Keeping things "straight"......

Kayla, Kayla, Kayla...... That is mostly all that I think about lately.

As most of you have heard, Kayla was diagnosed with a pretty severe case of idiopathic scoliosis this month. Her spine is curved to 36 degrees. Kayla's orthopedic surgeon has recommended that she wears a brace until
a) she stops growing
b) her curve degree gets to around 45. (At that point, surgery must be done)

The doctor has explained to us that Kayla wearing a brace is going to be pretty much a last "ditch effort" before we begin to talk surgery. He has also informed us that the chances of the brace actually helping Kayla at this point, are pretty low.

Below is an x-ray. IT IS NOT OF KAYLA. I found one online of a person that also has a 36 degree curve....just to give you an idea of what it looks like:



I have been researching scoliosis as much as possible. There are several types of braces that can be worn. The first one that Kayla's doctor has recommended is called the "Boston Brace."



Kayla would have to wear this particular brace everyday, until she is finished growing. On a scale of 0-4...the doctor told me that Kayla's growth is between a 1 and 2...so she does have some more growing to do. He is guessing about 1 year worth. When she is finished growing, if her curve stayed below 40 degrees, then she would not need any surgery.

This brace has to be worn 16 hrs a day. She does not need to wear it during colorguard either. (Music to her ears!!)

The brace is a hard plastic that has cushion on the inside. The doctor told us that it does not hurt when worn, but is not very comfortable. This brace does not correct scoliosis either....Its job is to just basically hold Kayla in place and not let her spine bend any further. The doctor also said that the chances of this brace working are very slim.

The next brace is called a "Spinecor Brace." This particular brace is well known by chiropractors for several years now, and over the past few years has been approved in the medical field.



This brace has to be worn 20 hrs everyday for 18 mos. As you can see, you can move around in it much easier. There is some physical therapy involved, and Kayla can wear this brace during colorguard....in fact, the spinecor group highly recommends that their patients are involved in some sort of dance classes. Their philosophy regarding bracing is somewhat different then most braces. Spinecor believes that the spine should be free to move, working with the muscles.

Kayla and I really like this brace. It seems more comfortable, and studies have shown that not only can it keep the spine from bending further, it can actually straighten it out. Only problem? Kayla's back may be too far curved at this point.

I guess only time will tell the outcome. As of right now, I believe that we are going to go with the spinecor brace. Kayla gets fitted for it next week. She will then be x-rayed once a month to check and see how her spine is doing.

Please pray for Kayla. We do not want her to have to go through the back surgery.

We will keep you posted :)

Also, here is a link in case any of you would like to read more about Spinecor

http://www.spinecorporation.com/