Juvenile idiopathic scoliosis. That was the diagnosis given to my then 8-year-old daughter last January. In short, it means that she’s young (under 10), she exhibits an abnormal amount of spinal curvature, and there’s no identified cause (aside from some bad luck).

Emilia’s X-rays indicated an S-shaped curve with 26 degrees at its largest curvature. To look at my healthy, active daughter, you’d never notice. However, on an X-ray, 26 degrees is quite alarming.

We learned quickly that the goal with scoliosis is to minimize further curvature, thereby preventing surgery. The typical solution: a brace. And, given her young age, that could mean wearing it for up to five years.

Because Emilia was right on the edge of “bracing,” we had a decision to make: Do we brace her now or wait and see? She’s our daughter, and we want to do everything we can to support her. We definitely want to prevent surgery, but we also want her to live an active life doing all the things she loves: swimming, skiing, etc. How could we be sure wearing a brace would actually prevent curve progression? Does a relationship between brace wear and nonprogression even exist?

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