Some questions to ask
if your child will need a back brace.

A good way to get a doctor to give good, thoughtful answers to questions like this is to mail or fax the list of questions to his office, and let your doctor call you at a time of his or her choosing with the answers.

1. What types of curvatures are being braced for: Scoliosis? Kyphosis? Lordosis?
   
2. What is the goal of bracing? A complete cure of the, or will surgery still be needed?
   
3. How long is the bracing anticipated to be for?
   
4. What would be her activity restrictions in a brace, if any?
   
5. Will the bracing make a sufficient difference (i.e. reducing the extent of curvatures) to make any potential surgery less extensive?
   
6. What is the time frame for potential surgery, if there is any?
   
7. What would be the recuperation period from any potential surgery?
   
   

Medical Terms

• If you there are any medical terms you are not familiar with, please see the Medical Terms page.
  
• Scoliosis is often used generically to include scoliosis — sideways curves
  lordosis — deep curves of the lower back
  kyphosis — forward-bending curves.

Other

• During anesthesia, there are risks related to cervical spine instability, lung capacity, and small airways. Anesthesia should NOT be performed until these risks have been evaluated. Please see anesthesia page for more information about special concerns concerning anesthesia.
  
• Please see the section on back care for more links to information about back problems and treatments.