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  • ? time for a brace

    Hi my daughter has a 30 degree thorasic curve and her ortho dr has asked us to simlpy wait and see what happens. She has to go every 6 months to have x-rays done, 2nd visit in Nov. They have given us litle info and never mentioned any treatment, no mention of a brace.

    She had a rare blood cancer when she was 3 but has had a MRI scan to rule out any other llnesses, luckly this came back all clear. He said she is a few years away from puberty and starting her periods, not sure if this makes a difference.

    We live in Scotland, could anyone tell me more about braces, What ones are the best and are they available in Scotland. At what stage they would use them.

    I do see a difference in her, and when her rib cage sticks out she does complain of pain. Which i try to controll using anti-inflammatory drugs. She is also just about to start a class called Body Balance, which is a combination of pilates and yoga.
    Any suggestions/info would be great appreciated.

  • #2
    Welcome to the forum. I am pretty new here myself - just a few weeks but have found there is lots of great information on this site. I was born in England and now live in Canada. Both my children have idiopathic scoliosis, we didn't receive very good information from our doctor and both my children's curves have progressed rapidly, sometimes at alarmingly fast rates if they were going through a growth spurt. I think your daughter should be braced now to prevent curve progression. There is a long string of posts on this site about the Spinecor brace which seems to be easier to wear than the hard braces and is available in Britain. If you want to read about the brace the link to the website is: http://www.spinecorporation.com/English/index.htm
    Ruth, 50 years old (s-shaped 30 degree scoliosis) with degenerative disc disease, married to Mike. Mother to two children - Son 18 and daughter 14. Both have idiopathic scoliosis. Son (T38, L29) has not needed surgery to date. Daughter (March 08 - T62, L63).

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    • #3
      Seek more info soon

      Hi Ourlena,

      Weclome! You do not mention the age of your daughter for sure, but I assume she is in the 10-14 age range?. In the US the standard seems to be going into a brace at 25 degrees. My own experience with my daughter (who is 6 and was diagnosed 1 year ago) is that we had xrays every 3 months to give the Dr. a feel for if and how much it was progressing. I urge you to research more and seek a 2nd or 3rd opinion if you daughter still has a lot of growing years left. If you read a lot of the posts throughout the site you will notice that many children had huge growth spurts in a matter of a few months and had their curvature increase by as much as 10 degrees during that time. Based on my own experiences 6 months is too long of a period between visits and a brace should be seriously considered to prevent that curve from increasing unexpectedly.

      There is a ton to learn about scoliosis as a parent and it can be pretty overwhelming. There are wonderful, wonderful people on this site to gain knowledge and support from . Just reading their real life experiences is so informative. Every child is different, just as every Dr. has their own philosophy on how to handle scoliosis. This site gives you a look at all the different of scoliosis.

      Good luck to you and your family. You are in our thoughts!!

      Jasmine
      Jazzeve
      ****************
      Mom to Brianna, age 5 1/2
      Diagnosed age 4 1/2
      26T/20L

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      • #4
        If your daughter is a few years away to starting her periods, then she still has not hit her major growth spurt yet. Looking into a brace might not be a bad idea. You could call her orthopedists office and ask what their opinion is on her getting a brace to help slow down progression of the curve during this crucial time while she grows.
        Like Jazzeve said, you could also get a 2nd or 3rd opinion to see what other doctors have to say about your daughters case. She still sounds pretty young, so there should be multiple treatment options available to her.
        Good Luck

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        • #5
          Hi OurLena,

          I have sent you a private message. The medical proffession in the UK seem to have a very relaxed attitude towards Scoliosis. How old is your daughter and have you seen a Scoliosis specialist or a general orthopaedic consultant?

          30 degrees is pretty high for "wait & see". I'd ask for a second opinion.

          Laura
          UK based Mum of Imogen, 38 degree curve at 9 years old. SpineCor since 15/6/07, 31 degrees in brace.
          10th December 07 - 27 degrees, 23rd June 08 - 26 degrees, Feb 09 - 24 degrees, Aug 09 - 35 degrees, Jul 10 - 47 degrees, Dec 10 - 50+ degrees.
          Surgery due to take place early December 2011 at the RNOH, England.

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          • #6
            all depends on how old she is, but as laura says, unless she has finished growing 30 degrees is likely to need more active management.

            consider also posting on www.scoliosis-support.org , this is a uk based forum, so advice is likely to more appropriate for your circumstances

            take care

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            • #7
              I wouldn't wait and see. I would brace her. Her curve has a really high chance of progression.
              God has used scoliosis to strengthen and mold us. He's good all the time!On this forum these larger curves have not held forever in Spinecor,with an initial positive response followed by deterioration. With deterioration, change treatment.The first year she gained 4 or 5 inches and was stable at around 20/20 in brace, followed by rapid progression the next year.She is now 51/40 (Jan2008)out of brace (40/30 in Spinecor) and started at 38/27 out of brace(Jan2006.) Now in Cheneau.

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              • #8
                thats what happened to me. I grew too fast all in one year that my curves changed dramastically! We knew i had scoliosis.. not being sure of what it was.. and besides the doctor said there is nothing to do about it yet.. so we listened && waited.. i would definatly say go for a brace! good luck!
                My name is Rotem
                I am 13 and in 7th grade
                Started with 2 curves:
                34º Therotical
                50º Lumber
                I currently wear a Cheneau Brace
                Got my 1st on Nov. '06
                Got my 2nd on Nov. '07
                Just got my 3rd one today (May7 '08)
                and im still trying to get used to it
                Hoping I won't need surgery
                I live in South Florida
                3rd check on November 17,2007,
                Got an X-ray done Feb. 5th, with EXCELLENT news!
                30º Theoratical
                37º Lumber
                4th check on May 7, 2008

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                • #9
                  If you are questioning why your daughter is not being braced, then your instincts are telling you something.
                  My son(age 10) has been in his brace for almost 5 years now. It has been successful in keeping the curve low, we're waiting to see how he does when major growth spurts hit.
                  My daughter(age 11) was braced for two years before surgery was a must. Even though we knew surgery was going to happen, we were trying to put it off for as long as possible. I feel good that she got those two extra years minus surgery.
                  If you're unhappy with what your doctor says, question him, get a second opinion, and check out what other options may be available to you in Europe.

                  Emily

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