scoliosis-101

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scoliosis and children

Below you will find a couple of tips to diagnose scoliosis early, which is really important, especially with children. Disclaimer: these tipse aren’t made by professionals and to confirm this diagnosis you have to visit an experienced doctor. 

How to recognize scoliosis in children:

-When the child is standing upright their shoulders aren’t the same height.

-the hip of the child is angled to the right or left.

-the head of the child isn’t straight on top of their body but angled to the right or left.

-One of their pant legs is clearly shorter than the other one.

-the sole of one of their shoes is obviously more worn out than the other one.

-there is a difference between the span of the left arm compared to the right arm.

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causes for scoliosis

-About 80 % of the time scoliosis is caused by a defect in the growth of the  spine, it’s cause is still unknown. This is called Ideopathic scoliosis.

-Scoliosis can also be caused by a defect already present at birth, like vertebrae of which only half is present. This is called congenital scoliosis.

-When muscle groups are paralized, for example because of damage to the spine, neuromuscular scoliosis can occur.

-Degenerative scoliosis is caused by changes to the spine. like moving vertebraes. This only occurs in adults.

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Here an interview with the mother of a fourteen year old boy with scoliosis

1. When did you find out that Arko has scoliosis?

June 2012

2. What was the first thing that popped in your head when you heard the news?

‘Sucks.’

3. How long did it take before Arko got help?

2 years. It got worse, it was managable in the beginning. But when the heart and lungs became indangered, they scheduled a surgery.

4. Which different treatments has Arko recieved?

An operation, His mother didn't want to share anything else.

5. Was the scoliosis present at his birth?

No, it occured after a dental procedure. At the hospital they didn't give him a mask with the IV drip. Aftre that he slept for a really long time and had three epilieptic attacks in 9 days which lasted for an hour and a half each. This paralysed the left half of his body which pulled his spine in a wrong curve.      

6. What was the curvature of his spine?

We don't know exactly.

7. How long did it take before got his surgery?

25th of November till the 16th of Mai, so approximately 6 months

8.     How did the operation go?

Super, really fast.  The operation was supposed to last 6 hours but they finished after four hours and 45 minutes. It went really smooth and easily. 

9.     How long did it take for Arko to recover?

‘A year�� He can't duck for 9 months. But, he's actually able to do everything after half a year. He could go upstairs after a week.

10.   Does it benefit?

Absolutely, otherwise he wouldn't have lived another half a year because the extreme curvature was going to put pressure on his organs, causing massive damage.

11.   Is there the possibility for the need for another surgery?

It is possible, but they don't expect it yet.

12.   Will the condition get worse over time?

His doctors don't expect it.

13.   Wat zijn de dagelijkse gevolgen van scoliose voor Arko?

Toen: hij kreeg weinig lucht en hij liep slecht.

Nu: Hij kan eigenlijk alles wat in zijn bereik ligt weer.

14.   What can you do to help Arko in his everyday life?

Help with the ordinary things, but also fun activitiet, like horseriding or biking on a tandem

15.   What kind of influence has this had on your everyday life?

You don't know how a day will go. You can't do everything you could do if you had a  healthy child.

(We interviewed the boy's mother because he couldn't speak due to a bunch of other medical conditions, also please note that this entire interview was held in Dutch so excuse us for any grammar mistakes)

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some sources ay

Literatuurlijst

http://www.medtronic.nl/aandoeningen/scoliose/behandeling/index.htm

http://www.medtronic.nl/aandoeningen/scoliose/product-therapie/wat-is-het/index.htm

http://www.scoliosiscareclinic.com/nl/wat-is-scoliose

https://www.maartenskliniek.nl/behandelingen/kinderen/scoliosebijkinderen2/2709511/b  

http://www.orthopedie-amphia.nl/paginas/133-scoliose-behandeling-met-brace-bij-kinderen.html

http://www.hetrugcentrum.nl/rugklachten-s-z/scoliose-vergroeiing-van-de-rug/

 https://www.maartenskliniek.nl/behandelingen/operaties/rug/scoliosecorrectievolwassenen/5191867/

 http://www.gezondbewegen.nl/scoliose/

 http://www.scoliose.nl/

 http://www.gezondheidsnet.nl/last-van-rugpijn/een-scoliose-wat-is-dat

 http://www.werkendlichaam.nl/10035/1/scoliose.html

 https://www.lumc.nl/patientenzorg/patienten/patientenfolders/behandeling-scoliose-boston-brace

 http://www.kinderorthopedie.nl/content/kinderorthopedie/scoliose.asp

http://www.scoliose.info/community/recente-topics/topic/27

Bout S. & Been H.D. 2007, Scoliose, de meest gestelde vragen, Den Haag: Vereniging van Scoliosepatiënten

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scoliosis sucks

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I feel kind of left out of the scoliosis community. My curvature is about 20-30 degrees (I haven't gotten an x-ray in at least a year and a half). Everyone on tumblr etc. blogs about their terrible terrible curves and then dismiss the others. This isn't targeting you or anyone else, but it just makes me feel invalidated. I just feel like I can't express my back pain/ fear etc. without feeling guilty that some people have it worse.

Anon, I know from experience that when you have a smaller curve, people can sometimes brush it off as no big deal or minimize your experience. I once had a very small curve and later, very large. I can admit to the fact that I have been both the victim and the perpetrator of the comments regarding low curves and being told that my experience is invalid. I want to make this clear to you and to my followers, this is a safe blog where no matter what curve or treatment, I am here to support you. Feel free to vent to me about your pain because I know from experience that pain doesn’t always determine how severe your scoliosis is. 

People often belittle another’s journey because it makes them seem better or their journey more valid. I think with a condition like scoliosis that is so underfunded and not talked about, we all feel like we need to speak up. Unfortunately, some people take this duty of awareness and instead of telling people about the condition, they amp up what their situation is like by making those with smaller curves, who seem to be the majority, worse and belittle them in hopes to make their journey sound tougher and harder. Although this does send a message across that scoliosis is harmful, it can backfire on those who do have smaller curves like yourself. 

As my curves increased, I found sympathy from the scoliosis community yet my family would always compare me. When I was at my worst, they would tell me “at least it isn’t cancer. Or at least your not dying” as if that makes my journey any easier. Every condition, every variation, whether it be large or small, is difficult and we need to support EVERYONE. No more comparing this person to that or saying one disease is more valid than the next. We are all bonded together with conditions and illnesses that have effected our lives in unique ways. We dont know what another person is going through so rather that belittle them, lets support them. 

I am so sorry to you and to anyone who feels like they can’t express their journey on any social media site or to family and friends without fear of being guilty or denied. As a community, lets help everyone feel safe and support everyone on their very real and very difficult journey. 

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allmug:

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did your scoliosis impact anything else other than your back? I have lower back pain, knee pain, front thigh pain, trouble breathing due to pressure, i can not run, go upstairs, sit up straight, or walk for long periods of time with out excruciating pain in my knees due to them not being lined up. my ankles are very weak and i had gone to physical therapy to strengthen them .

A lot of people find that their scoliosis impacts more than just their back. For me, I suffered from muscle weakness and tension as my back muscles were basically all squished to one side. I had trouble breathing, just walking to my kitchen caused me to lose my breath. We later discovered during surgery that my lungs were about to collapse which is scary to think about. I suffered a lot of pain and my physical deformity brought about anxiety and body image issues. Like you mentioned, the pain from my spine prevented me from sitting or walking for long periods of time. This is all normal but if you’re finding over the counter meds, heating pad, hot shower etc. arent working to relieve pain, talk to your doctor about it. Hope you feel better! 

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Shit people with scoliosis say

me: can you punch my back please

me: you can't see my brace through this.. right ?

me: ugh does anyone have any pain killers??

me: Sorry I can't today, I have a chiropractor appointment

me: can I not go to school today my back is killing me

me: someone pLEASE PUNCH MY BACK

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My friend’s crooked spine

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Scoliosis

It’ll leave you breathless, or with a nasty scar.

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when people complain about their back pain to you

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Friday, 2/20/15. A 50% curvature of the spine means surgery. A 25% curvature means braces. We’re looking at 17% and 19%, which means a checkup in six months. Orthopedist says he hasn’t even really started his growth spurt (really, doc? An inch in five weeks isn’t a spurt?), so we can expect him to get really tall in the next couple of years!

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You matter.  You matter. You matter.

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blogging in school holla 

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if you like curvy girls, then boy am i the one for you

#scoliosis

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Malamute with scoliosis using wheelchair via Eddie’s Wheels