The innovation of the Infantile Scoliosis Outreach Program’s Early Treatment (ET) Process is that it phenomenally enhances  quality of life for infants with infantile scoliosis without the invasion of traditionally prescribed, costly and dangerous surgery. Too often, surgery proves to be insignificant in the reversal of curve progression and does not attend to the desperation and anxiety families feel when imagining the future lives of their children.

When undergoing ET, children ages birth to 2 are fitted with specialized EDF casts (Mehta Growth Guidance Casts) that accelerate the body’s natural ability to self-resolve. Aiding and training the spine to grow straight, can forge a permanent path towards healthy living and completely bypasses the need for repeated surgeries, accompanied by extreme risk and financial burdens. This innovation is a form of healthcare affordability that lowers medical supply costs, requires only one night’s stay in a hospital per treatment, and limits complications.  It also prevents the need for “salvage” surgeries when rods or distraction hardware must be extracted from our children before further harm occurs or when results are subpar.

Traditional medical advice employs the “wait and watch” method, calling for observation and a brace that does nothing to contribute to curve correction. In reality, the brace is only a stalling mechanism that allows spinal curves to deteriorate into a state that may jeopardize internal organs. The growth window from birth to age 2 is One such condition, Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome (TIS), causes permanent deformities and chronic conditions that render the chest cavity unable to expand and contract for normal lung function and growth. The eventual progression of severe infantile scoliosis compromises heart and lung functions and leads to dependence on ventilators, severe deformity and shortened life span. The ET innovation is one that allows children and families to forego complicated medical interactions and doctors and patients to move forward with solutions that not only promote natural healing, but peace of mind, as well.