed the curve because he was riding his bike in front of my dh and leaning over the handlebars. He is a junior black belt in Karate, training for his Sr. black belt in May. How do you decide to take a seemingly healthy, strong person and debilitate them for 1-2 years hoping to make the rest of their life better? Maybe that sounds a little extreme. It just seems that if he were sick or in pain it would be a much easier decision. I know that other parents will understand this questions.
So, that is enough to start with. You all seem to be a very supportive group and I am hoping to gain some knowledge and some peace from your responses.
Thanks so much!
Katy
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