Scoliosis in 4 year old?

Had just taken my son to the doctors for a check-up as he had a rattly cough and a very sore back and the doctor noticed that my son's spine was curved in the upper back to one side, which was fairly noticable.
So now my son has to have x-rays to determine the severity of the curvature and what type of treatment will be needed.
My question is- are there any other parents who have a young child with scoliosis and what treatment was needed?
Or have you had scoliosis yourself?
Can it have a bad effect on other bodily functions/health as well?

Hi,
My 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with a 20 percent curve of her spine about 4 months ago. Our pediatrician found it at her well visit. She had an MRI and X rays taken.
She has a TLSO brace that she wears only at night for sleeping. She had her first 3 month check up last week and no progression so far. The one good thing is that young children have more flexible spines and some studies show that growth occurs more at night which I think is why she is sleeping in it. It took about 2 months to get used to the brace. It was difficult for all of us. She is sleeping more soundly in it now, but still has an occasional bad night. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them as I am going through this too.

I work with a lot of children with special needs who often have scoliosis as well. I've seen two treatment options, for those who have mild cases, a TLSO (upper body brace) is often prescribed which pretty much aims to prevent further curving of the spine. For people who have severe scoliosis, surgery is usually the only option. Most of the time, doctors just monitor the scoliosis if it isn't too bad.

I have Scoliosis. I'm 13 years old and wear a back brace for 16 hours per day. I have physical therapy every day and get an x-ray once every 3 months. My brace hurts like hell and squeezes the life out of me. The physical therapy is plain torture. If my back continues to curve then I will have to have surgery. It sucks. I hope that your son will not have the same treatment as me.

Hi. I have a partner, who has suffered with a severe form ot scoleosis since birth. There have been several types of treatment offered to him.
The doctor also recommended a course of co-dydramol. My partner used to complain of severe cramps in his lower back, however he was a road sweeper for nearly 22 years.
Its only when he had an accident at work which exasabated his condition that he was advised to give up work indefinately. He still suffers with the condition, however since being prescribed the co-dydramol, his back pain seems to have disappeared. He can still get extreme bouts of pain depending on the weather.
Being prescribed co-dydramol was at the time an alternative to a proceedure which would have involved fixing a titanium rod to the back of his spinal cord. At the time we were told there would be a 50/50 success rate, although the alternative was that if his system rejected the procedure, he could probably have been in a wheelchair. Obviously, we decided that this was not an option, and decided not to go through with it.
I recommend that you ask about co-dydramol. Although, you would need to be careful about the dosage - it is extremely potent. But if your son gets days when he his in extreme pain, co -dydramol numbs the pain completely.
With my partner, he experienced extreme pain in the lower part of his back, this was because with scoleosis, the nerve ending in the spine in the lower part of the body become compacted because of the pressure from the top part of the back, or the part of the spine which has the curveture.
For people who suffer extreme pain as a result, there is also a procedure which involves isolating the nerve endings effected, effectively killing them to alleviate the pain.

Don't worry to much about what effect it will have on your son.
The sort of effect it has on my partner now as an adult is that he can not lift heavy objects, running is a problem, occasionally he becomes very tired. People with scoleosis tend to be more prone to conditions such as osteoperosis in later life. My partner especially since he is also a smoker.
Mostly the upper body will be effected, in that his balance might not be that of an able bodied person.
Despite the fact that the top half of the body tends to be more an an angle in proportion to the lower half i.e the legs, he should be fine. Although, with my partner, there were days when he would be in extreme pain, particularly in colder weather, his back would also lock, but this was as the result that he does suffer with a severe form of the condition.
You might also be able to ask for acupuncture. They can do this on the nhs. You need to be given the course by appointment.
Anyway, this might help shed some light on the condition.
I understand what it is like living with a scoleosis sufferer. Personally on the days when the condition was worse, it was heartbreaking to watch the person you love go through it. It sounds selfish to a degree but sometimes I'd wish that he did not have the condition in which case he would not have to put up with the pain, or the locking in his back.
There is help available though, just remeber to push for it.
Other than that your little one should be fine. My partner has lived with the condition for the last 40 years. Although there will be times in his life when he will need alot of support. Just make sure that ou are there for him when this does happen, particularly in helping others to understand his condition.
Helping others to understand is the most important part, it turn it will help his living with the condition, that little bit easier, particularly as an adult.

My step-sister had scoliosis. Her spine was so curved and putting a lot of pressure on her lungs & her heart. She had surgery when she was about 12. They put a rod in her back and straightened her spine. This was about 30 years ago. She doesn't have any more problems and she says her back never hurts. When she had her surgery it was pretty extensive and she was in a cast for about a year. You daughter may not necessarily have to have surgery, it just depends on how severe her scoliosis is. Make sure she's seeing a good doctor and get a second opinion. Good luck. 2D