Contrary to the fact that scoliosis is a hereditary condition; it is never your fault as a parent if your child is diagnosed with it. Several cases of this condition have no recognized causes.
Nonetheless, an early diagnosis is important when it comes to managing scoliosis. If you can detect it before your child has a growth spurt, it will be simpler for your healthcare provider to develop an appropriate treatment plan to stop the curve from developing as the child grows.
Some of the common indicators of this condition that you should keep an eye on include uneven hips or shoulders. Many parents don’t recognize this early since these signs mostly don’t come with any pain.
With a regular physical exam, though, it will be easy to detect the condition and develop a suitable treatment plan for your child. If, after a routine exam, you determine that your child has scoliosis, your best bet is to visit a medical specialist that is trained in treating scoliosis-related conditions.
By continuing to read this guide, you will learn the questions; you should ask the practitioner. These questions should only act as a guide to help you understand whether the doctor is the best fit for the procedure and see the approach they may take for treating it.
How do you measure the Cobb Angle?
Scoliosis condition is broken down into three distinct categories based on how severe it is. Usually, this severity is determined by looking at the curve’s degrees from a Cobb angle measurement.
The Cobb Angle results will massively influence the treatment approach that your doctor will adopt. Measuring the Cobb Angle isn’t complicated, and a good doctor will be willing to share with you how they do the measurements and allow you to review the X-ray scans, so you’re sure that the treatment approach is appropriate.
Is there any Guarantee that this Treatment Approach Will Bring the Results We Want?
Now, the motivation for seeking treatment for a scoliosis condition varies considerably among patients. Depending on how the condition has progressed, you could be aiming for your child to have a better posture or looking forward to preventing the condition from getting even worse.
After identifying your purpose for the treatment, be sure to share your concerns with the doctor, inquiring whether the treatment option they’re proposing is what you need to achieve your treatment goals. For example, if the child is experiencing pain, you may need to seek assurances that the treatment method will reduce the Cobb Angle and help relieve your child of the suffering.
Is there anything I Can Do to Increase the Chances of Success?
Depending on the severity of the condition and the proposed treatment plan for scoliosis, there are treatment approaches where very little involvement from the child may be required. There are also treatment options where the child will be involved in managing or stopping the condition from progressing.
For instance, if the doctor recommends bracing, the child will have to ensure that they wear it correctly for the recommended period, for example, hours and nothing else. On the other hand, if the doctor recommends exercises, the onus will be on the child to stick to the doctor’s guidelines on the exercises to increase the chances of success. In this case, perhaps you may need to go the extra mile and provide enough space and probably give the child enough time to perform the exercises.
Have you Treated Similar Scoliosis Cases Before?
Just like most ill-health conditions, every patient is unique, and not all practitioners have the same training and medicine practice levels to handle any scoliosis condition. For instance, if the doctor recommends surgery, it would be better if they have some years of experience in this field.
The same applies to bracing, which qualified doctors only recommend for patients who haven’t reached skeletal maturity. To confirm this, be sure to ask if they’re willing to let you review some of their long term results.
The doctor may not reveal the whole of each past patient’s healthcare information but there are specific pieces of data they can de-identify and share with you, for example, the questionnaire scores and X-rays. If they’re experienced too, they definitely have a huge database of research articles, patient testimonials, and success stories to show for their expertise.
It will be much better if the shared results demographics match the scoliosis condition you need help with, for example, the curve patterns, age, and gender. This is important since scoliosis isn’t the same for all patients. A treatment program that may have worked for an adult diagnosed with degenerative lumbar C-curve may not be the best fit for a 15-year-old diagnosed with a double major idiopathic S-curve.
In Summation
Scoliosis is a complicated condition, and managing it will only be easy if you can find the best doctor for your child. Use these questions to see how your doctor will approach the condition and be sure that they have the right experience or qualification for managing scoliosis. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.