Scoliosis is a common condition that affects many children and adolescents. Simply defined, scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine that measures greater than 10 degrees.
Instead of a straight line down the middle of the back, a spine with scoliosis curves, sometimes looking like a letter "C" or "S." Some of the bones in a scoliotic spine also may have rotated slightly, making the person's waist or shoulders appear uneven.
photo credit: Boston Brace
What are treatment options for spinal deformities?
I was born and raised in the south side of Chicago. My mother was a Physical Therapist and my father a pipe fitter for the local union.
Since I was a child I was fascinated by my mother's work which ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in prosthetics and orthotics. It is such a fascinating and rewarding job! More about Heidi
"My AFO gave me my swagger back! I'm walking faster and not tripping any more."
Louis C.
"We are big fans of your swagger, Louis. I'm so glad we could bring it back!"
..."We need to remind people that these are dangerous machines, and the consequences are devastating,"
Mariano Garay, a fourth year medical student at Penn State College of Medicine, said in a school news release. Garay has studied lawn mower injuries in children.
About 13,000 children were treated for lawn mower injuries in U.S. emergency departments in 2015, researchers said. And, kids aren't the only ones at risk from lawn mowers. More than 68,000 adults ended up in the ER that year because of the machines.
A study of nearly 200 patients 18 and younger found that more than half of those admitted to a hospital with injuries from lawn mowers underwent an amputation, usually in the lower extremities.
"The blade is so sharp and it is going so fast that body parts are no match for it," said Amy Morgan, manager of the Pediatric Trauma and Injury Prevention Program at Penn State Children's Hospital.
