We hear the phrase all the time – scoliosis warriors. It is frequently used to describe the brave young women and men who are diagnosed with scoliosis, and you often hear and see it on social media, t-shirts, etc. Here at Scolios-us, we’ve even used the phrase. But it’s time we reconsider. Yes, you are Read more about No More Scoliosis Warriors | Changing Our Way Of Thinking[…]
Hi! I’m Rory, I found out I had scoliosis when I had just turned 17, back at the start of 2016. At the time I was in my final year of high school, and my friends and family had noticed that my right shoulder blade had been protruding abnormally (see hilarious school swimming carnival photo Read more about Rory Rides the Road[…]
Dancing Through Scoliosis | Autumn’s Journey Hi! My name is Autumn, and I am a 15-year-old ballerina with scoliosis. I was diagnosed at the age of 14 after my ballet teacher suspected that I might have scoliosis. After seeing an orthopedist, I was diagnosed with a moderately sized curve and was then was immediately fitted Read more about Dancing Through Scoliosis | Autumn’s Journey[…]
Rebuilding the Body & Mind Relationship Written by Megan Glahn Castille I am by no means a good skier. But, during my trip to Salt Lake City in January 2023, being a mediocre skier and tackling a black slope for the first time meant so much more than just that. To give you some background, Read more about Rebuilding the Body & Mind Relationship[…]
Spinal Anatomy…and Scoliosis! Written by Emma Yuguchi Your spine is extremely complex and in fact – pretty remarkable! Throughout my scoliosis journey, I was intrigued at the amazing complexity of the spine. Although scoliosis can sometimes be confusing, it was fascinating to learn a little bit more about the backbone of my body. I remember Read more about Spinal Anatomy…and Scoliosis![…]
Presentations for Scoliosis Warriors Heading Back to School Going back to school with your new scoliosis brace can be the perfect opportunity to teach your classmates about scoliosis! You might feel a little nervous going back to school with your brace, and that’s perfectly normal. Your classmates are probably curious about your brace, so giving Read more about Presentations for Scoliosis Warriors Heading Back to School[…]
The Unknowns: Controllables vs Uncontrollables Written by Annie Kramer At the age of 12, I was diagnosed with severe idiopathic scoliosis. Walking into a new school as a 6th grader had its challenges, especially with the additional challenge of my worsening spine. Before I knew it my doctors put me in a full-time hard shell Read more about The Unknowns: Controllables vs Uncontrollables[…]
A Long Journey from Anxiety to Gratitude Written by Marja Heinonen My daughter, Kaisa, was seven when she was diagnosed with scoliosis. She wore scoliosis braces for nine years, from seven to 16. I could have hardly imagined that the foremost emotions seventeen years later would be gratitude and pride. But those are the feelings Read more about A Long Journey from Anxiety to Gratitude[…]
Growing Up in a Brace By Kaisa Virolainen I was 7 years old when I was diagnosed with scoliosis in 2004. My scoliosis was juvenile (referring to childhood) and idiopathic (referring to unknown origin), and because I was so young, a brace was a more suitable option than a surgery. I would wear a brace, Read more about Growing Up in a Brace[…]
Let Them Play Sports! Addressing the Topic of Sports and Scoliosis The discovery of scoliosis or other spine structural changes often leads to a myriad of follow-up questions. Among them, discussion around the role of sports participation. Bottom line – let them continue to play sports! Let’s dig in a bit deeper. Today’s blog post Read more about Let Them Play Sports! Addressing the Topic of Sports and Scoliosis[…]
Mehta Casting Written by Pediatric RN, Sarah Tollison What is Mehta casting? Mehta casting is a series of casts that are changed every 2-3 months that gently straighten a child’s spine. The cast is made out of either plaster of paris or fiberglass and is shaped around their torso. There is a hole for their Read more about Mehta Casting[…]
Creating a Welcoming Environment for Your Scoliosis Patients When patients first enter our O&P offices, they are frequently already overwhelmed. Many have just found out about their scoliosis. Others have been being observed for years, but were just told that their curves have worsened. Emotions are high as they enter our office for their initial Read more about Creating a Welcoming Environment for Your Scoliosis Patients[…]
Tips for Heading Back to School We polled our scoli warriors to help get you ready to go back to school with your scoliosis brace! We asked them about different topics, and here are their responses: “If you feel like you want to hide your brace, you can wear your pants/shorts over your brace, then Read more about Tips for Heading Back to School from Fellow Bracers[…]
Dancing Through Scoliosis My name is Aika Takagi. I’m 13 years old. I wanted to share my scoliosis and dance journey. My scoliosis and dance journey are intertwined through my love for dance and pushing myself to do better in everything I do. When I was 11, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. Scoliosis is where Read more about Dancing Through Scoliosis[…]
Questions To Ask Your Orthotist Being measured and fit with your brace can be an overwhelming experience for lots of new bracers. You may forget to ask questions or not know what to ask. We’ve got you covered! Here is a list of questions to get you started. Brace Type and Function Is bracing commonly Read more about Questions To Ask Your Orthotist[…]
Evie’s Bracing Success When I was in 5th grade, my gymnastics coach first spotted my scoliosis. I was then diagnosed with around a 40° lumbar curve and 22° thoracic curve in my spine and was placed in a Boston brace that I wore 20 hours a day. I remember the first thing I did was Read more about Evie’s Bracing Success[…]
Lydia’s Curvy Journey My name is Lydia and I live in Columbia, South Carolina. My journey with scoliosis has been just as curvy as my back. It all started when I was in 5th grade with a routine back test during gym class. When I got out of the dressing room, I got a note Read more about Lydia’s Curvy Journey[…]
Megan’s Scoli Journey in Malaysia Hi, my name is Megan and I’m just a regular 16-year-old who lives in the south of Malaysia. I first found out I had scoliosis when I was 12/13-years-old when a doctor noticed I was standing a bit slouched. Fast forward half a year with all the appointments and chiropractor Read more about Megan’s Scoli Journey in Malaysia[…]
What Do We Know About What Causes Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis? HINT: It’s not caused by your child’s posture, backpack-carrying habits, or body mechanics Every so often, during my physical therapy evaluation with a family who has just discovered their teen has scoliosis, I will be asked the following set of questions: “Is it their posture Read more about What Causes Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis?[…]
National Scoliosis Center Uses iButton to Track Brace Wear Time in Patients Successful scoliosis treatment for teens and children who select bracing to help them avoid surgery primarily depends on two factors – competency of the medical care team and brace wearing compliance by the patient. One of the biggest challenges for parents and the Read more about National Scoliosis Center Uses iButton to Track Brace Wear Time in Patients[…]
Successful scoliosis treatment for teens and children who select bracing to help them avoid surgery primarily depends on two factors – competency of the medical care team and brace wearing compliance by the patient. One of the biggest challenges for parents and the care team is monitoring the actual brace wear time. That’s where the iButton comes in – the iButton accurately tracks brace wearing time.
Most patients prescribed wear time is 18-21 hours per day; however, getting them to achieve this level of wear time can be a real challenge. Some may say (or think) they are wearing their brace for the prescribed time, but they are actually coming up a few hours short. At National Scoliosis Center, we work with our patients’ orthopedic specialist to increase adherence to brace wear time by using an iButton. The iButton is a small ‘watch battery sized’ sensor device that is placed in a patient’s brace under a foam pad so the patient cannot feel it. Wear time data is downloaded during follow up appointments and displayed in an easy-to-read report. “The best thing about the iButton is that the patient, their family, and the medical care team can get a direct visual on how the patient is adhering to the prescribed brace schedule. The iButton gives us the most accurate reading,” says Kristian Christensen, Certified Orthotist at National Scoliosis Center.
The iButton can show a patient directly how well, or how poorly, they are wearing their brace. Generally speaking, the more hours a brace is worn, the more likely it will stop or slow curve progression. Conversely, insufficient wear time can result in curve progression. Orthotist Assistant Christen McAree reviewed the graphic report below and said, “You see a patient who ‘felt like’ she was wearing the brace full prescribed hours, with the only exception being for sleepovers. But we can see that missing a few hours here and there makes a big difference. Her actual average wear time [14 hours] is down and consequently, her curve went up.” The benefit of the iButton tracking in this case (and many others) is that both the patient and parent go home motivated to wear the brace.
“What we’ve found using the iButton is that the self-reported wear time is often 4-5 hours more than the actual wear time and, again, the key to successful bracing is brace adherence by the patient,” says Luke Stikeleather, Chief Orthotist and founder of National Scoliosis Center. The goal is to help motivate patients to improve their compliance and achieve successful non-operative treatment for their scoliosis.
National Scoliosis Center is an internationally recognized non-operative, scoliosis focused treatment center that offers Rigo Cheneau bracing, Schroth Physical Therapy, EOS Imaging, and support to patients.