6 mos old - possible scoliosis

[IansMommy]

We went for my son's six month check-up earlier in the week and learned that he may have infantile scoliosis. We have an appointment on Monday with the Orthopedist for X-rays. I am fairly certain that he does have it as I can see the asymmetry easily just by looking at him as he sits. Basically, you can see a "hump" on the right side of his spine and on the left it looks really flat.

I have been worried sick that this is secondary to something else. Maybe I read too much, but I can't stop thinking that there could be something more serious going on. Does anyone know if it would be highly likely to be some other serious neurologic issues going on, or is it usually just a case of scoliosis that is not secondary to something else.

Have most people here had their infant's scoliosis resolve on it's own? I hope and pray that my baby falls into this category.

Any words of advice would be great appreciated.

Jennifer

[LindaRacine]

Hi Jennifer...

I don't actually know much about infantile scoliosis, but here are some references for you:

http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/12/2230
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=12473713
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=12358367
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=9651771
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=9076882
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=8875720
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=4064407
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=4083385
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=6643567
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=7430221

Best of luck with your son. I hope his scoliosis resolves on its own.

Regards,
Linda

[Celia]

Hi Jennifer,


I'm so sorry that your baby has infantile scoliosis - not knowing at this point whether it's congenital, idiopathic or associated with an underlying neurological cause is, to say the least - very difficult. The unknown is very frightening - it's best just to keep a level head and take things one day at a time.

Once the x-ray is done, your ortho will have a pretty good idea whether it's congenital or idiopathic. He may request an MRI to be done at a later date. If your doctor tells your that your son has idiopathic ( i.e., unknown cause ) ask him for the RVAD and Cobb angle numbers. If the RVAD is below 20, that's usually a good sign that the curve is a resolving one - if it's above 20 then chances are it's progressive. Another x-ray should be done in two or three months time to see whether the RVAD has increased or decreased. Another important thing to know is whether your son's curve is flexible or rigid. You could actually do this test yourself - see if his curve disappears when you bend him in the opposite direction to the curve. Flexible curves respond well to treatment

Studies show there is a prevalence of boys with infantile scoliosis and curves are usually to the left, but right sided curves are not unheard of. Infantile scoliosis is very rare and even rarer are those that progress to severe deformities. Linda has given you some very good links - try not to worry too much.



Celia

[Celia]

Jennifer,


There are a few things which you can do while you are waiting for things to happen:

1) Avoid placing your child for any length of time in car seats/infant swings or anything that will perpetuate a curved spine.

2) Try to gently massage your child's back - the convex side in particular.

3) Since your baby is so small it should be easy for your husband or yourself to carry him in a snuggly (with his back against your chest) . Children love to be held and at the same time you will be applying traction to his little spine.

4) In one of the links that Linda gave you, reference is made to sleep position. I can never remember if you should lay the baby face down or face up ? Anyway, there is a "right" position. I know that if you lay the baby face down there is risk of SIDS - just be close by when you do. I think that by putting the baby on his tummy while he is awake is a good idea - it will encourage him to use his back muscles.


Anyhoo, that's it for now. Let us know how things go on Monday.



Celia

[IansMommy]

Celia and Linda, thank you so much for your responses. I really want to have as much information as possible before tomorrow's appointment. I haven't been able to sleep at night because this is weighing so heavily on my mind.

Thanks for the heads up about the car seat and swing. For almost 6 months, he has been sleeping in either the swing or carseat because he is such a terrible sleeper. Had I known about this scoliosis, I would have gladly traded my sleep to prevent this condition from worsening . About two weeks ago we started making him sleep in the crib thankfully. He does sleep on his stomach now that he is in the crib too. I do have a carrier and he loves to be in it, so I may try to do that even more than I have been.

I will be sure to post tomorrow to let you know how his evaluation goes, and I will defintely ask the questions that you mentioned.

[Carmell]

Hi Jennifer,

I think you will know more about what to expect after seeing the ortho tomorrow. Hopefully the ortho has extensive experience in treating infants with scoliosis. This is not a common condition in infants, so it may be a good idea to have his kidneys checked and maybe even his heart... just to make sure everything is okay.

Take care and let us know what you find out.