Scoliosis / Kyphoscoliosis

[fourcatmom]

Does anyone have experience with these?

 

About a year ago my 11 yo dd was diagnosed with Scoliosis and we had an x-ray but it was only about 4%. Both girls had their annual check today. The doctor now things the 11 yo might have kyphoscoliosis and is concerned that my 10 yo has scoliosis as well. They both go in for x-rays next week.

 

What is the difference between the two? I have also read some about the Kyphoscoliosis and neurological problems. She was recently evaluated by a neurologist for possible learning disabilities and he wanted to do an MRI of her brain. I declined since I didn't think it was necessary - as we are concerned with a LD not a new problem. Now, I am re-thinking my decision but I don't want to over-react either. She does have a lot of back pain, and often tells me it's hard to breath but she does also have asthma?

 

I don't know which way to proceed? :confused:

 

Thank you for any light you can shed on this. I have been reading on the internet but it helps to talk with others who have some experience.

Edited May 5, 2012 by fourcatmom

[angela in ohio]

Was this the annual visit with the orthopedic doctor or your pediatrician/family doctor?

 

My oldest has scoliosis, and my younger was evaluated by the ortho, but it turns out she just has one leg longer than the other. We have been visiting the ortho twice yearly for several years now with the oldest, but she hasn't hit her growth spurt yet, so we don't know yet how bad her scoliosis will be. We are right on the borderline of pt and such.

 

I don't know about kyphoscoliosis, but I am a big believer in getting the tests I need to do what will help my kiddos. I would have the MRI. We have been through this with younger ds who was having seizure-like episodes. We put him through every test the doctor suggested, including a really fun tilt table experience. In the end, having an exact diagnosis was worth it.

[Desert Strawberry]

Scoliosis is an s shaped curve from side to side. Kyphosis is a c shaped curve of the upper back resulting in hunchback or dowager's hump. Any curvature can have neurological impact especially if the spine twists. The effect would not be to the central nervous system, but to the peripheral nerves.

Curvature is so common. Most curves are minor and go undiagnosed. Don't panic yet. Wait and see what you are dealing with. You might consider chiropractic care and exercises to stretch and strengthen the spinal muscles.

[SonshineLearner]

Weird timing, this thread is for me!! We're set to go to the children's hospital with my 13 year old (almost 14 yr old) She has scoliosis, and no one mentioned it till her sports physical.... We were sent for an x-ray and then with no call from our regular Dr, I got a call from Doernbecher's. :( I was surprised that it was bad enough for that... since our chiro has never mentioned it. She's done ballet and other dance her entire life.... Hoping for both of us... that none of the kids have serious problems :(

[fourcatmom]

Was this the annual visit with the orthopedic doctor or your pediatrician/family doctor?

 

My oldest has scoliosis, and my younger was evaluated by the ortho, but it turns out she just has one leg longer than the other. We have been visiting the ortho twice yearly for several years now with the oldest, but she hasn't hit her growth spurt yet, so we don't know yet how bad her scoliosis will be. We are right on the borderline of pt and such.

 

I don't know about kyphoscoliosis, but I am a big believer in getting the tests I need to do what will help my kiddos. I would have the MRI. We have been through this with younger ds who was having seizure-like episodes. We put him through every test the doctor suggested, including a really fun tilt table experience. In the end, having an exact diagnosis was worth it.

 

Her regular pediatrician. She has not been to an Ortho dr. With the info about a year ago the curve was so small that they didn't do anything but the doctor seemed (to me) to be alarmed at the change. I was only against the MRI because I felt that the doctor couldn't give me reasons why except lack of coordination. And, none of the problems she was having were new which to me would present a more alarming reason to have an MRI. I will be re-thinking this decision though. She also has pretty bad anxiety and it was a self-esteem issue.

 

Scoliosis is an s shaped curve from side to side. Kyphosis is a c shaped curve of the upper back resulting in hunchback or dowager's hump. Any curvature can have neurological impact especially if the spine twists. The effect would not be to the central nervous system, but to the peripheral nerves.

Curvature is so common. Most curves are minor and go undiagnosed. Don't panic yet. Wait and see what you are dealing with. You might consider chiropractic care and exercises to stretch and strengthen the spinal muscles.

 

She does play a lot of sports - soccer, indoor soccer and softball. I guess those are not specific to strengthening the spine though.

 

Thank you.

[Meriwether]

Scoliosis is an s shaped curve from side to side. Kyphosis is a c shaped curve of the upper back resulting in hunchback or dowager's hump. Any curvature can have neurological impact especially if the spine twists. The effect would not be to the central nervous system, but to the peripheral nerves.

Curvature is so common. Most curves are minor and go undiagnosed. Don't panic yet. Wait and see what you are dealing with. You might consider chiropractic care and exercises to stretch and strengthen the spinal muscles.

 

I have scoliosis. The most common issue I deal with are headaches. I get them 3-5 times per week. Traveling can be painful. I have a mild case. I didn't know until I got pregnant. Chiropractic care and massage can help but it is very difficult for me to interrupt a school day for that.

[angela in ohio]

Her regular pediatrician. She has not been to an Ortho dr. With the info about a year ago the curve was so small that they didn't do anything but the doctor seemed (to me) to be alarmed at the change. I was only against the MRI because I felt that the doctor couldn't give me reasons why except lack of coordination. And, none of the problems she was having were new which to me would present a more alarming reason to have an MRI. I will be re-thinking this decision though. She also has pretty bad anxiety and it was a self-esteem issue.

 

I'd get in with an ortho asap. The thing I love best about our family doctor is that she is quick to tell us that she is not an expert at everything, and that we should go to specialists for serious problems. The ortho did different xrays which were more effective, too.

[fourcatmom]

I have scoliosis. The most common issue I deal with are headaches. I get them 3-5 times per week. Traveling can be painful. I have a mild case. I didn't know until I got pregnant. Chiropractic care and massage can help but it is very difficult for me to interrupt a school day for that.

 

She gets headaches all the time. I guess we will get the x-rays early next week and then see what they say. I will pursue the MRI now just for more info and to make sure in light of the changes. Then I will request an Ortho evaluation as well.

 

thanks for all the feedback. I am realizing that a lot of what she complains about daily (back, headache and breathing) could be related to this. Although the breathing is only with activity.

[fourcatmom]

Weird timing, this thread is for me!! We're set to go to the children's hospital with my 13 year old (almost 14 yr old) She has scoliosis, and no one mentioned it till her sports physical.... We were sent for an x-ray and then with no call from our regular Dr, I got a call from Doernbecher's. :( I was surprised that it was bad enough for that... since our chiro has never mentioned it. She's done ballet and other dance her entire life.... Hoping for both of us... that none of the kids have serious problems :(

 

What is that? Do you know what % curve she has?

Edited May 5, 2012 by fourcatmom

[fourcatmom]

Weird timing, this thread is for me!! We're set to go to the children's hospital with my 13 year old (almost 14 yr old) She has scoliosis, and no one mentioned it till her sports physical.... We were sent for an x-ray and then with no call from our regular Dr, I got a call from Doernbecher's. :( I was surprised that it was bad enough for that... since our chiro has never mentioned it. She's done ballet and other dance her entire life.... Hoping for both of us... that none of the kids have serious problems :(

 

sorry double post

[frugalmama]

If it's Kyphosis, be sure they evaluate as to the cause - there are two types. Regular Kyphosis is primarily a postural issue, Scheuermanns kyphosis is a structural issue where you have wedge shaped vertebrae. If they want to do surgery to repair it do it BEFORE she turns 17-18 - a lot of surgeons won't touch an adult but they will a teen.

 

I have Scheuermanns kyphosis with an over 100 degree curve - it was mis-diagnosed as scoliosis until I was nearly 18. I do have pinched nerves in my spine as a result, and some other health issues from it. My breathing is fine without exertion too - then it gets bad because my lungs don't have room to fully inflate at the bottoms.

[Scuff]

Yeah, it makes sense that she would only have trouble breathing eith activity. Definitely get her checked out, but don't worrry yet. It could get bad, or it could stay minor. They really can't tell until she hits puberty (forgot how old she was) Most people will stop prgressing at puberty, some don't. It will also depend on how it progress, what triuble she has. I have scoliosis and didn't stop progressing. It makes pregnancy hard the second half. I go to the chiro regularly, and that keeps the pain down a lot. But it doesn't really affect my organs too much.

[Harriet Vane]

I have a very minor case of scoliosis and have been amazed at how much even a minor curve can affect my life. My shoulders are uneven, and I have aches and pains associated with that. I have neck pain every day. My head/neck mobility are limited on the left side. I also have hip and knee issues that are specifically related to the fact that nothing in my body lines up straight. More concerning is the fact that my hands go numb frequently.

 

The absolute worst thing to do about scoliosis is nothing. Over time, little problems become big ones and are much harder to address. Unfortunately right now the official medical protocol is to do nothing unless it's really bad.

 

The very best thing to do for scoliosis is aggressive physical therapy and keeping up with the exercises and stretches religiously when pt is done. The stronger the back muscles, the less pain and the less likely you are to develop further issues.

 

I also recommend chiropractic care. When the spine is uneven chronically, it affects every other joint in the body. A chiropractor can help keep it as straight as it will go. I was VERY skeptical of chiropractic but started years ago because I was in a LOT of pain and very desperate. The chiropractor made me feel better than I had in more than a decade. I do find, however, that chiropractic care is only effective for me if hand-in-hand with aggressive physical therapy.

 

I have done PT a couple times over the last two decades. It was ineffective if it consisted only of comfort measures like electric stim or massage. The more exercise, the better I feel in terms of pain and the better my mobility. I have had pts assign me 15-20 minutes of exercise a day--this does help. EVERY bit of back strengthening will help. However, my current PT, who is the most aggressively exercise-oriented I have ever had, assigns me more like 40 minutes of exercise a day. It's hard work, and very challenging, and I work up an actual sweat.

 

I have found with this pt that my hand numbness is better than it has been in nearly two decades--it's absolutely astounding how much better it is right now. I frankly didn't think it was possible to regain some of the ground I lost in this area.

 

Bottom line:

 

It is quite possible that some of your daughter's difficulties could be due to scoliosis. It's also possible they are not.

 

Get the MRI, and consult with an ortho rather than your GP. Even mild scoliosis can cause real problems. Information is a GOOD thing.

 

Get physical therapy that will focus specifically on strength training. If your budget does not allow for this, then pay for quarterly consultations with a pt. Have the pt design a work-out for your child to do at home. Just make sure your child actually really DOES the exercises.

 

FWIW, my current pt is employed by BodyWerks, which is a company that specifically requires aggressive exercise. I have been happy with Athletico in the past, but have been very impressed with BodyWerks higher standard.

 

Consider chiropractic care.

[fourcatmom]

Thank you for the great advice. I read through it briefly since I am on my out the door for multiple games today but I will come back and read it all again tonight. I might have more questions then.

 

I just wanted to say that I feel a little better having heard all that. I feel like I have more of a plan, rather then just feeling overwhelmed by what she told me. I will be pushing to have them both checked by an Ortho doctor. There is already one we like that we saw when my yo dd broke her finger last December.

 

Again, thank you for sharing your personal stories and helping me calm down. :001_smile:

[SonshineLearner]

What is that? Do you know what % curve she has?

"Doernbecher Children's Hospital provides the region's widest range of children's health care services and serves as the primary center for OHSU pediatric programs." It's in Portland, Oregon. I have no idea how much of a problem it will be for her until I go early June for her appt. Usually, I think of this hospital for very serious issues, so it was just a bit scary to get a call from them, without a first call from my Drs office. (no one even asked me if they could send the x-rays forward...) hmmmm