Just got dd's scoliosis brace. Any advice here?

[dirty ethel rackham]

Dd just received her Charleston Bending brace for her scoliosis. It bends her in the opposite direction of her curve and she is supposed to wear it at night. She should be up to 8 hours in it at the end of 5 days and have it fully tightened by 10 days. We did buy a couple of their undershirts because the ones we bought did not go high enough into the armpit. I know we may need a few more shirts, but theirs are soooo expensive. I will be buying a body pillow today.

 

So, any advice here on how to make this manageable for her? She does not seem apprehensive about it, but I would like to help her in any way I can. I will be making an appointment with a chiro who specializes in sports medicine so we can do some PT as she is a competitive rock climber.

[Parrothead]

I have no idea. Just bumping back to page 1.

 

:grouphug:

[frugalmama]

:grouphug:

 

I don't have advice on the brace, but I will say DO make her wear it, even if she isn't wanting to. I had one prescribed for my kyphosis / scoliosis and chucked it in a corner, and now I'm paying for doing so.

[LG Gone Wild]

Dd just received her Charleston Bending brace for her scoliosis. It bends her in the opposite direction of her curve and she is supposed to wear it at night. She should be up to 8 hours in it at the end of 5 days and have it fully tightened by 10 days. We did buy a couple of their undershirts because the ones we bought did not go high enough into the armpit. I know we may need a few more shirts, but theirs are soooo expensive. I will be buying a body pillow today.

 

So, any advice here on how to make this manageable for her? She does not seem apprehensive about it, but I would like to help her in any way I can. I will be making an appointment with a chiro who specializes in sports medicine so we can do some PT as she is a competitive rock climber.

 

Snug fitting SOFT t-shirt with no seams. She might get rashes so be prepared by having aloe and Ammens powder. Have her stretch a lot. Be in a lot of air conditioned areas.

[BridgeTea]

Two of my girls wore the braces, both a nighttime model for correction, and a daytime one for maintenance.

 

Sounds like you all are on the right track with gradually upping the hours of wear, and staying on top of the exercise.

 

We utilized the body pillows here, also.

 

Undershirts: I think I know which ones you mean - the snug, thickish ones available through the orthotics dept. Our insurance paid for two, but my girls could've used dozens. Here's an alternative: look for a snug-fitting, seamless men's a-shirt (undershirt). They are long enough to go down below the end of the brace. The arm holes are probably too long, so you can remedy that by pulling up at the shoulders until there is material under your daughter's armpit to protect her skin from the brace, and sew some new shoulder seams.

 

Skincare: Remind her to change out shirts as often as needed, and always put a fresh shirt on over clean, dry skin. If she starts to break out on her back, astringent or powder can help keep her cool, dry and clean. (You did say just the night brace, though? One fresh shirt each night, then. If she was in a day brace, also, she'd need a bigger undershirt wardrobe for sure because she would possibly be changing shirts a few times a day.) The undershirts wear out quickly, just keep her stocked with fresh, snug ones to avoid wrinkles that can irritate her skin.

 

Assistance from your orthotics team: If they didn't already do so, have them use a pen to mark a line on the velcro straps to help your daughter know when she is tightening enough. The ortho can give her a mark to shoot for, and she'll be there in no time. Without a mark, it's easy for the kids to think they are tightening enough when they really aren't. (Or if you have an overachieving kid they could be cinching up way more than necessary!) Also, remember they can rework the brace, the straps, the padding, whatever it takes to make the brace do its job comfortably.

 

My 14 year old just finished with her two years of bracing. She went from a 32 degree curve to an 11. She absolutely continued all her physical activities in and out of the brace. The only time she went without the night brace was during camp (so a week at a time), and once she graduated and could go without the braces, she actually couldn't sleep well for a few nights because she said she was used to being hugged all night. ;) She wanted me to add: "Tell her if she gets too hot to just ask the ortho guy to drill a bunch of air vent holes." There you go.

 

And now for a brag: My older girl was braced starting when her upper curve was only ~20 degrees. Her case was unusual, advancing quickly, with her curve reaching >80 within a year in spite of her complete compliance and a rigorous exercise program in place. Her spine corkscrewed on her, and she ended up with two very complicated surgeries. However, the surgeries were a success, her recuperation time was short, and she was back to her beloved martial arts within weeks of each surgery. Today she is grown and has a wonderful little girl of her own (uncomplicated full-term pregnancy and natural birth.) And today (literally today!) she is moving downstate to go back to school. She has several credits already between dual enrollment during high school and at our local uni since graduation, but now she is enrolled in a prosthetics/orthotics program downstate. She alway had wonderful visits with her "orthotics guy". When it comes time for an internship, she says she knows who she will call first. :D

[BridgeTea]

That's wonderful! When I had my spinal rod surgery, I was in the hospital for weeks, at home in bed for another 6 weeks or so, and in a partial body cast for 6 months. It's amazing how far they've come.

 

:grouphug: Oh, Dot. They have come a long way! My girl's first spinal fusion (anterior approach) was 9 hours with instrumentation from T-10 to L-3. No casting, and nothing more than tylenol after day 2. Home in one week. Breaking boards with her feet and on a rollercoaster at 4 weeks post-op. Second spinal fusion was 8 hours long, posterior approach, w/instrumentation from T-4 to L-2. Her biggest hurdle was needing a catheter for a few days post-op until her bladder started working again. Scary at the time, not so scary looking back. She was a trooper, had a great surgical team, and healed well.

 

Even the braces are getting slimmer and sleeker all the time. Dirty Ethyl, I hope all goes smoothly for your daughter! She'll be happy when she's grown that she wore her brace. It will prevent problems down the road.