Scoliosis and Kyphosis - any help?

My 14 month old son has 43 degree kyphosis in his T12 7 L1 vertebrae. He does not have scoliosis yet but it will lead to this without surgery. Do you or does anyone you know suffer from kyphosis/scoliosis? Is it very painful? What do you do to alleviate the pain? My main question is, what type of mattress is best for comfort when sleeping (hard or soft). My sweet, little boy has such difficulty getting comfortable at night.

Did you have this surgery? Did it help? Thanks so much for your help.

I do have scoliosis. I was diagnosed when I was 13 years old. I've been lucky enough to not need the surgery or the corset, but I do have some pain. In my case it is pain in the lower back, and a feeling of being tired in the rest of the back. It was really bad for a while, but it has gotten better during the last couple of years. For me it was more about accepting the visual effects - my hips, shoulders and collar bone are uneven, and for a really long time I hated wearing clothes that would reveal that.
Also, I was teased in school, because I missed a lot of classes - I just couldn't get out of the bed in morning due to the pain. My classmates couldn't understand that, for them back problems where something old people had. They just thought I was skipping school.
It will be important that you support your son in these areas. It's not just about the pain, it's also about being different from everyone else.

I recently got a Tempur madras and pillow, which has made a huge difference. Before, I could never get comfortable and was always in pain when I got up in the morning. These are really good - a bit expensive, but well worth the money, especially when you have back problems.
You can read about them here:
http://www.tempur.com/

I can now get a full nights sleep and not feel crippled in the morning.

Good luck with your son, and I hope everything works out.

discuss doctor