British teenager overcomes extremely curved spine to become a model !

Zoe Blenkinsop, 19, undergoes seven hours of surgery and years of bullying to stand tall. She now strides down the catwalk at British shows.

Zoe Blenkinsop is now fashion model after undergoing drastic surgery to correct her severely curved spine and to remove a protruding lump.

A British teenager who was bullied as a child after an agonizing spine condition left her with a hunched back and a severe limp has had the last laugh  — after landing a job as a catwalk model.


Zoe Blenkinsop, 19, from North Shields, has suffered scoliosis since childhood and was bullied throughout school because she had a lump which protruded from her back where her spine curved.


She would spend hours practicing her poses and catwalk runs but struggled as her curved spine, which left her with a limp, shattered her confidence.


When she was diagnosed with the condition at age 11, doctors said they could perform an operation on her, but she would have to wait until she had finished growing.

An x-ray of Zoe Blenkinsop’s spine shows her drastically curved back. Seven hours of surgery corrected the deformity and the British teenager now commands the catwalk.

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And now, after undergoing a gruelling seven-hour surgery, she is finally walking tall.


"I was always so conscious about my back because there was such a huge lump sticking out from it," she said.


"I never allowed anyone to take pictures of me because I didn't want them to see it. In PE (physical education) I would hide in a corner to get changed so that no one saw it as I was already being bullied.

"When I was told I could have the operation I was so happy, but I knew I had to wait a long time for it."

Zoe Blenkinsop, 19, after back surgery to correct her severe scoliosis. She is now a fashion model. 

 

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In July 2011 Zoe was finally able to go ahead with the operation and was in surgery for seven hours while they fitted metal rods to straighten her spine.


It took her a year to recover from the major surgery and she had to teach herself how to walk, sit and stand all over again.


Zoe is now able to live her dream of modelling and is no longer worried about what others think of her.


"I used to look at everyone else in school and think about when I would be normal like them," she said.

This x-ray, taken after Zoe Blenkinsop’s operation, shows the metal rods implanted to straighten her spine.


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"The pain would be horrible some days and I wasn't able to sit or stand for a long time. The only way to ease it was to lie down, which was pretty embarrassing. I felt like an old lady."


"Recovering from the operation took a long time," she said, "and it was really hard."


Scoliosis causes the spine to curve sideways and impacts about four percent of the population.


If left untreated it can lead to fatal heart and lung problems and damage mobility.


Treatment for the condition is usually a major operation which is very risky but is the most frequently used method.


Blenkinsop had her first taste of modelling success when she stepped on to the catwalk for Newcastle Fashion Week.


"Modelling has always been a dream of mine, but I never thought it was possible," she said. "I knew that standing and posing for shoots would be impossible and I would have been far too scared to walk down the catwalk with my limp."



Source : Daily News , 22nd Nov 2013

Researchers identify mechanism of brachial plexus injury in scoliosis surgery

Researchers in this study retrospectively analyzed pediatric patients who received distraction-based growing implants to treat early-onset scoliosis and identified the mechanism of injury for 4 patients with an intraoperative brachial plexus injury.

“Patients with Sprengel deformity appear to be at increased risk for brachial plexus injury when undergoing distraction-based spine instrumentation with rib anchors. Injury to the brachial plexus can occur with scapular elevation alone, presumably by direct compression of the superior end of the scapula on the brachial plexus,” Elizabeth R.A. Joiner, BS, and colleagues wrote in the study abstract. “Brachial plexus injuries may be ‘hidden’ during monitoring of an arm in shoulder abduction but symptomatic with shoulder adduction, as the brachial plexus is draped over the elevated first rib.”

Joiner and colleagues performed a single-center review of 41 pediatric patients who underwent scoliosis correction surgery with distraction-based growing implants with rib anchors between 2001 and 2011.

They found three mechanisms of injury associated with brachial plexus injuries that occurred 4 patients, which were “injury of the brachial plexus by the first rib being pushed superiorly by rib-anchored growing instrumentation, direct injury to the brachial plexus by the superior pole of the retracted scapula, and injury of the brachial plexus when the scapula was moved inferiorly during Sprengel deformity reconstruction,” according to the abstract. The last two mechanisms of injury were independent of spinal instrumentation, the researchers noted.

Two patients with a brachial plexus injury had neurological symptoms or neuromonitoring signal changes with their arm in an adducted position, but not when it was abducted, and all the patients recovered completely, according to the abstract.

Disclosure: One of the authors (Skaggs) received a consulting fee or honorarium from Biomet, Medtronic and BeachBody LLC.


Source : Healio , 21st Nov 2013

'I was terrified I'd become a hunchback': Teenager, 18, overcomes agonising spine condition to become a model

Leanne Roberts, 18, has scoliosis which makes her spine S-shaped

It caused her severe pain every time she moved and damaged her confidence

Doctors said she'd need a risky 12-hour operation to straighten her spine

Turned down the surgery as she thought it would end her modelling career

Instead, she found relief in exercises specially designed to strengthen the muscles around her spine

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A teenager who was terrified of becoming ‘a hunchback’ because of her misshapen spine has achieved her dream of becoming a model.


Leanne Roberts, 18, suffers from severe scoliosis which makes her spine curved.
The schoolgirl would spend hours in front of a mirror attempting to improve her posture.

Leanne Roberts, 18, has scoliosis which causes her spine to bend in an S-shape. It caused her severe pain when she moved and she feared she would end up in a wheelchair.

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When she was diagnosed with the condition at 16, doctors told her she would need a 12-hour operation and she feared it would end her dreams of becoming a successful model.

Scoliosis causes the spine to excessively curve sideways. The condition affects around four per cent of the population and if left untreated it can lead to fatal heart and lung problems.

Current treatment techniques centre on having major operations, which are risky procedures involving metal rods being inserted either side of the spine.

Doctors told Leanne that she would need a risky 12-hour operation to correct the curvature in her spine (pictured) but she refused to have the surgery as she thought it would end her chances of being a model..


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Instead, she turned to a non-surgical treatment to improve her condition, and has stunned medics with her remarkable progress.


Leanne of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: ‘It was awful how much time I would spend crying and I was terrified of what would happen to me when I was first diagnosed.


‘I was paranoid I would end up looking awful and would end up in a wheelchair.’
Leanne, who often modelled in fashion catalogues, has a double S-shaped curved spine.



Leanne has now found relief from the pain in her back by doing exercises to strengthen the muscles around her spine


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She first noticed aching pains when she was 14, but put them down to growing pains.
It was only when she started to suffer agonising sharp pains during photo shoots that she mentioned it to her mother and went to see her GP.


She was told by a consultant she would need surgery but instead discovered a clinic called Scoliosis SOS on the internet. The idea is that various exercises can strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine, stabilising the condition.


Leanne said: ‘I was ecstatic and I couldn’t wait to start the treatment. I think everyone should consider exercise before putting themselves through a risky operation.


‘I could feel the difference in my back after the first few days, and I could see the difference.


‘As long as I keep up with the exercises I shouldn’t suffer from pain and my scoliosis should stabilise. I feel like I am back in control again.’


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'I lost interest in everything and I had no quality of life at all. I had gone from being really confident in my body to wanting to hide away at every opportunity. As long as I keep up with the exercises I shouldn’t suffer from pain and my scoliosis should stabilise. I feel like I am back in control again'

- Leanne Roberts 

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The condition is likely to get worse, but Leanne has thrown herself back into modelling regardless.


She said: ‘I am so happy now - it's remarkable how far I have come. I was in constant pain on a daily basis and my whole world had fallen apart.

‘I lost interest in everything and I had no quality of life at all. I had gone from being really confident in my body to wanting to hide away at every opportunity.

‘I feel I can now finally look forward.’


A spokesman for Scoliosis SOS said: ‘Leanne decided our treatment could not do any harm and if it worked it could change her life.


‘Within weeks of being on the course, Leanne’s condition dramatically improved. She was no longer lying awake at night with pain and her confidence soared.


‘Since completing her treatment, Leanne has returned home and has been able to shop and feel confident in her clothes again for the first time in months.


‘She has regained all of her passion for life and has bounced back to her normal, fit and sociable self. She has also re-started her modelling career and is very excited about what the future holds.’

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WHAT IS SCOLIOSIS AND WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF THE CONDITION?

1.Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine in an S-shape.


2.Signs include a visible curve in the spine, one shoulder or hip being more prominent than the other, clothes not handing properly and back pain.


3.Pain usually only affects adults with the condition.


4.In most cases, the cause of the scoliosis is not known but it can be caused by cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.


5.In the UK, scoliosis affects three to four children could of every 1,000.

6.It is also thought that as many as 70 per cent of over 65s have some degree of scoliosis.


7.It is more common in women than in men.


8.Most children with the condition do not require treatment as it is mild and corrects itself as the child grows.



9.However, in severe cases the child may need to wear a back brace until they stop growing.


10.Occasionally, a child needs surgery to straighten their spine.

11.In adults, it is usually too late to treat the condition with a back brace or surgery so treatment revolves around reducing pain.

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Source: Mail Online ( Health ) , Via NHS Choices ; 4 Nov 2013

Scoliosis Systems Highlights Research Showing Elastic Tension Bracing is as Effective as Hard Bracing

Scoliosis Systems, a specialist in the non-surgical treatment of scoliosis, offers patients a flexible, dynamic Spinecor tension brace that research has shown to be as effective in treating the curvature of the spine and traditional hard braces. This treatment approach is completely different to that of traditional three-point pressure rigid braces. It is the first and only true dynamic bracing system for idiopathic scoliosis.








This Spinecor uses a corrective movement principle which has been shown to help reduce the scoliosis curvature even after the brace has been removed. Through the use of elastic tension bands, Spinecor helps reeducate muscles and allows the force of gravity to permanently influence the growing spine. In adults, Spinecor can effectively reduce pain and fatigue, and improve postural control, thereby effectively reducing the degree of curvature even without affecting the shapes of the spinal bones.


The unique approach to treatment by global postural re-education has been shown to give progressive correction over time which, unlike any previous brace treatment, is extremely stable post brace weaning.


The dynamic tension brace option is also a more comfortable and less intrusive means of treating scoliosis. Spinecor allows patients to take the brace off for up to four hours a day, it offers total freedom of movement, can be well concealed by clothing and is cool to wear. Clinical experience to date also shows better compliance and cosmetic results.


To learn more about this effective scoliosis treatment and to find a doctor, visit www.scoliosissystems.com.


About Scoliosis Systems:


Dr. Lamantia, Dr. Deutchman and Dr. Brett Diaz are founding members of the International Society of Scoliosis Orthopedic Rehabilitation (SOSORT) and are the world's experts in alternative Scoliosis treatment for both children and adults. They make themselves available in 15 regional centers throughout the United States, seeing all scoliosis patients personally. They designed the S.T.A.R.T. Smart program to reduce and stabilize Scoliosis using a flexible dynamic brace, specially designed exercises and breathing techniques. Patients and families are given the tools and information necessary to live successfully with Scoliosis, while avoiding the need for rigid braces or surgery.



Source :  Prleap

Top Scoliosis Surgeon and Orthotics Technician Visit HMC

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Top French orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michel Onimus from France recently visited Hamad Medical Corporation 's ( HMC ) Orthopedic Department, and is accompanied on the present visit by Orthotics Technician Mr. Francois Dubousset. Dr. Onimus has been regularly visiting HMC since 1999 as part of HMC 's efforts to provide local patients with top expertise and enable them to avoid the need to travel abroad for specialized care.

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From left, Mr. Francois Dubousset and Dr. Michel Onimus



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Hosting visiting physicians and surgeons such as Dr. Onimus also promotes exchange of expertise and continuing education for medical residents.



Currently Honorary Professor of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery in Besancon University in France, Dr. Onimus visits HMC three or four times a year to conduct surgery and consult with patients on a fixed appointment basis. He is planning to return in February 2014. "Usually I come in June when we have many children who can then undergo surgery without it interfering with their school time," said Dr. Onimus, who in addition to routine cases of scoliosis in children, also performs surgery on complicated and rare cases.

Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. It can be congenital, idiopathic (of unknown cause), or caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. About 1-5 per 1,000 children worldwide have spinal deformities, said Dr. Onimus. Severe scoliosis can be disabling. "When we are treating spinal deformities especially in children, there is no easy surgery. The orthotic treatment, or treatment using braces, for scoliosis is a conservative treatment that is very important because in many cases especially in small children, braces can be sufficient to prevent the spinal curve from progressing, and to avoid the need for surgery," said Dr. Onimus, who added that Mr. Dubousset will provide his expertise to help develop the orthotics services at Hamad General Hospital.




Dr. Onimus sees between 80 and 100 patients in the clinics during each visit to HMC , and operates on several major and complicated cases of children with spinal deformities, according to Dr. Alaa Zakout, Spine Specialist at HMC . "Our collaboration with Dr. Onimus is part of our efforts to develop our department, particularly services for patients with spine problems. We are aiming for more specialization so we can continue to provide the best care possible for our patients."



Dr. Zakout said the department is now starting to do research on spine problems in adults. One of the research studies involves comparing fixation methods to treat spine fractures, and another study analyzes cases where patients went abroad and came back with complications. "People usually go abroad thinking they can get better service. However, many of these cases return with complications or their operations were not done properly, and so there is increased interest in developing spine surgery locally."





About HMC :


Hamad Medical Corporation ( HMC ) is the principal public healthcare provider for the State of Qatar. The Corporation manages eight hospitals along with further specialist clinical, educational and research facilities, and is growing in capacity each year around the diverse needs of the evolving population. HMC 's ambition is to become an academic health system; a world leading center of excellence in clinical care, medical education and research that transforms into significant clinical advancements.



HMC believes in excellence in healthcare, education and research with each supporting the other to provide world-class quality patient care in a safe and healing environment.



As well as four general hospitals situated in the most densely populated areas of Qatar, HMC also manages four specialist hospitals, looking after patients with the most prevalent conditions, including cancer, heart conditions, rehabilitation, and a hospital providing specialist treatment for women. HMC also operates the national Ambulance Service and a home healthcare service.



The Corporation was the first public healthcare system outside the United States to achieve Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation for all hospitals simultaneously. JCI accreditation is based on quality and safety across all clinical and management functions.



HMC is also the first hospital system in the Middle East to achieve institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education - International (ACGME-I), which demonstrates excellence in the way medical graduates are trained through residency, internship and fellowship programs.


www.hamad.qa
For more information, please contact:
Joan Pauline Acevedo at jacevedo@hmc.org.qa
Corporate Communications Department
Hamad Medical Corporation



 
Source : Zawya , 20th October 2013

Scoliosis Can Hit Well Past Adolescence

On a family trip to the Grand Canyon three summers ago, my son Erik, who was hiking behind me, remarked, “Mom, your right hip is higher than your left.”

“I know,” I replied, promptly dismissing this observation. But it returned to haunt me many months later, when I had two related realizations: My left pant legs were now all too long, and I had shrunk another inch.

Diagnosis: Adult-onset scoliosis, an asymmetrical curvature of the spine that, if unchecked, could eventually leave me even shorter and more crooked, disabled by an entrapped spinal nerve, and dependent on a walker to maintain my balance.

Determined to minimize further shrinkage and to avoid pain and nerve damage, I consulted a physiatrist who, after reviewing X-rays of my misshapen spine, said the muscles on my right side, where the spinal protrusion is, were overdeveloped relative to the left. He prescribed a yoga exercise — a side plank — to strengthen the muscles on the left and exert enough of a tug on my spine to keep it from protruding farther to the right. He suggested that the exercise might even straighten the curve somewhat.

I’ve been doing this exercise, along with two others suggested by a physical therapist, every day for the last eight months. The therapist also told me to have heel lifts put in or on all my left shoes to help even out my hips and shoulders. While it is too soon to say whether there has been a significant reduction of my spinal curve, it has definitely not worsened and, unless my mirror lies, I look less lopsided.

Although scoliosis is generally thought of as a problem of adolescents, who often require bracing or surgery to correct the curvature, the condition is actually far more prevalent in older adults. In a study by orthopedists at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn of 75 healthy volunteers older than age 60, fully 68 percent had spinal deformities that met the definition of scoliosis: a curvature deviating from the vertical by more than 10 degrees.

Previous studies had reported a prevalence of scoliosis in older adults of up to 32 percent. These reviews may have included adults who were younger than those in the Brooklyn study, whose average age was 70.5 and who had no pain or impairment related to their spinal condition.

Whichever is the real rate, the prevalence of scoliosis in adults is high and expected to increase as the population ages. The most common underlying cause of spinal deformities arising in midlife or later is the degeneration of the discs between vertebrae and sometimes of the vertebrae themselves.

Unlike scoliosis in youth, which afflicts many more girls than boys, adult-onset scoliosis affects men and women in roughly equal proportions. Some had scoliosis as children; it had stabilized, only to progress again gradually as advancing age took its toll on the spine. But the vast majority of adults with scoliosis had normal spines in their youth.

A misshapen body is the least serious consequence of scoliosis. It can result in disabling pain in the buttocks, back or legs, and neuropathy, a disruption of feeling and function when a spinal nerve is compressed between vertebrae. Neuropathy must be treated without delay to prevent nerve death and a permanent loss of function.

While there are no surefire ways to prevent all cases of adult scoliosis, certain conditions that are preventable increase the chances it will develop. One is being overweight or obese, and another is smoking. A third cause is a lack of physical fitness, resulting in weak core muscles of the trunk.

Other risk factors include the wear-and-tear of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, a thinning and weakening of the bones that can cause the vertebrae to break down and compress unevenly. People who undergo spinal surgery to remove tissue pressing on nerves sometimes develop spinal imbalance. A spinal injury that deforms vertebrae can also lead to scoliosis.

Typically, adults don’t seek treatment for scoliosis until they develop symptoms, the most common of which are lower back pain, stiffness and numbness, cramping or shooting pain in the legs. Those affected often lean forward to try to relieve the pressure on affected nerves.

Others with scoliosis may lean forward because they lose the natural curve in their lower back. This compensating posture, in turn, can strain the muscles in the lower back and legs, causing undue fatigue and difficulty performing routine tasks.

Exercises that strengthen core muscles — those of the abdomen, back and pelvis — help to support the spine and can reduce the risk of developing scoliosis, as well as prevent or minimize its symptoms.


Demonstrations of core exercises that can be done at home, with or without an exercise ball, are easily found online.

As many of you know, I am a swimmer, and my physical therapist insisted that I add the backstroke to my daily workout in the water, both to further strengthen my core and to develop upper back and shoulder muscles that will keep me from becoming bent forward as I age.

I soon discovered that the backstroke is more challenging than freestyle, and in doing it for half of my 40-minute swim, I’ve lost weight as well as gotten stronger.

Most people who develop symptoms of scoliosis can be treated effectively with over-the-counter pain medication and exercises to increase strength and flexibility. Bracing is not recommended for adult scoliosis because it can further weaken core muscles.

Surgical treatment is reserved for those with disabling symptoms not relieved by noninvasive remedies. Surgery often involves spinal fusion to relieve pressure on the affected nerves. It is riskier in adults than in adolescents with scoliosis; complication rates are higher and recovery is slower, according to the Scoliosis Research Society.

But progress is being made in developing less invasive measures, including the use of biologic substances that stimulate bone growth in degenerated vertebrae.



Source : The New York Times ( Well Blogs ) , 21st October 2013

Are Pedicle Screws Best for Scoliosis Surgery?

A study published in the October issue of Spine evaluates whether adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with pedicle screws have fewer readmissions when compared with patients who receive hybrid constructs.

The study examined 627 patients in a prospective multi-center database that was retrospectively queried to identify consecutive patients who underwent posterior spinal fusion for AIS.  The researchers found:

•    Reoperation rate among pedicle screw patients was 3.5 percent, compared with 12.6 percent in the hybrid group.


•    Early return to the OR was 2 percent among the pedicle screw group versus 9.2 percent among the hybrid group.


•    Longer operating time was an independent risk factor for an unplanned return to the operating room among pedicle screw patients.


•    The majority of returns to the operating room among the pedicle screw group were in less than 60 days, while the hybrid group had most of the returns 60 days after surgery.



Source : Becker's Spine Review , 30th September 2013