Management of Severe Spinal Scoliosis

During May of my sixth grade, I was running in track. I was an average sprinter, but I was having hip pains, which never abated. I stretched well, breathed correctly, paced myself, etc. I did everything right, but pains remained. I soon told my mother, who then took me to a local physician. The doctor examined me, and found that one leg was slightly shorter than the other, and that my spine was curved. I was given a referral to another doctor, one who was more experienced with scoliosis and the available treatments.

The new doctor examined the x-rays, saw the curvature in my spine, and promptly told my mother and I that bracing was the key to keeping the scoliosis under control. The estimated curvature was twenty degrees, and we were told that if the curves increased another ten degrees, I would have to have my spine surgically corrected. Wanting to prevent surgery, and trusting that bracing was the only option, I went to an orthopedist; and was fitted for a brace.

When I say brace, I don’t mean neoprene and bendable. I was fitted into a hard, unbending plastic brace. It was white in color and lightly lined on the inside. The inside of the brace was fitted with foam pads, to push my body and contort it, therefore helping to correct my spine. The brace covered my middle area, front and back. But, it also went between my shoulder blades, and over my upper buttocks. Three Velcro straps were fitted horizontally across the back of the brace, meaning I had to have my mother’s help to put it on. Not to mention, I had to be squeezed tight to a little mark on the straps, like a corset or small girdle.

My first thought was that the brace was no big deal. I’d wear it a couple hours a day, when I was home. I was wrong….very, very wrong. This dreadful brace was to be worn twenty-four hours a day. Okay, I thought, trying to be optimistic. Who’d notice the brace anyways? As I soon found out, everyone would notice. Though it was fitted to me, if I bent over, the back of the brace sticking out in a straight line. My butt was flattened like a pancake. I couldn’t bend over to tie my shoes. I had breathing troubles from the pressure put on my chest and ribs I couldn’t eat very much at a time, and my clothes didn’t fit anymore. My mom had to buy a new wardrobe for me because of the brace. My jeans size went from a 5 in juniors to 9 or 11. Being a self-conscious teen, I felt fat even though I knew otherwise. Feeling fat was the least of my troubles.

As I opened the door to my house, just returning from the orthopedist’s office, I began to cry. The brace was painful. I had huge red marks that outlined the brace on my body, which soon turned into blisters. Yet, I still had to wear the brace. I couldn’t squat to pick up items from the floor, so I had to ask for help or go through several motions to sit on the floor, pick up, and then do several more motions to return to a standing position. At school, some called me “the hunchback”, as the Disney movie was being shown in theaters. I had to ask friends to tie my shoes if they had gotten untied. Physical education class was difficult as well. My hipbones rubbed on the brace when I ran, causing patches of scratches. I couldn’t exert myself very much because of my new breath capacity. During warm ups I couldn’t do sit-ups because my stomach couldn’t bend. Moreover, when I started wearing the brace, it was practically summer, which meant heat and humidity. The constant contact with the brace combined with the summer elements made heat rash inevitable. Bracing definitely affected both my physical appearance and my emotions.

Though the brace aided in the decreasing of the degree of curvature in my spine, I hated the brace with a passion. There was a period when I stopped wearing it as much, which led to my refusing to wear it al all. The only adjustment made when I started seventh grade was that I could loosen the straps slightly in order to play basketball. (By then, I had adjusted to the brace enough that I could apply the brace by myself) I had to beg not to wear it during volleyball practice, but as soon as practice was over, the brace went back on. The pains never went away, I just dealt with them, eventually creating awful habits. For example, I began hunching over the front of the brace, giving me an alternative to sitting at 90-degree angles all the time. Though the name calling ended, I desperately wanted out of the brace. Because of my persistence in telling my parents that I wouldn’t and couldn’t face the humiliation any more, I was finally allowed to not wear the brace to school. By my eight-grade year, I was only wearing the brace for approximately twelve hours a day.

I wore a brace for four years, from seventh grade to my sophomore year in high school. It was during my sophomore year that I became familiar with AlignLife, through my volleyball club program. I was apprehensive about going at first, but because I went, my life has been forever changed. As a result of several conversations with Dr. Esposito, I discovered that I no longer had to wear the brace; there was an alternative called chiropractic care. I was taught about the nervous system and how it related to my situation. I no longer had to wear the brace or endure the pains associated with wearing it. Since being treated regularly, the pains went away, my self-confidence increased, and I’ve become a better person. I am greatly indebted to Health Solutions for the care it offers, the friends I’ve made, and the lessons I’ve learned and will forever share with others. Thanks guys, without you I don’t know what I would have done.

Janelle Wieseman