Scoliosis didn’t stop Burlison’s pursuit of dreams

Florala’s Tiffany Burlison hasn’t let scoliosis stop her from achieving her goals.

She said she knew she would have to work harder to keep up with others.

Throughout her life, Burlison said she had difficulties with physical activities and needed orthopedic surgery.

“I have had scoliosis my whole life,” she said. “But I haven’t let it stop me. There is a limit on what I can do, but I am determined to never give up.”

Burlison graduated with a 96.9 grade point average from Florala High School and decided to pursue a certificate in culinary arts at LBWCC.

Having received assistance over the years from the Department of Rehabilitation Services, Burlison also benefitted from assistance in college including housing at Saints Hall and other items needed for culinary school.

“I started cooking in high school and it was something I liked to do,” she said. “From high school, I wanted to learn a little more.”

At LBW, Burlison excelled in the classroom and received a recommendation from the instructor.

Burlison stood out in baking and pastry making.

“I love to bake cakes and cookies,” she said.

Today, she works at Andalusia Country Club, thanks to a on-the-job training program through vocational rehab.

“I get to help make desserts sometimes,” she said. “But I make them often at home.”

She’s been working at the country club for more than a year, honing her skills in the kitchen.

“It’s been different, and I have learned a lot,” she said. “Mainly how to work as a team and how to run events.”

Country Club Manager Derrick Burgan said he’s enjoyed working with Burlison.

“She is diligent in her duties and has a really strong work ethic,” he said.

Burlison said she has hopes of one day attending a larger culinary school, where she would like to focus on baking.



Source: Andalusiastarnews, 22nd Oct 2015

BC Children’s Hospital uses innovative procedure to correct scoliosis on 12-year-old girl

Young patients are benefiting from an innovative procedure at BC Children’s Hospital.





Traditional surgeries to correct scoliosis, an often crippling back condition, are effective but come with serious side-effects.

“I was kinda scared, ’cause I didn’t want my back to get all squished together and stuff,” says Nia Misiak, a 12-year-old who has been meeting with doctors at the hospital.

At first she and her parents thought she just had a sore back, but as the pain worsened she went to a doctor and was eventually diagnosed with scoliosis.

Scoliosis occurs in one to two per cent of the population, and of that about two of every thousand patients need surgery.
Because Misiak’s spine is still growing, BC Children’s Hospital has chosen not to fuse her spine. Instead, doctors will tether it, allowing her to maintain range of motion.

“We’ll make three to five small incisions on her chest and put a camera in. And with the camera we’re going to be putting screws in the bodies. And then we lay this tether on the outside of that,” says Dr. Firoz Miyanji.

Misiak’s surgery takes place next week.



Source: Global News , 23rd Oct 2015

Patients have to wait 3 years for spinal surgery at AIIMS

Patients have to wait for around three years for corrective surgery for spinal deformity at the country’s premier health institute, AIIMS. Lack of adequate infrastructure and specialised hands to perform surgeries are the main reasons behind the long waiting period, AIIMS trauma centre neurosurgeon Sumit Sinha says.

The centre treats around 700 patients with spinal deformity annually and those that need surgeries are given dates after three years. “At AIIMS, there are only a few specialists who have expertise in conducting corrective surgeries for spinal deformity and which lead to a long waiting period. Apart from a lack of adequate experts, a large turnout of patients at AIIMS for treatment is another major reason for the long waiting period. In the absence of proper health facilities, a lot of patients are referred to AIIMS for specialised treatment,” Dr Sinha says.

He advised that early detection and treatment is key to curing spinal deformity. “Spinal deformity can lead to a simple problem in walking straight to a complicated neurological problem,” he said.

Dr Sinha said that to reduce the long waiting period, AIIMS has decided to expand the existing facilities. “The AIIMS authority has approved opening of a dedicated spine centre to treat patients with spinal problem like deformity or other medical spinal complications. More beds have also approved for patients suffering from spine problems,” he added.

For more accurate spinal surgeries, AIIMS is in the process of acquiring robots. “Robotic surgeries are more accurate and AIIMS is in the process of acquiring robots to perform surgery. One robot system will cost between Rs 15 to 20 crore,” said Dr Sinha.

He was speaking on the sidelines of AIIMS’ annual spine workshop attended by spinal surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons from across the country and abroad.

The workshop focused on training spinal surgeons about safe spinal surgery practices and spinal instrumentation techniques. It aimed to cover a wide variety of operative procedures including live surgeries and treatment of various spinal diseases.




Source: The Asian Age , 23rd Oct 2015

Danbury Holds Yoga For Scoliosis Workshop

A yoga for scoliosis workshop will be conducted from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 at Yoga Culture in Danbury.




Rebecca Heiden will lead a yoga for scoliosis class Oct. 25

This class is for students of all levels with any type of scoliosis, including students who have had corrective surgery with rod implementation and/or spinal fusion. Students will gain valuable experience addressing their specific type of scoliosis.

This class will be led by Rebecca Heiden, a “scoli yogi” herself, who had corrective surgery in 1980, consisting of Harrington rod implementation and spinal fusion.

The class will cover:

• Anatomy and physiology of scoliosis.
  
• The four most common patterns of scoliosis.
  
• Psychological and social implications associated with having scoliosis.
  
• Postures and individualized postural modifications to address the student’s specific scoliotic pattern, which may help to reduce progression of the curvature, reduce pain and discomfort that often accompanies scoliosis and perhaps even bring some correction to the curvature.
  
  
• How to use props to specifically address scoliotic pattern.

The cost of the class is $55, and SuperPass members get a 15 percent discount to $46.75.

Heiden has trained with and has certification in yoga for scoliosis from Elise Browning Miller, a senior Iyengar instructor and world-renowned yoga for scoliosis expert.

Prior to class, Heiden will contact each student for a brief spinal history to ensure proper and individualized attention can be paid to each student.

Click here for more information or to sign up for the class.

Yoga Culture is at 105 Mill Plain Road, Danbury.



Source : Danburydailyvoice, 20th Oct 2015

Scoliosis can affect babies, too

 

C J MUNIZ, 9 months old, is wearing the first of several body casts he will need in the hopes of correcting his infantile scoliosis. The cast is uncomfortable and keeps the baby from being able to sit up. C.J.’s case was severe and, because his spine was pressing on his internal organs, dangerous. His parents, Heather and Carl Muniz, thought scoliosis was only something that affected teenagers, and want other parents to know what to look out for in their young children


C.J. Muniz is only 9 months old, but he has already endured a lot and more lies ahead. The McComb boy has infantile scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that has pressed on his internal organs.


The baby, the son of Heather and Carl Muniz of McComb, is now in a full body cast, the first of at least three he will have to wear before undergoing further treatment. It means he cannot sit up and it’s hard for him to sleep.


Heather Muniz said the curvature of her son’s spine measured at 23 degrees at his first X-ray, but progressed to 41.9 degrees at a later doctor’s appointment and then 45 degrees.


Because the curvature is so severe, C.J.’s spine is pushing on internal organs, including his lungs, which caused further medical issues, his mother said.


She had associated scoliosis with teenagers, and had no idea it also happened in infants until her son was diagnosed. She wanted to share her family’s story to raise awareness.


“This is not only happening in teenagers,” she said.


But because it is fairly rare in infants, even a lot of doctors don’t know about it and don’t think to look for it, she said. C.J. had seen a doctor and a chiropractor before his diagnosis, both of whom missed it. He had been having breathing problems, but the connection to his spine wasn’t spotted.


When C.J. was 6 and a half months old and started sitting up, his family noticed something was wrong.
“He would lean to one side,” Heather said.


Also, his head was at a tilt.


At that point the doctor recommended an X-ray for scoliosis and when the diagnosis was confirmed, they referred the family to a specialist at ProMedica Toledo Children’s Hospital.


The diagnosis came Aug. 31, when C.J. was a little over 7 months old. The first doctor’s appointment was “very emotional,” Heather said. Doctors were worried about how pronounced the degree of curvature was. X-rays showed that the curvature was pushing on the baby’s lungs and he was referred to a lung specialist in Toledo. Other internal organs are also affected, including his heart.


C.J. must go through treatments with a breathing machine daily.


He was put into his first full-body cast on Oct. 1. He will wear it for six weeks, then will be out of the cast for a week to allow his skin to heal, then put into another body cast. The process will be repeated at least two more times, after which he will be fitted for a brace.


The cast reduces his spine to a curvature of only 11 degrees, which takes the pressure off of his lungs and allows him to breathe better. However, because the spine is flexible there is a concern that when the cast is taken off the curvature could come back, so the prognosis is uncertain. Heather said it’s possible that he might need “growth rods” put into his back around age 3 or 4.


Each time they put on a cast, C.J. must undergo anesthesia. The process of putting on the first one took a little over an hour.


The family learned they would have to make more trips to Toledo than they had thought, because C.J. must also go through physical therapy on his neck. Because his head had tilted to the right for some time, he will need physical therapy to stretch the neck muscles on the other side.


But the doctors told the family they are lucky C.J.’s scoliosis was caught when it was. Otherwise, the fact that his spine is pushing on his internal organs would have been life-threatening.


If it weren’t caught, “by the age of 1 and a half, he would not be here,” Heather said.

The cause of the scoliosis is unknown.


Heather said the prognosis isn’t certain. The doctor’s plan is to put C.J. into castings and braces “and hope that they work.” But if they don’t, he may need surgery, she said.


Heather said her baby is often in pain and discomfort, which they use ibuprofen to relieve.
“Nighttime’s the worst,” she said.

 

She said it’s also difficult if the family goes out, for example to a restaurant. C.J.’s cast prevents him from being able to sit up.
“I know he wishes he could sit and he can’t,” Heather said.

Lifting the baby up is trickier because his parents can’t just pick him up under the arms, but must work around the cast.


“This has all been so emotional,” Heather said.

Big sister Emma, who is 8, found it especially emotional at first. Heather said Emma takes good care of her little brother. Since C.J. can’t sit up, Emma will get down on the floor to be with him.
“They lay on the floor together and play with toys,” Heather said.
 

Heather stays at home with C.J. and Carl works at Findlay Products Corp. Carl plays with his son when he gets home from work “and consoles him,” and during the day other family also stop by. Heather’s mother and sister live next door, and Heather’s grandmother has also come to help with C.J.
“He is our pride and joy,” she said.


Heather said she and her husband, whom she called “truly amazing,” have become closer through the experience. A good friend has also been by her side.

Heather said the support of family and friends has helped. The family is also strengthened by their faith and by prayer. They attend St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church.

Heather and C.J. have been sleeping in a recliner, as C.J. will not sleep in his crib because it is too uncomfortable. Even getting him dressed and diapered is a challenge, and the cast is heavy, Heather said.
 

C.J.’s parents can’t give him a bath. He must wear two diapers overlapping each other, because of the placement of the cast.

But C.J.’s lung issues have improved somewhat. He occasionally has episodes of problems breathing but these are not as frequent.

The family has health insurance. They are still uncertain how much medical expenses are going to add up to beyond insurance, but the brace he must get following his cast will be expensive. Also, they expect to spend a significant amount of money on gas as they will have to drive back and forth to Toledo several times a week. A GoFundMe account to raise money for these expenses has been created and more information is at https://www.gofundme.com/3b63hwnk.

Heather said the family is considering creating a walk to raise awareness during June, which is scoliosis awareness month, with the hope of maybe raising money toward research to determine why it happens at such a young age.

“I just really hope that more doctors take a look into things like this,” Heather said.



Source : The Courier , 20th Oct 2015

Boise Chiropractor: Treating Scoliosis and Correcting Deformed Spines With Great Precision

Over three million Americans suffer from Scoliosis, a condition which is defined as an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. This spinal deformity can result in discomfort, pain and other health issues.

 

The Ideal Spine Health Center headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, in partnership with an Australian based scoliosis research center, has devised a corrective and highly successful treatment plan involving advanced chiropractic care and the ScoliBrace. Unlike most treatment plans short of surgery, this particular approach has been met with extreme success.

Developed by Australian chiropractor Dr. Jeb McAviney in conjunction with research and input from Dr. Deed Harrison, this specific brace works by helping align the spine with great precision at specific points with calculated pressure.  When applied correctly and combined with specific chiropractic care and other exercises, this course of treatment will give scoliosis sufferers a real solution to correcting their spinal deformities without the need for invasive surgery.

"Through years of research and study, Dr. McAviney and I have devised the most significant advancement in scoliosis treatment to date," says Dr. Deed Harrison, Chiropractic BioPhysics® co-founder and clinical director at the Ideal Spine Health Center. "Whereas before scoliosis treatment was a bit vague and yielded no significant results, today we are proud to introduce patients to a viable and highly effective solution to correct spinal deformities with great precision and unsurpassed results, giving scoliosis sufferers great hope for living a normal life."

The Ideal Spine Health Center located in Eagle, Idaho is the preeminent authority on corrective chiropractic care led by world renowned researcher and chiropractic pioneer Dr. Deed Harrison. The ISHC offers free consultation to scoliosis sufferers to help them understand this new approach to correcting the spine.

Media Contact:

Dr. Deed Harrison 
(208) 939-2502

Source : prnewswire, 21st Oct 2015

Some six million people in the U.S. suffer from scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. These include approximately 2 to 3% of adolescents who are diagnosed each year with idiopathic scoliosis, which is usually identified during puberty and progresses until skeletal maturity. One in 500 children today require treatment using spine braces and 1 in 5,000 need spinal surgery. The typical spine brace is made of rigid plastic that fits around the child’s trunk and hips and applies counter-pressure on the spine’s abnormal curve, on the theory that pressure and support on the curve from outside will stimulate more normal growth of the spine.


Prototype wearable spine brace: sensors record the force and motion data and transmit the information to a computer for monitoring and treatment









The rigid braces have several shortcomings: they “freeze” the child’s upper body and limit movement to such an extent that users often avoid wearing the brace. And as the child grows, the required external forces to correct the abnormal posture change along the length of the curve and over the course of treatment. Having the flexibility to move when wearing a spinal brace while still applying corrective forces would be a very useful feature for both patients and physicians.


Sunil Agrawal, professor of mechanical engineering and of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine at Columbia Engineering, is working on solving the problem. He and his collaborators—David P. Roye, St. Giles Foundation Professor of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery at the Columbia University Medical Center, and Charles Kim, professor of mechanical engineering at Bucknell University—are developing a dynamic spine brace that is more flexible than the rigid braces now in use. Their work is so promising that they have just won a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s National Robotics Initiative.




“Every year, 30,000 children use a rigid brace to treat scoliosis, while 38,000 patients undergo spinal fusion surgery, so this award will make a big difference,” Agrawal says. “If we can design a flexible brace that modulates the corrective forces on the spine in desired directions while still allowing the users to perform typical everyday activities, we will bring revolutionary change to the field.”

Agrawal and his team have already developed prototype wearable spine braces that consist of rings that fit on the human torso. These rings are dynamically actuated by servomotors placed on adjacent rings to control the force or position applied on the human body. Onboard sensors record the force and motion data and transmit the information to a host computer for monitoring and adjusting the treatment. The team has also developed a second brace that is fully passive, made of compliant components able to adjust stiffness in specific directions. However, both these braces have drawbacks. The dynamic brace needs an active power source while the passive brace cannot provide active controls.






“While we are the first group to propose parallel-actuated spine braces and compliant braces, these are just in initial phases,” Agrawal explains. “What we will do, thanks to the NSF award, is to design hybrid semi-active spine braces that combine the merits of the two. These will be less power hungry and can be worn over a longer duration of time.”

The team, which has drawn together experts in robotics and pediatric orthopedics, plans to test all three types of braces on children with scoliosis at CUMC. Preliminary experiments have already started to characterize the feasibility of the dynamic braces on healthy subjects with normal spines to characterize the body’s stiffness in different directions during activities of daily living.

“Scoliosis impacts the quality of life of those affected, limiting their activity, causing pain, and diminishing their self-esteem,” Agrawal adds. “We expect our work will transform treatment due to the ability of the brace to modulate force or position at specific locations of the spine and will greatly improve the quality of life for children with this debilitating condition.”

Source :  Health Care in Europe, 13th Oct 2015

Dynamic braces for kids with scoliosis

Some six million people in the U.S. suffer from scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. These include approximately 2 to 3% of adolescents who are diagnosed each year with idiopathic scoliosis, which is usually identified during puberty and progresses until skeletal maturity. One in 500 children today require treatment using spine braces and 1 in 5,000 need spinal surgery. The typical spine brace is made of rigid plastic that fits around the child’s trunk and hips and applies counter-pressure on the spine’s abnormal curve, on the theory that pressure and support on the curve from outside will stimulate more normal growth of the spine

- See more at: http://www.healthcare-in-europe.com/en/article/15387-dynamic-braces-for-kids-with-scoliosis.html#sthash.XS61HNG4.dpuf

Dynamic braces for kids with scoliosis

Some six million people in the U.S. suffer from scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. These include approximately 2 to 3% of adolescents who are diagnosed each year with idiopathic scoliosis, which is usually identified during puberty and progresses until skeletal maturity. One in 500 children today require treatment using spine braces and 1 in 5,000 need spinal surgery. The typical spine brace is made of rigid plastic that fits around the child’s trunk and hips and applies counter-pressure on the spine’s abnormal curve, on the theory that pressure and support on the curve from outside will stimulate more normal growth of the spine

- See more at: http://www.healthcare-in-europe.com/en/article/15387-dynamic-braces-for-kids-with-scoliosis.html#sthash.XS61HNG4.dpuf

Dynamic braces for kids with scoliosis

Some six million people in the U.S. suffer from scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. These include approximately 2 to 3% of adolescents who are diagnosed each year with idiopathic scoliosis, which is usually identified during puberty and progresses until skeletal maturity. One in 500 children today require treatment using spine braces and 1 in 5,000 need spinal surgery. The typical spine brace is made of rigid plastic that fits around the child’s trunk and hips and applies counter-pressure on the spine’s abnormal curve, on the theory that pressure and support on the curve from outside will stimulate more normal growth of the spine

- See more at: http://www.healthcare-in-europe.com/en/article/15387-dynamic-braces-for-kids-with-scoliosis.html#sthash.XS61HNG4.dpuf

DePuy Synthes Spine launches new all-in-one pedicle screw system to help simplify spinal surgery

DePuy Synthes Spine has introduced the EXPEDIUM VERSE^® Spinal System, a new all-in-one pedicle screw system. The system enables surgeons to perform multiple spinal correction maneuvers during spinal fusion surgery with a single implant type and fewer instruments, compared to traditional pedicle screw systems. The system may reduce the number of screws needed in a procedure and potentially reduce the risk of screw pullout or migration when compared to traditional screws. The EXPEDIUM VERSE Pedicle Screw is being showcased here at the North American Spine Society (NASS 2015) 30^th Annual Meeting, which begins today.

During spinal fusion surgery, surgeons often have to use a variety of screw types and complex instruments to straighten or stabilize the spine. With the EXPEDIUM VERSE Spinal System, an innovative "Correction Key" enables conversion to multiple screw types, which expands implant functionality, provides intraoperative flexibility and may reduce the number of screws needed. The system design decreases the number of instrument trays required for procedures to as few as four and helps reduce sterilization costs by 84 percent. The use of fewer implants and instruments may also help reduce procedure time.

"The EXPEDIUM VERSE System is useful in complex spinal deformity as well as degenerative pathology," said Suken A. Shah, MD, Division Chief, Spine and Scoliosis Center, Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Del. "In my opinion, it may fundamentally change the way surgeons approach scoliosis by offering any number of ways to engage the rod and derotate the spine in order to truly achieve three dimensional correction. Set consolidation and limited need for ancillary instruments improve operating room efficiency and provide additional value for the hospital through easier adoption, faster turnover, and less sterilization demands."

During the procedure, increased screw head angulation and reduction tabs optimize rod placement and may help reduce over-bending of the rod during implantation, which can lead to rod fatigue. Improved control over screw positioning and improved distribution of forces may help reduce the risk of screw pullout or migration when compared to traditional screws. When used to treat degenerative disorders of the mid- and lower-back, the increased angulation of the EXPEDIUM VERSE Pedicle Screw may allow for less tissue retraction.

"The EXPEDIUM VERSE Spinal System was designed with the changing healthcare environment in mind," said Dan Wildman, Platform Leader, DePuy Synthes Spine. "Our goal from the beginning was to develop an implant-based system that would benefit patients while supporting procedural efficiency and value. We have achieved that goal with the EXPEDIUM VERSE Spinal System, which has the potential to optimize surgical correction, improve patient outcomes and reduce costs."

The EXPEDIUM VERSE Spinal System is part of a comprehensive offering that provides hospitals with a single source to address complex spine needs. In collaboration with Ethicon, DePuy Synthes Companies is offering the HARMONIC OSTEOVUE^™ Spine Soft Tissue Dissector exclusively to Spine surgeons, who also have access to Stratafix™ Symmetric PDS^® Synthetic Absorbable Sutures for suture closure and Dermabond^® Prineo^® for wound closure. Externally, DePuy Synthes Spine is working with Brainlab to offer distinct navigation solutions and with LifeNet Health^® to offer ViviGen^® Cellular Bone Matrix. The company is also beginning phased introductions of additional innovations in the EXPEDIUM^® System family including EXPEDIUM Power and the EXPEDIUM Universal Osteotomy Set.

Source : News Medical , 15th Oct 2015 

Spinal surgery overcome, Claire Holliday ready to swim for state title

Claire Holliday’s spine one year prior to the major back surgery she had as a ninth grader. It’s amazing that she’s a swimming state championship contender about four years later. Photo courtesy of Claire Holliday

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/sports/high-school/article39299952.html#storylink=cpy

If Claire Holliday places in the top-three Saturday at the 3A state championship swim meet in Columbia, she’ll stand straighter and taller than anyone else on the podium. Metal rods supporting Holliday’s spine give her a very un-teenage-like upright posture.

Holliday will compete in her final high school swim meet at the University of South Carolina’s natatorium. She is seeded second in the 200-meter freestyle and second in the 200-meter backstroke, the highest she has ever been seeded at a state swim meet.

That she is able to swim at all is a testament to her hard work to return from a life-changing operation.

Holliday was 8 years old when she learned she had scoliosis of the spine. But the condition didn’t stop her from being an All-Region and state-qualifying swimmer as a middle schooler for the South Pointe High School swim team.

South Pointe swimmer Claire Holliday overcame back surgery to challenge for state championship

South Pointe's Claire Holliday has overcome scoliosis of the spine to become a state championship contender in 3A swimming. The state meet is Saturday, Oct. 17 in Columbia and Holliday is seeded second in two different events.

In the summer before her ninth grade year, Holliday underwent back surgery in an effort to correct the condition. Her spine was curved in two different places, an s-curve. Scoliosis results in either an s-curve or a c-curve – exactly what it sounds like – with the s-curve that afflicted Holliday being the worse of the two.

Holliday’s worst pain surfaced in the year leading up to the surgery. She was limited in swim practices and meets because of the aching caused by scoliosis. The spinal curving was also worsening. Doctors first suggested that she wear a back brace at that time, but it did not help.

Having scoliosis was no surprise for Holliday; her mother and older sister both have the condition. Holliday’s mom, Lou Ellen, had surgery when she was 13 years old, so she understood what her daughter would have to endure.

My heart sank and ached as they wheeled her away for her surgery.


Lou Ellen Holliday

“At age thirteen I experienced the same surgery. I was hopeful, though, because the surgery is much less invasive now than when the procedure was done for me,” said Lou Ellen.

In the summer of 2012, Holliday underwent an eight-hour surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Doctors removed some of the joints between the different bones of the spine and replaced them with cadaver bones, bones donated by others after death. Holliday’s spine was then fused together with a mix of existing bone and the cadaver bones. The spinal curve was straightened by two metal rods and 20 to 30 screws.

Once the bones were fused together the rods were no longer needed, but remained in place due to the complication of the surgery. Holliday now stands 5-foot-8, three inches taller than she was before the surgery. She still has a slight curve in her spine because the surgery could not straighten it completely.

“I have back pain all the time still,” she said. “But it’s not like it was before.”

Holliday was confined to her bed for about two months after surgery, except for when she would go to the pool, this time for therapy, where she would attempt to walk in the water. Doctors had her walk to the end of her driveway each day, but even that was difficult. She says it took about a year to get back to swimming competitively again.

Swimming aside, Holliday had to relearn the basic activities of daily living.

“For a couple months I couldn’t walk by myself,” she said. “I couldn’t use the bathroom, I couldn’t take a shower, I couldn’t even stand up.”

Returning to the pool – for any reason – was a relief.

“As soon as I was able to, I was there every single day, I didn’t miss a practice, because I wanted to get better,” Holliday said.

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At the 2014 3A swimming state championship, Claire Holliday finished third in the 200 IM and fifth in the 100 backstroke.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/sports/high-school/article39299952.html#storylink=cpy

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Scoliosis still affects her swimming today. She doesn’t typically swim butterfly or breast stroke anymore because those strokes bother her back. Her best strokes have always been freestyle and backstroke anyway.

Last summer Holliday went to the YMCA National Championships in Indianapolis and placed 15th in the 200-meter backstroke, the highest she has ever placed individually at Nationals. She’s also thinking about pursuing college swimming.

Scoliosis did have an inadvertent positive impact. Holliday thinks she wouldn’t have worked as hard in competitive swimming without the operation, and the therapy that followed.

“Her positive outlook on life helps to keep an occasional back pain from keeping her down,” said Holliday’s mother. “She is stronger than she was before the surgery.”

Source : Herald Online , 15th Oct 2015 

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/sports/high-school/article39299952.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/sports/high-school/article39299952.html#storylink=cpy

Effect of spinal deformity on adolescent quality of life: comparison of operative scheuermann kyphosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, and normal controls

Effect of spinal deformity on adolescent quality of life: comparison of operative scheuermann kyphosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, and normal controls.

Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013 May 20;38(12):1049-55

Authors: Lonner B, Yoo A, Terran JS, Sponseller P, Samdani A, Betz R, Shuffelbarger H, Shah SA, Newton P

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective multicenter study and retrospective chart review.

OBJECTIVE: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures and sagittal deformity in operative Scheuermann kyphosis (SK), operative adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and normal populations.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: No study to date has evaluated patient reported HRQOL measures before surgery in operative patients with SK.

METHODS: HRQOL data were prospectively collected pretreatment for operative patients with SK using the SRS-22 outcomes instrument and visual analogue scale (VAS). Comparison was made with the SRS-22 from operative AIS and normal populations. Eighty-six patients with SK enrolled in the prospective study were compared with 184 patients with AIS from a prospective database and 31 normal controls. To study the correlation between T5-T12 kyphosis magnitude and SRS-22 score, patients with AIS and SK were pooled together to create a larger continuum of kyphosis. Analysis of covariance, Pearson correlation analysis, and Bonferroni pairwise comparisons were used to determine statistical differences between group demographics, HRQOL indicators, and radiographical variables.

RESULTS: Patients with SK had significantly lower scores in all domains of the SRS-22 than patients with AIS. Patients with SK with a thoracolumbar apex reported significantly lower mean scores in the pain domain than those with a thoracic apex. Significant negative correlations were found between all domains of the SRS-22 and T5-T12 kyphosis-the self-image domain demonstrated the highest correlation (r = 0.37). VAS score in the SK population correlated negatively to the pain, self-image, and mental health domains.

CONCLUSION: Increasing sagittal plane deformity as a result of SK has a significant impact on HRQOL as determined by the SRS-22 outcome instrument. In this study, patients with SK reported significantly decreased (worse) scores in all subdomains of the SRS-22 compared with patients with AIS.

Source : London Spine