My first orthopedist appointment was in February of 2010, even though my scoliosis was discovered in December of 2009 by my ballet teacher, during the Nutcracker season. Feeling very uncomfortable about the options he gave us (surgery, as he said I had one 40 degree curve), we talked with my pediatrician, whom we love dearly. Upon her advice, we decided to get a second opinion. So, the visits with doctors began. We then saw a physiotherapist who came highly recommended. He saw not one curve as the first orthopedist, but two. His measurement of the curve differed greatly as well. We then had an appointment with an orthopedist from the Medical College of Georgia. He said I had Progressive Idiopathic Scoliosis with two curves. The top curve was a right thoracic type 3 with a 27 degree curve. The bottom was a lumbar curve at 32 degrees. He said the top curve was the curve driving the bottom curve, and the vertebrae in that curve were rotating in on themselves, which was an added complication. This was seen from the x-ray from a frontal view. From a side view, I had another complication in that my spine had absolutely no curve. It was as straight as a rod. As you know, the spine should have a curve from the side. The orthopedist said that, based on my type of scoliosis and having a zero on the riser scale, it was inevitable that my curves would progress. The magic number that the surgeons begin to look at in regards to surgery is 40 degrees and higher. At that point, there is usually pain and physical contortions to the body. With the type I have, it was a given that the amount of curve growth would happen and would be considerable, if ignored. We were told that there was a slight possibility of stopping or slowing down the growth with a brace. So, the doctor recommended that I wear the Boston Brace, which has been around for a long time. My mom had already looked into it, as it’s what is commonly recommended. My mom and dad did not want it, if at all possible, because of the serious side effects. With it, your growth can be affected, lung capacity can decrease by up to 20%, and muscles can atrophy. The Boston brace can be very uncomfortable, hot, and can limit daily activities such as tying shoes. The success rate is not that great, and only at best stops the progression. In many cases, after removal, the curves regress and continue to grow again. My mom found a brace created by two orthopedists from Canada that has been used since 1998 called the SpineCor. It was said to have a much higher success rate of 86% and not only could it stop the growth of the curve, but had been known to correct some of the curve. The orthopedist said he did not know much about the SpineCor, but he said he had no problem with me using the brace based on his knowledge; he just had not known it was available in the U.S. So, we then had our appointment with the doctor for the brace fitting, which was a 5 hour appointment. I left his office with the brace on and a correction to 28 degrees for the lumbar curve and 21 degrees to the thoracic curve. He suggested physical therapy that would help my curves even more than the brace. After doing his intensive physical therapy, my top curve improved 10 degrees, but my bottom curve did not improve at all. After that, he said I probably needed to do the therapy more regularly, so I went to his office three times a week and did exercises at home the other days. It totaled to 16 hours of therapy a week. By July 2010, my lumbar was back at 28 degrees and my thoracic curve was at 26 degrees, and by December my two curves had turned into four, two of which were major. The thoracic curve was 36 degrees and the lumbar was 41 degrees. It was also discovered that I had hypokyphosis, and I had grown five inches since the beginning of the year. I, also, had grown to a riser 1.

Upon more research, my mother discovered the LA Brace, which is a two brace system that is three-dimensional. Gez Bowman, an orthotist originally from England that now resides in Los Angeles, made the brace. He identified my curves as a King 1, four curve, double major. I now wear my short brace during the day, which has a certain distribution of pressure on my curves. I wear my long brace at night, which has a different distribution of pressure on the curves. Gez has been a wonderful orthotist who really cares about what he does and cares about his patients. Before flying to LA, he gave my prognosis a 50/50 chance of avoiding surgery with help from the brace. He also recommended that I do Schroth therapy, which originates from Germany, but is also here in the U.S. I learn Schroth therapy from the therapists at Scoliosis Rehab in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and Phoenix, AZ, where I have made three trips. In November of 2011, I had my x-rays done, and I saw improvement. My lumbar was 19 degrees and my thoracic curve was 22 degrees. Seeing these results, Gez said that if I kept things up, I would have about a 70% chance of avoiding surgery. After the x-rays, we discovered that I needed a new brace because I had physically outgrown the other brace. Since I have gotten the new brace, my curves have increased some, but that is sometimes expected when you get a new brace. The new brace has different pressure points, so my x-rays in 2012 show my thoracic curve at 17 degrees and my lumbar curve at 27 degrees. Therefore we went to LA again in April 2012, to get my brace adjusted and took another trip to Scoliosis Rehab for more Schroth in May of 2012. After tweaking the new brace again, I will be having new x-rays in July to see where my curves currently are. So, that is where my story is up to now. Stay tuned to see how things turn out.