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Scoliosis Awareness
Scoliosis is something that is frequently discussed on our blog, it's a condition which I've suffered from for fourteen years and throughout that time I've faced stigma, discrimination, bullying.
Anyone can be affected by Scoliosis, although its more commonly found in girls who are in their teenage years. In rarer cases people develop Scoliosis at a younger age or they're born with it.
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Different Types Of Scoliosis
Congenital Scoliosis is a type of scoliosis that you're born with. This type of Scoliosis happens when the spine is not formed properly in the womb.
Early on-set Scoliosis is when the curve appears between birth and the age of ten years old or before puberty.
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is a change in the spine when the child is growing. It results in the spine curving sideways and twisting at the same time.
Degenerative Scoliosis occurs in adults for two main reasons. Degenerative Scoliosis of both types can happen because bones weaken with age.
Neuromuscular Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine caused by a neurological or muscular condition.
Scheuermann's Kyphosis is a condition in which the front sections of the vertebrate grow more slowly than the back during childhood
Syndromic Scoliosis means that a sideways curve of the spine develops as part of a syndrome. A syndrome is part of a condition that is made up with lots of symptoms that appear together.
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Treatments In Children and teenagers
Monitoring takes place in smaller curves, as when the child ages it could either improve or worsen. Often the specialist monitors this with regular x-rays.
Wearing a cast is more common in babies and toddlers to try and help straighten the spine as it grows, the cast is worn constantly and cannot be removed but is changed every few months as the child grows. Once the child reaches an older age then they could switch to a back brace.
If the curve of the child's spine is getting worse, the specialist may suggest that they wear a back brace while they're growing. This won't correct the curve but it might help stop it getting worse. The brace is custom made to fit the child's body and is normally made of rigid plastic, designed to be less visible under loose fitting clothing. The amount of time usually suggested to wear this brace is 23 hours a day usually until the child stops growing.
Younger children, those who are under ten can have an operation to insert special rods alongside the spine which can help stop the curve getting worse. Although every few months they would need to return to the specialist to have the rods lengthened to keep up with their growth. Even if the child has surgery they may need to wear a back brace to protect their back.
Teenagers and young adults who've stopped growing can have an operation called a spinal fusion to correct the curve which is a major operation where the spine is straightened using metal rods, screws, hooks or wires along with bits of bone taken from elsewhere in the body, often the hip. Sometimes a back brace is needed after surgery to protect the back while it heals.
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Read about my journey with scoliosis here: http://thrivingthroughlifee.wixsite.com/thrivingthroughlife/single-post/2016/12/11/My-Scoliosis-Journey