Scoliosis

Katek They said it was possible that there could also be problems with her heart, kidneys, liver etc as they were all formed at the same time and that the curvature could get worse as she grew, especially as she reached puberty. Yes they did scans (at another hospital as they were overburdened). When they got there they were told they too were short of staff due to the bad weather (snow). They insisted as they had had a long difficult journey to get there. However, as I described, the hospital did not inform the parents about the result of those scans or offer them any advice. In fact all the contact they have had with specialists after the very early evaluation has been instigated by the parents who have then had very long waits for an appointment.

silverlining - We have done such checks and her dad can see the slight curve but to be honest I never have from when she was born to the present day! I remember being checked this way myself, at school as a young teenager, one of the many things school doctors and nurses (and dentists) did for us. Progress eh?!

If your gd has been discharged would assume all is well. Scoliosis is more common in girls so a quick way of checking backs is to get the child to bend over,knees straight, and touch their toes. If there is a problem you will see a difference in the shoulder blades, both sides should look balanced, but if there is an obvious difference get it checked.

I’m unsure what you mean by “they always seemed to describe a worst case scenario to cover themselves”. Can you explain a little more?

Thanks for your advice. Her dad has already looked at the Scoliosis Society which is helpful. She has visited scoliosis specialists in the past but he is now a little unwilling to refer to medics as they always seemed to describe a worst case scenario to cover themselves. She was discharged after her last appointment (which took nearly a year to get) but at a visit to her GP for an infection her parents discovered that information about a slight hole in her heart was not passed on to them. There has still not been any communication from the Children's Hospital about this despite several phone calls. I think DS has lost faith in them since then!

There is no obvious sign of her scoliosis so far and she is a fit, and active little girl who loves dance, sport and gymnastics. I personally think all this is keeping her strong and flexible. Of course we keep an eye on her back and anything that suggests any related problems (such as her heart) but it is so easy to forget that she has any problem at all.

I agree with MOnica the girl needs medical advice and preferably by an orthopaedic consultant who specialises in scoliosis. A lot will depend on where you live.

Why not speak to your GP or get a referral back to the consultant? For something as critical to the child as back care, the only advice I would take on this is medical advice.

There is a scoliosis society which we found helpful. Good idea to discuss with them and/or get medical advice. Best to be careful of hard landings on hard surfaces, as i recall no bungee jumping or horse riding, road running etc but gym on soft mats should be ok. Makes for flexibility. It’s a worry I know but if your granddaughter wants to go ahead encourage her but keep an eye on her back.