If your child has recently been diagnosed with mild scoliosis, you have probably been given two options.
Option 1 is usually observation, which means that your child will attend check-up appointments every 6 months so that the doctor can track the progress of their condition. In other words, do nothing and wait for the size of the curve to increase. Scoliosis does tend to be a progressive condition, and an adolescent with scoliosis will usually get worse very quickly, especially if they still have lots of growing left to do.
So what’s option 2? Well, depending on your child’s age and the severity of their curve, they may be offered a scoliosis brace. Braces do vary, but they are usually hard, corset-style shells that must be worn for 23 hours a day in order to achieve the maximum benefit.
Wearing a scoliosis brace can be an effective way of preventing the curve’s progression, but only if used in combination with exercise. If the patient doesn’t exercise, bracing can lead to muscle wastage, and patients often flop back into their scoliotic posture once they’re out of the brace because certain muscles weren’t being used and are no longer able to support the spine.
ScolioGold: A Third Option
The specific scoliosis exercises taught here at Scoliosis SOS are geared towards strengthening the muscles surrounding the patient’s spine. Our ScolioGold exercise programme works extremely well in combination with bracing – not only does it help patients to keep their muscles strong in preparation for coming out of the brace, it also educates them and helps them to understand their condition, enabling them to help themselves going forward.
If your child has recently been diagnosed with scoliosis, please contact us today for advice and information on the treatment we provide.
