Rylie was born January 29, 2006, full term by cesarean section. She was a healthy 5lb 14oz little girl. Three weeks after Rylie was born my mother brought to my attention that Rylie kept her head tilted to the left. I took her to see the pediatrician who confirmed she had Congenital Torticollis and referred her for physical therapy. At 10 months old the torticollis had resolved, however Rylie still had a very obvious hump on the left side of her back. The physical therapist thought it was a muscle, however I myself had progressive adolescent scoliosis and my gut told me it was not muscle. I scheduled an appointment with a Pediatric Orthopedic doctor at our local children’s hospital. Rylie was 10 months old at the time of her visit. The doctor did x rays with her standing and confirmed that she had Infantile Scoliosis with a left thoracic curve measuring 40 degrees. They recommended we get an MRI to rule out any other anomalies and to confirm it was idiopathic scoliosis. January 2, 2007 Rylie had the MRI which confirmed it indeed was idiopathic scoliosis.
The doctor informed us this was most likely progressive infantile scoliosis due to the degree of curvature and to come back in four months for a follow up. They said at that time we can discuss our options for treatment once they get another set of x-rays. My husband & I were not willing to “wait and see”. That is when I started my search and found ISOP (Infantile Scoliosis Outreach Program). As I read all of the success stories I knew this was exactly what we were looking for, a non-invasive method of treatment.
I immediately joined the C.A.S.T. support group. All members of this group were very helpful as they explained the Early Treatment casting method and the importance of a Mehta trained doctor. We were put in touch with the Shriners hospital in Erie, Pa.
Rylie was evaluated by a surgeon who had been recently trained on the Mehta Method. The surgeon confirmed Rylie was a candidate for the Early Treatment Method and applied her 1st plaster jacket on March 8th 2007. She had an x-ray lying down prior to casting that revealed a 27 degree left thoracic curve with 25 degrees of rotation. In her first cast she had another x-ray showing a 7 degree curve & 7 degrees of rotation.
The rest of the casting went as follows:
2nd Cast May 3, 2007
Out of cast – 20 degree curve / 0 rotation
In cast – 6 degree curve / 0 rotation
3rd Cast July 11, 2007
Out of cast – 17 degree curve / 0 rotation
4th Cast September 6, 2007
Out of cast – 12 degree curve / 0 rotation
My daughters surgeon anticipates this being Rylie’s last cast. We are scheduled to return in November 07. As long as Rylie’s curve has improved to a 10 degree curve, she will be molded for her brace.
We are so pleased with her progress and are forever thankful to the ISOP and the Shriners Hospital Network. They have completely changed our daughters quality of life.
Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me, should you have any questions regarding my daughters progress with this gentle, effective treatment.
Sincerely,
Kelly, Jason & Rylie
