About this documentary
This documentary examines a lot of questions about how we treat kids with scoliosis in America. In some ways, the treatment for tens of thousands of these children is not much different then it was 40 years ago.
Xray shows how scoliosis is causing many other problems for this patient
If you wait until the curve is so severe you must do surgery - there has been a lot of progress on that front. But if you want to catch a curve when it's tiny and try to prevent it from twisting out of control - those advances are much harder to come by. Why is that?
Catching it early - is not on the radar screen for hundreds of doctors anymore - because of a study by a federal panel a few years ago. THAT needs to change. As does the attitude of some doctors about the effectiveness of putting a child in a back brace at all.
Now there is a huge new incentive to use bracing on these kids and really improve their odds of avoiding painful back surgery. Not everyone in the medical world knows about this new development - so we hope this documentary will help spread that word. Because it could change the course of the lives of tens of thousands of kids in the United States - and maybe for hundreds of thousands around the world.
Most of the kids who get diagnosed with scoliosis are between 10 and 15 years of age. And because of the way girls grow - they often have a much harder time with this then do boys.
There are a number of different types of braces these kids will be asked to wear. But none gets as much excitement from parents as the one that comes to us from Europe. It is not well known in America. But you will meet a handful of parents who believe it is changing the future for their children. They have NO doubt.
Three Rigo-heneau braces and forms to make them
The brace is called the Rigo-Cheneau. Each one is custom made for that child and their unique twists and turns that can sometimes cause lungs to be cramped and shoulders and hips to be off kilter.
Luke Stikeleather examines Taylor Fullmer who is being fitted for her first brace
Scoliosis does not get the funding that Cancer and diabetes and other diseases get. Chances are - it will not kill the patient. But with health care dollars being watched closely - maybe now is the time to invest more of our research dollars into keeping kids out of surgical suites and out on soccer fields.
You will meet some extraordinary families dealing with this situation. And you'll meet some celebrities who have tackled scoliosis hurdles, too.
I thank you for your interest in this topic. And hope this documentary sparks some conversation about - "The Back Story." - Changing the lives of kids with scoliosis.