Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: What Parents Should Know in New York

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is a medical condition that’s common among growing teens. As parents, we know how important it is to provide our kids with the right treatment. Supporting your child who’s diagnosed with AIS starts with familiarizing yourself with their condition.

Doing Your Research on Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Researching adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a small part of taking care of your growing teen. After a consultation with the doctors, it is the parents who make most of the decisions about which treatment is the best for their child.

5 Terminologies to Familiarize Yourself with

As the patient attends more consultation with the surgeon, you might hear some of the words over and over again. Here are five of them to get a better sense of what the surgeon is discussing:

1) Adams Forward Bend Test

This bend test is used as a screening tool for detecting scoliosis. It can be utilized for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis as well as other types of spinal deformity. This test also helps differentiate between functional and structural scoliosis.

To perform the test, the patient is asked to bend forward until the back comes in a horizontal plane. From behind, the examiner checks for indicators of scoliosis: spinal asymmetry, unlevel hips and shoulders, scapula asymmetry, and a head that’s not lined up with the pelvis.

2) Bracing

Also known as spinal orthosis, bracing is a scoliosis treatment device that is usually prescribed for patients who have a spine curve of 25 to 40 degrees on the Cobb angle. Back braces aim to prevent the curve from progressing further by holding the spine in a straighter position as the patient grows.

Depending on the type of brace, patients are required to wear it for 16-23 hours (full-time brace) or 8-10 hours (nighttime brace).

3) Spinal Fusion

This is an extensive surgical procedure that corrects the spine curve of a patient. It uses bone chips that allow the vertebrae to slowly heal together and form a solid mass of bone. Depending on the surgeon’s experience, most spinal fusion surgeries turn out successful with minimal long-term complications.

4) Vertebral Stapling

One surgical and non-fusion technique developed for managing scoliosis is the vertebral stapling. This treatment can be used as an alternative to bracing. It works by placing staples on one side of the spine to modulate its growth and stabilize the curve.

Patients who opt for vertebral stapling might need spinal fusion in the future, depending on the rate of curve progression.

5) Orthopedics and Orthotics

Orthopedics refers to the medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of injuries to the skeletal system and associated muscles. To ensure that your child gets the right treatment and diagnosis, make sure to consult with a certified orthopedic surgeon.

Orthotics, on the other hand, is the study of fitting and developing braces that are used for treating different orthopedic conditions.

Expert Spine Consultation at Scoliosis Associates

At Scoliosis Associates, our specialists offer expert consultation for teen scoliosis patients. We ensure that they are getting the right care and treatment for a faster recovery. We also make sure to provide the parents and family comprehensive guides and advice to take better care of patients at home.

Consult with us now to learn more about Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis treatments. Visit our site to book an appointment with our experienced specialists.