Scoliosis Update

Monday Jim and I took Bekah for her three month check-up with the Orthopedic Doctor, x-ray in hand. We'd gone last week for a new film of her spine to compare with the first one taken months ago. Her curve has worsened be 2 degrees, now a 23 degree curve. Rebekah did the physical therapy and the exercises, but at this point we need to move to the next level of intervention. So now she will be needing to wear a brace.

According to the Doctor, Scoliosis is one condition which is almost impossible to predict. Whether the curve worsens or holds with the exercises alone is only seen with time. Now, a brace will not straighten the existing curve. The best it can do, and what we are praying for, is that it will arrest any further curvature and help her body to correct for the curve as she continues growing and her bones mature. Since she is asymptomatic- meaning she has no nerve impairment and her internal organs aren't affected by her spine- there is no reason to consider surgery. One can't really see the curve in her spine unless it's looked for. Her shoulders aren't level and her hips don't sit straight, but what teenager stands with perfect posture?

We have about three years of growth on our side waiting for her bones to mature. Every three months she will be checked by the Doctor and we'll evaluate her progress. Once we have the brace and she has gone through the first couple of weeks adjusting to it, Bekah will need to wear it for 23 hours a day. If that sounds long, well, it is. With summer beginning the news is particularly difficult simply because the heat here can get miserable- or so they tell us. She will be able to participate in most normal activities while in her brace, but swimming will need to wait for her one hour out each day.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated.