Whether you’re taking your child to see a GP or an orthopaedic specialist, you’re going to have a lot of questions about scoliosis and the available treatment options. In this blog post, we’ll talk you through a range of scoliosis questions that you may wish to ask your doctor.
If you’ve just been diagnosed with scoliosis, there are a number of questions you can ask your doctor to help you gauge whether they’re offering you the right treatment plan. It’s important to ascertain their knowledge and experience with this condition before you go any further.
Not every GP will have an extensive understanding of scoliosis, particularly if they’ve never dealt with a spinal curve like yours before. If that’s the case, the GP might not be able to offer you the responses to your questions that a scoliosis specialist could.
Questions to Ask Your GP
Always be respectful towards your doctor, even if you decide not to pursue treatment with them. Try not to get upset or angry if you don’t agree with their assessment of your condition.
- Have you ever come across a scoliosis case like mine before?
Every case of scoliosis is different, so it’s possible that your GP hasn’t treated a case of scoliosis like yours before. Doctors who’ve been working with scoliosis for many years may have patient testimonials and evidence to show that the treatment approach they’re suggesting works for cases like yours.
- Will the treatment you’re suggesting help me achieve the results I want?
Each scoliosis patient has different expectations. Some people are most concerned with their appearance while others want to improve their mobility or flexibility. The treatment option that will help you achieve your desired results might not be the one that your doctor is prescribing. For example, a scoliosis brace can help to prevent your scoliosis curvature from getting worse, but if your main concern is your appearance, you might not want to wear a scoliosis brace all the time.
- What can I do to improve my chances of success?
With more active approaches to treatment, you might be able to improve your results by following a particular regime or plan accurately, or by doing extra activities at home to improve the effectiveness of your treatment. That’s certainly the case with our exercise-based therapy programme, which should be continued at home once you’ve left the clinic.
- What are my other options if I decide not to try the treatment you’re recommending?
If you’re nearing the end of your consultation and you’re not happy with how it’s going, it’s completely natural to wonder what your other options are. If your doctor has no other types of treatment for you to choose from, this could be a red flag. Even if the doctor genuinely doesn’t have any other treatment options lined up for you, they should be able to refer you to another doctor who can provide additional support and advice.
Seeking Specialist Help
If you feel like you’ve exhausted your doctor’s knowledge and haven’t got the answer you wanted, it might be time to look elsewhere. Doctors are great, but when it comes to complex conditions like scoliosis, you could be better off speaking to a specialist.
Here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, we’ll invite you to attend an hour-long initial scoliosis assessment with one of our specialist consultants. We can even conduct your initial consultation over the phone or via Skype if you have photos and/or X-rays of your back already.
Before recommending a treatment path, we take 2 measurements of your back: one to assess the rotation or kyphosis/forward bend in your spine, and a second photographic scan of your spine that analyses your back shape and profile. Then we’ll summarise our diagnosis, explain our proposed treatment plan and give you an idea of therapy timescales, plus the type of results you can expect to achieve.
Even if you attend one of our consultations, you’ll be under no obligation to pursue treatment with us. We want you to be empowered to make a choice about your spinal treatment and ultimately do what’s best for you.
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