We recently discovered that she has a 17 degree curvature to the spine. We took her to the specialist and the exam went well. He said that if the curve gets to 20 degrees they will have to brace her. What should I expect? Does anyone else have a child going through this?

We recently discovered that she has a 17 degree curvature to the spine. We took her to the specialist and the exam went well. He said that if the curve gets to 20 degrees they will have to brace her. What should I expect? Does anyone else have a child going through this?


My daughter was 8 when she was diagnosed w/scoliosis. She is now 14. We go to our ortho every 4-6 months for checkups. So far so good. It has just been a wait & see process. Sometimes her curve is better, sometimes worse, but at last check up it was around 10. We've stayed under the 25 mark our dr. gave us for the brace. When she was 8, they did do an MRI of her back to make sure there was nothing impeding the spine. This was because of her young age, so your dr may suggest it.

Thank you for responding money,

The orthopedic doctor who we were sent to see wasn’t actually a pediatric doctor so he referred us to Hopkins children center. I have mixed emotions as far as I do not want her to have to wear the brace but, if it does not correct the curvature then why wait until it gets worst to brace her?

From what I understand, this is very uncommon for children at this age to have scoliosis. Does that mean that she will be more at risk of having to have surgery when she gets older? Is there anything that I shouldn’t let her do? Sports, gymnastics? I’m sorry as I know that you may not have answers to these questions I am just very nerves.

The orthopedic doctor who we were sent to see wasn’t actually a pediatric doctor so he referred us to Hopkins children center. I have mixed emotions as far as I do not want her to have to wear the brace but, if it does not correct the curvature then why wait until it gets worst to brace her?

From what I understand, this is very uncommon for children at this age to have scoliosis. Does that mean that she will be more at risk of having to have surgery when she gets older? Is there anything that I shouldn’t let her do? Sports, gymnastics? I’m sorry as I know that you may not have answers to these questions I am just very nerves.

Our doc told us there was not a bigger risk for bracing or surgery due to DDs early age. Our doc also said there was nothing she needed to avoid. I think sports/activity are actually good to keep them physically fit, especially things that strengthen the core. I've read that yoga is helpful, but have not pursued that (but I bought the yoga for scoliosis dvd). Some people think chiropractors can help. I'm not sure about that and haven't gone that route either (I'm not against the idea, just haven't done it).

In terms of bracing, a brace needs to be worn until after puberty, when the bones are set. You wouldn't really want to put your daughter through that unless it was necessary. The braces they have now are much more subtle than the braces they had in my youth.

I understand your nerves. It is a tough diagnosis since you just sit back & wait. I breathe a huge sigh after every appointment we get through without talk of a brace. Of course, I also worry about future implications, am I doing the right thing sitting & waiting, etc., but I am grateful for the overall health of my child, and I know there are much worse things people are going through. It helps calm me a bit.

There are a lot of websites on the topic, you can google it.