Dd developing a hump what can we do

[Tigersonvaseline]

Doctor has referred her before Xmas and we are still waiting to hear something.
On one side it looks like hers shoulder blade is massively sticking out.
Is there anything we can do?

have you seen a physio? even private should not be too expensive.

if it's posture related exercises to build muscle could help somewhat whilst you wait for the consultant appointment.

I think someone upthread said £300-400.
Did you say you were Oxford? My daughter is seen at Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre under the NHS (following private referral) and we have found them excellent. She was referred to orthopaedics but following a multi disciplinary team discussion, she was very quickly redirected. The MRI scan she had was also way higher quality than the private one.

Try the outpatients appointment booking line for the hospital. Not sure if it is the same at all hospitals but all referrals (accept radiology) went through our department first, with a person dedicated to uploading the referrals for each speciality.
They are meant to be there to book and change appts but I know if I had have had a phone call from a person in your kind of situation I would have tried to help.

Sounds like such a nightmare for you. You should not be battling like this. When I knew our girls had scoliosis before our consultants app I contacted a private orthotist and had some good advice from him. He suggested we get the girls more active as they were fairly sedentary on phones etc. Any movement and exercise is good so we took up badminton and rock climbing much to their disapproval! We also saw Scoliosis SOS in Manchester as we re up north who did their own thorough assessment and started a specific exercise program dependant on the childs curve. All before we even had an x-ray. Just wanted to feel like we were doing something as I know all too well that horrible feeling of waiting around. Conscious posture is good for everybody but especially scoliotic teenagers.

Thanks everyone

I did get her to do 1 minutes every day of holding this Pilates bar behind her back.

@Tigersonvaseline I haven't read the full thread so apologise if I'm repeating advice already given. My DD is 15 and has a very similar problem although because of knowledge of waiting times etc and her suddenly suffering pain last week I booked her to see a sports therapist who previously helped me with a frozen shoulder. What an absolute game changer, he assessed her and realised there was a problem with her rotator cuff and pectoral muscle. She's had two sessions and already the difference in her physical appearance is evident. I'm so glad I spent the £40 for an appointment.

Can you contact PALS?

Pay for her to go privately

@mummydoris2006
Lots of our SOS specifics are rotator cuff strengthening exercises so sounds like you saw a good sports physio. Know we paid a lot more than you did so sounds like money well spent

If you can afford it, get her seen by an osteopath. It may be something that can be corrected by exercises and it may not even be scoliosis. One of my DD's friends had scoliosis which she was able to correct using exercises set by her (private) osteopath. She is in her early twenties now and continues to manage it by stretching.

I have scoliosis, which progressed unusually rapidly (the benchmark is 1 degree per year), and had the fusion surgery at age 13.

Can it ever be corrected?

There are a number of treatments out there, the most drastic (but also effective) of which is surgery. 20 years down the line and I don't normally have any pain unless I do lots of outdoor heavy work in cold weather. Good job I'm not a farmer or bricklayer. I've heard plenty of stories of people suffering their way through braces for a couple of years and needing surgery anyway; I wouldn't want to force a brace on a teenage girl if at all avoidable.

Does anything cause it?
Sometimes it's idiopathic (no known cause), though in my case it was labelled that and it turned out many years later that I have osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease) which should really have been noticed at the time by the orthopaedic surgeon...! There's a long list of conditions that can cause scoliosis - several connective tissue disorders, cerebral palsy, rickets and others

It is not caused by bad posture, heavy bags or anything like that.

Will she have to have physio.. where does it end ie her totally hunched over?
If she gets away with just needing physio, consider yourselves very lucky. Yes, it will keep progressing (speed is the key question). I have heard of curvatures over 100 degrees (mine was 85). Apparently over 50 degrees they start looking at surgical options.

If you do go private for a first appointment, I would make sure that this is with someone who is also practicing locally as an NHS paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. You will need to get yourselves back into the NHS system for treatment as (though physio is fairly affordable) you'd pretty much have to be a Rothschild to afford the surgery.

We are in limbo waiting and it seems to be getting worse
You may like to contact the Scoliosis Association who have a free helpline and will be much more up to date than I am sauk.org.uk/

I would have thought scoliosis is something that a physio could confirm? You could see a private physio pretty quickly for a cost of around £50. They could confirm if you need to push to see an orthopaedic surgeon and probably give you exercises to do.

Hi, it sounds very much like she's developed an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis which is relatively common in young teenage girls. She needs an X-ray of her spine to get baseline measurements, then needs to see an orthopaedic surgeon (if you've been referred to a district general hospital) or a spinal surgeon if you've been referred to a specialist or large hospital. At 14 she should really be treated as a child but she's on the cusp of transition to adult services so it might depend on your area.
I would advise ringing switchboard of the hospital you've been referred to. Ask to be put through to the orthopaedic secretaries and when you get through to them you can explain the situation.
If no luck that way, then speak to PALS at the hospital as they can find out why there's such a wait. In an adolescent scoliosis I'd be very surprised if you were expected to wait a year for any treatment.

If she stands up and then bends forwards to touch her toes, a good indicator of a scoliosis is one side of the ribs and shoulder blade being higher than the other

Try SAUK Facebook page, they will help you find a specialist now. I had a very rapid degeneration of my scoliosis when I was a teen, I had surgery at 18 years old. It is essential to have standing x-rays done ,I can't understand why this is not happening. www.facebook.com/ScoliosisAssociationUK

This may be left of field but have you had her vitamin d levels checked? DS developed a hump on his chest as a result of very low levels. High dose vitamin d was given and its improved a bit but will never disappear entirely.

@Secretname123

I would have thought scoliosis is something that a physio could confirm? You could see a private physio pretty quickly for a cost of around £50. They could confirm if you need to push to see an orthopaedic surgeon and probably give you exercises to do.

Our physio actually wrote a letter to the GP who forwarded it to the consultant, that got things moving. They listen to other professionals

I hope this won’t sound flippant (it’s not meant to) and it’s about 30 years since I read it so I might be way off, but is this what Judy Blume’s Deenie suffers from? I wonder if it might be a reassuring/enlightening read for your daughter if she does need a brace, though obviously it will be very dated.

Could be spregnal deformity, it’s rare but I have it alongside klippel fiel syndrome. Around 11 I grew a one sided hump (and one shoulder blade higher and sticks out) which absolutely stumped the doctors. Eventually diagnosed via X-ray and many ultra sounds.

Hope your daughter gets seen, must be worrying for you

Have you managed to make any progress today @Tigersonvaseline?

If no luck with a consultant, it does sound like a private physio would be a good idea based on other posts?

@Tigersonvaseline
Yes!!

I made amazing progress today I can't say more but had an incredible stroke of luck and a very kind helpful lady.
I am extremely lucky and greatful but - if that falls through I found a local private man who can at least seeher fo £250 then if neccasry MRI for !50.

Thank you - and everyone else for their amazing tips on this thread. I have a plan now and know a little more about what this is and what I am doing.
We may end up at Oxford, Nufflied.

@SergeiL Yes!!

I made amazing progress today I can't say more but had an incredible stroke of luck and a very kind helpful lady.
I am extremely lucky and greatful but - if that falls through I found a local private man who can at least seeher fo £250 then if neccasry MRI for !50.

Thank you - and everyone else for their amazing tips on this thread. I have a plan now and know a little more about what this is and what I am doing.
We may end up at Oxford, Nufflied.

Oh this is brilliant! Everything crossed for you. Sounds very promising indeed.

I think they have to time the surgery etc with her age and how she's growing. That's my memory of my friend anyway. They had to wait until she was a certain way through her height growth otherwise the rods etc that were inserted into her spine wouldn't be correct.

So pleased for you. Sounds like things are finally moving in the right direction. If bracing is advised (over 25°) then do get in touch as bracing is a whole new world! X x good luck