Scoliosis: Life, Support & Friends

Study looks at whether back braces offer benefit for scoliosis Author: Blythe Bernhard Kelli Sargent, a seventh-grader from Belleview, Mo., takes off the back brace she wears to treat her scoliosis as she gets ready for basketball practice. (Emily Rasinksi/P-D) Scoliosis screenings in middle schools find thousands of teenagers with curved spines each year. What happens next isn't as well planned. Treatment for scoliosis hasn't changed in five decades — if the spine is curved to a certain degree, the teenager gets a back brace. But research has not conclusively proved the benefits of the braces. Some young people who don't wear a brace never have any problems and their curves never worsen. Others wear the braces for years and still end up needing back surgery. A long-term study at Washington University and more than 20 other research centers hopes to figure out why. "If we can say that bracing doesn't change (the progression of a spinal curve) then it's a treat...

Just goes to show that someone reads my posts! My eldest (23) has reminded me that she is also a member of the scoli community. She's got it as much as I have and describes the same symptoms (pain in icky chairs, goes in more on one side than the other). Well, in my case I am too fat to have much of a waist so it's harder to tell, but I know it's there! So that's two out of three kids, and I am going to have to watch the youngest like a hawk. The fact that he's a boy will, I hope, mean less chance of his developing scoli. He's autistic and it would be impossible to explain any treatment that became necessary. Still, he's lost weight and, as far as I can see, he "goes in" to the same extent on each side. I hope Simone is feeling better and that the trip was great. Best wishes to all