Six months post brace

A few weeks ago Dancer Girl had a follow up appointment at the Schroth clinic.

She was a little nervous.

Not because of the clinic itself, but because she hadn't been particularly faithful in sticking to the plan they had laid out for her back program. She was very nervous that they would see some progression of the curve.

The last thing she wanted to hear was that she might need to go back into a brace.

It turns out the appointment was very positive.

There was no progression.

                     It was holding steady.

                                               Whew!

It also helped that all the staff there are so incredibly supportive.

The therapist had her walk through all the specific exercises again to make sure she was remembering them correctly. Together they chose the ones that seemed to work best and that Dancer Girl was most likely to commit to doing regularly. We worked out a plan to ease back into a regular routine and went away happy.

It appears Dancer Girl really has stopped growing. The exercises should help support her back, and if done correctly and routinely, could even result in some correction.

While this program is expensive we would recommend that it is considered as part of a program for scoliosis as you search for the best option for your back or your child's back. We were impressed by the research behind it, the staff are supportive at the clinic we used, the choice of strategies were clearly specific to Dancer Girl's curves, and it is entirely do-able once you are set up and in your routine.

It is a program for life. Hopefully one free of serious back pain, free of curve progression, with no more bracing required!

Trying something new

Many people have offered welcome, and sometimes unwelcome, advice and suggestions about scoliosis over the course of our experience with it. Some are based on real life experiences, others based on hearsay, or "a friend of a friend...". It has reminded me of when I was pregnant - everyone had an opinion or story to share!

                Some were helpful, others... not so much!

Over the past few months a number of people have asked us if we had ever heard of a specific method for treating scoliosis. It seems to hit on an area we were curious about, and is called the Schroth Method.

What we like about it, and what has prompted us to explore it as an option in addition to the bracing strategy (not instead of), is that it purports to target the specific muscles and curves of each patient with individualized stretches & exercises, rather than just the general core strengthening exercises we were getting from the PT.

Dancer Girl already has a strong core - she's a dancer after all! What seemed to be missing in the PT program was exercises directly related to her specific curves. It just seemed to make sense to us that it would help to be more specific, but we weren't sure where to look.

So when this one came up a few times in short succession we looked it up and contacted her doctor. It turns out there is a center very close to us! An initial interview is where we will begin and we figured it can't hurt to at least find out more about the program. Her back doctor is supportive, although was quick to say they can't guarantee correction.

I don't think we are looking for correction so much as a program that will help stabilize her back and give her the tools to manage the curve she has as she goes through life. Correction of any amount would certainly be a wonderful bonus, but we know it may not happen.

I just got off the phone with the doctor who runs the clinic and he was very helpful, friendly, and informative while also being very low-pressure. He just gives us the information and lets us make the decision about whether or not to move forward. He also made sure to mention that Dancer Girl is going to need to be motivated for it to work - having supportive parents is nice, but she is the one that needs to want to do the program!

So far it has been very positive - we will post updates as we explore this option. Any helpful comments about direct experience with this method, or similar methods, would be welcomed!

Happy New Year!

We hope that everyone reading this finds peace and joy in the coming year, even as you are likely dealing with scoliosis and a back brace, or know someone who is. We know it can be difficult, frustrating, and sometimes physically painful, but we also know that you can come through it with grace and strength.

We are almost at the one year mark in the brace and are looking toward Dancer Girl being free of it this year, hopefully by the time the warm summer weather rolls around. But, nothing is certain yet so we take it one day at a time.

My prayer for Dancer Girl this year is that she will realize how strong she is, how much she has grown, and how much her friends & family love her.

My prayer for us is that we will realize the same - that Dancer Girl is growing up and is able to handle more than any of us may think, and that she is surrounded by wonderful people. For that I am truly thankful.

My prayer for those of you reading this who are struggling with scoliosis is that you will discover your strength and that you will be surrounded by loving, understanding people who will walk with you through this journey.

And, my prayer for those of you reading this who know someone with scoliosis is that you will know how to be supportive and encouraging in the pains and the triumphs in the coming year.

Songs of Hope and Encouragement, part 2

We have added to our original list of songs that bring us hope and encouragement through their lyrics. Songs are chosen because they might be...

- a song of friendship
- a song of finding hope in hard times
- a song encouraging you to push past difficulties in life
- a song of faith
- a song of turning to God for strength

The first one is the song Dancer Girl has chosen to use for her very first competition solo this year. The rest are either recent finds or rediscoveries of old favorites...


We hope you find that some of these speak to you, offering encouragement in some small way.

"Unwritten"                                    Boyce Avenue with Diamond White  
"A Beautiful Life"                          MIKESCHAIR                            
"Home"                                          Phillip Phillips
"Do Life Big"                                 Jamie Grace         
"Firework"                                      Katy Perry
"Where I Belong"                           Jenny Simmons                           
"Glorious Unfolding"                     Steven Curtis Chapman                
"He Knows My Name"                 Francesca Batistelli                      
"You"                                             Britt Nicole                                  
"Hands of God"                              Francesca Batistelli       
"Fighter"                                         Jamie Grace                                  
"Just Be Held"                                Casting Crowns                           
"Run to Jesus"                                Francesca Batistelli                      
"I Look to You"                             Whitney Houston                          

Going Solo

Dancer Girl has decided she would like to perform a solo dance at competition next year.  We are thrilled as this is a big step of confidence for her.  The studio director is very encouraging and is happy to help her reach this goal and will be working with her on the routine.

She was wanting to choose a song from her scoliosis playlist (see our Songs of Hope and Encouragement post) and is leaning towards a contemporary/lyrical style dance.  While she had a few top choices she wasn't quite feeling the pull toward any of them for a routine right now.

Then we found it...

             an acoustic version of Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" (great song!)
             performed by Boyce Avenue featuring Diamond White (terrific arrangement).

You can see their youtube video version by clicking here.

The song is about reaching out and grabbing opportunities, making the most of the rest of your life, writing your own story, taking chances and pushing yourself, finding hope... that all resonated with Dancer Girl and she had found her song!

I can't wait to see how the dance unfolds!!

* * * * * * * *

If anyone is wondering what Dancer Girl's short list was for solo songs before we found this version of "Unwritten" it included:

Britt Nicole's "Still That Girl"
Britt Nicole's "The Sun Is Rising"
Carly Rose Sonenclar's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Meredith Andrews' "You're Not Alone"

Songs of Hope and Encouragement

One of the first things we did when our daughter was getting her Boston brace was to compile a playlist of favorite songs that provide hope and encouragement.

We listen to a lot of Christian music artists in our home so the list is mainly selected from that genre, but not entirely.  A few are simply songs of friendship and support.  We find many of the lyrics talk about finding hope in God in the midst of hardship and pain, and about finding our worth in Him rather than in the world.

Here is what we have so far:

"Gold"                                  Britt Nicole 
"Angel by your Side"           Francesca Battistelli   
"The Sun Will Rise"            Kelly Clarkson
"Worn"                                Tenth Avenue North
"You're Not Alone"             Meredith Andrews
"Let the Waters Rise"          MIKESCHAIR
"Beautiful, Beautiful"          Francesca Battistelli
"Come to Me"                      Jamie Grace 
"The Sun is Rising"             Britt Nicole
"Always Enough"                Casting Crowns
"Sovereign"                         Chris Tomlin
"Be Still and Know"            Steven Curtis Chapman
"Not Alone"                         Jamie Grace
"Here"                                  Kari Jobe   
"He is With Us"                   Love & the Outcome
"Blue Sky"                           Francesca Battistelli
"Hold on to Jesus"               Steven Curtis Chapman
"By Your Side"                   Tenth Avenue North
"Lift Me Up"                       The Afters

I am sure we will be adding more to this playlist - we are open to suggestions for more songs to add to the list!

"Scoli-buddies"

Dancer Girl remarked one day that she would never wish for one of her friends to have scoliosis, but she would love to have a friend with scoliosis.  Someone who can fully understand what it is like.

Her friends have all been very supportive, asking questions, offering help, giving her flowers & chocolates when she has had a rough day. All this is appreciated greatly by Dancer Girl.  But, unless you have gone through something yourself, it is difficult to fully grasp what is involved.  And, it is often difficult to explain it to someone else without simplifying the issues and unintentionally diminishing the pain and frustration in the process, or just making it sound like you are complaining too much.


The other day she came home happy because one of the girls in her art class has scoliosis - again, not happy she has it, but happy to have found a "scoli-buddy"!  This girl is at the end of her journey and only has to wear it for a few hours a day.  But, she wore it to class because Dancer Girl had mentioned it would be nice to wear them at the same time.

She is thrilled to be able to share the highs and lows with someone else who really understands.  We are grateful that this friend opened up to Dancer Girl and shared her life in this way.  It is a blessing beyond what she probably realizes and we are thankful for it.