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  • #31
    Originally posted by bbrian35 View Post
    RCS brace made by Patrick Flanagan working out of Spinal Dynamics in Milwaukee cost less than $3500 for everything from plaster casting to fitting and adjustment.
    $6,000 >> $3,500

    If your conscience isn't shocked by this then it probably can't be shocked.
    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


    • #32
      Our RSC story

      Our 12 year old daughter was fitted with an RSC brace by Grant Wood this summer. She also underwent 2 weeks of Schroth therapy at Scoliosis Rehab. She now does her daily 30-45 minutes of exercise fairly diligently--we are so proud of her! We have four children ages 6,8,10 and 12, and it was a huge challenge to pursue more aggressive scoliosis treatment for our eldest daughter with all the financial and family logistics. However, it was the best decision we ever made. After wearing the brace for just 6 weeks, Anna's in-brace x-rays showed a reduction of thoracic curve from 24 degrees to 13 degrees, and the lumbar curve went from 21 degrees to 0 degrees! The orthopedic surgeon came in with the x-rays in her hands and said: “I have never seen anything quite like this in all my years of practice. I have learned something today!”

      This was such a big encouragement because it had been a hard sell to get Anna to commit to not only doing the therapy exercises, but to embrace wearing a brace for 23 hours while starting Junior High, but she has done it, and we are so thankful for that. The kindness and care of the PT's at Scoliosis Rehab, and Grant Wood, the orthotist in San Mateo, really helped make a difference. It has been amazing to see our daughter become so body aware, and to see her mentally and physically take “authority” over her scoliosis posturally.

      We chose Grant Wood as Anna’s orthotist because our medical research revealed that the copyright for the RSC brace is held by Ortholutions in Germany, and that Grant is the only orthotist in North America who is authorized to deliver a true RSC brace, which would be comparable to what we would get going to Dr. Rigo himself in Spain (which we would never be able to do!). We knew that Anna had only a small window of time (her growth plates are almost closed) where we could hope for an improvement. So it was clear to us that we had one shot at this. Grant had so many years of training and collaboration with Dr. Rigo, that we felt that he would be the best option for us.

      We were amazed and touched at Grant’s knowledge and genuine concern for Anna’s scoliosis needs. His gentle and kind manner helped alleviate her anxiety and self-consciousness, and his positive attitude gave her hope. The brace was made in Germany according to her measurements and curve pattern. Fitting the brace was truly labor and time intensive. I thought that he was surely not serious about it taking most of the day for the first day of fitting—it took 6 hours that first day, and an additional 2 hours the next day. A total of 8 hours of hand molding to tailor the brace for the best possible correction and comfort.

      The RSC brace cost about $5,500. This included brace fabrication in Germany and shipping to California, the medical team consultation between Grant, Dr. Rigo and Ortholutions, and the many hours of additional fitting and hand molding by Grant. Our insurance which had refused to approve all physical therapy treatment to date, surprisingly ended up covering a fair amount of the cost. We are grateful that our orthopedic was supportive in writing the prescription, although she had never worked with an RSC brace. This treatment was truly a God-send for us. This is our story and we hope it encourages someone else.

      Comment


      • #33
        That's a great in-brace correction. If her growth plates are nearly closed then you might be out of the woods soon.

        Based on the prices mentioned upthread and in other threads, shipping (Germany to CA) on your brace was between $1,000 and $2,000 which is better than the shipping from CA to WI of about $1,500 to $2,500.
        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


        • #34
          That's great news - and I agree that if the growth plates are nearly closed, she could be out of the woods before you know it

          I am hoping that her out-of-brace numbers are equally encouraging!
          mariaf305@yahoo.com
          Mom to David, age 17, braced June 2000 to March 2004
          Vertebral Body Stapling 3/10/04 for 40 degree curve (currently mid 20's)

          https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScoliosisTethering/

          http://pediatricspinefoundation.org/

          Comment


          • #35
            We found Grant Wood in California who made another brace. This was a custom made RSC brace which involved a team of scoliosis specialists in Germany, Spain and the USA. The brace cost approximately $5000 and our insurance company covered a major portion of the cost so it was not a financial strain for our family.

            The results with the new RSC brace have been much better than a previous dynamic brace that our daughter had worn for 13 months when she was 13 and recently diagnosed with radical bi-phasic scoliosis. When her back and scoliosis was getting worse, we took her out of that brace and researched Schroth physical therapy and the RSC brace. With Schroth and RSC, at 15, she had an initial reduction in her lumbar and thoracic curves last year.

            Now she is 16 and continues to wear her RSC brace at night (she feels better sleeping in it than without it). Her scoliosis is stable and she feels and looks better than she has ever felt since her diagnosis in 2007. We feel confident that her custom-made brace from Dr Rigo´s original shapes-designs have contributed to her current stability and health. Our RSC brace from Mr. Wood looks completely different from other braces that say they are RSC braces, which makes me wonder..… My husband and I believe that we are getting what we paid for…and my daughter is happy and pain-free too.

            Comment


            • #36
              Originally posted by careade View Post
              The results with the new RSC brace have been much better than a previous dynamic brace that our daughter had worn for 13 months when she was 13 and recently diagnosed with radical bi-phasic scoliosis.
              Hi and welcome. Glad you are getting good results.

              By "dynamic brace" do you mean Spinecor?

              Also what is "radical bi-phasic scoliosis?"

              Thanks in advance.
              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


              • #37
                Hello and thank you.

                Yes, she was in Spinecor.

                Radical bi-phasic scoliosis was her diagnosis which is fairly severe double curves. Today, no one knows she has scoliosis by just looking at her. Only a trained eye would be able to tell. The best part is that she is virtually pain-free. Last year at her homecoming dance when she danced all night without shoes, she complained the next day. But that was the last time I remember her in pain. Heck, I would be hurting too!

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by careade View Post
                  Hello and thank you.

                  Yes, she was in Spinecor.

                  Radical bi-phasic scoliosis was her diagnosis which is fairly severe double curves. Today, no one knows she has scoliosis by just looking at her. Only a trained eye would be able to tell. The best part is that she is virtually pain-free. Last year at her homecoming dance when she danced all night without shoes, she complained the next day. But that was the last time I remember her in pain. Heck, I would be hurting too!
                  Thanks for that. I never heard the term "radical bi-phasic scoliosis" before but of course this is not my area. I think orthopedic surgeons refer to that as a "double major" curve. Did someone other than an orthopedic surgeon use that term?

                  So as I understand your history, Spinecor did not hold the curve during the growth spurt so you changed her to hard shell brace.

                  Can I ask how much did her curves progress in Spinecor and did the RCS brace finally hold them through the growth spurt? That would be good information for folks here I think. There is some skepticism that Spinecor can hold curves during the growth spurt and your daughter is an example of that. Were you working with the Montreal group on Spinecor?

                  What is your daughter's plan about how much longer she will wear the brace? Braces are not generally thought effective after kids stop growing except for pain. They help with that in some skeletally mature adults and maybe your daughter is benefiting in that way which is good.
                  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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