Life post-brace

Brace-free days...

At our last appointment with the back doctor Dancer Girl had another x-ray. She was a bit disappointed to find there has been some progression since coming out of the brace a couple of months prior. However, it was only 1 or 2 degrees and the doctor was not concerned. He felt it was due to settling that occurred once the back was free of the restrictions of the brace rather than any real progression of the curve.

He basically said she is done with seeing him regularly. We thanked him and told him that we hoped to never see him again (nothing personal - he's a great guy)! He totally understood the sentiment.  :)

Dancer Girl still has to deal with some back pain, although it is much less frequent and less painful than before bracing. Yay!

She also has daily Schroth exercises to do. These are specific to her back curves and were learned from a specialist (see previous posts for more information). She can select from a variety of ones but has to do some every day.

During the summer, when our schedule is less structured, this has proven more difficult than we expected. You would think with more free time there'd be more opportunity for these things but because every day is different it's hard to remember to fit them in.

Once the fall schedule kicks in we can get better at making sure they are fit into our regular routine. The goal is to keep progression from happening and to stabilize the back.

She is also finding that some of the clothes she bought to fit over her brace still work fine without the brace. Some of it is too big of course, especially the pants and shorts, but at least we can still use some of it. Nice for the budget!

We are so thankful to everyone who helped Dancer Girl through her brace-wearing days... her pediatrician, back doctor, physical therapists, Schroth therapists, other bloggers' helpful information and advice, family members, and friends.

What seemed at the time like a long road has had this chapter come to an end. We are hopeful that we have come to a place where her scoliosis can be managed well and not pose continued issues for her.

And she can still dance!!