The Beginning

Our son, Brian, complained of back pain for the first time after football practice in the eighth grade. Wearing full pads during one of the drills, he ran forward to mow over the biggest of the three blockers. Unfortunately, Brian hit him head on. As always, Brian was giving it 100%, so suffered quite a jarring blow. After a couple of days of ice and rest, the pain in his mid-back was not improving, so I took him to see our family Dr. He said that the X-rays showed no signs of fracture or abnormalities. He made it through the rest of the season, but the pain persisted.

Brian continued to have pain through the hockey season that year and only made it through one football game the following year before he had to quit. PT (physical therapy) seemed to relieve the pain somewhat, but as soon as he became active again, it worsened.

In April of 1996, after his freshman year of hockey, he was miserable. It was then that we noticed that he had swelling right over his spine, in the thoracic (rib) area. After taking X-rays, his Dr. told us that it looked like he had compression fractures of 3 or 4 of his vertebrae, but that he would send it to the radiologist, to get his diagnosis.

Scheuermann's

After receiving the diagnosis of Scheuermann's disease, Brian was referred to a spine specialist in a nearby city in Wisconsin. When he saw him a few weeks later, the specialist told us that Brian had a 48 degree curve in his thoracic (rib area) spine. If it continued to worsen, even by 3 more degrees, he would need to wear a Milwaukee brace for 24 hours a day. This is an apparatus that extends from the neck to the groin, with a bar that connects the chin support to the chest. (Which for a 15 yr old boy, was the last thing he wanted to wear, even if it would be worn under his clothes.) The specialist recommended PT for his discomfort and wanted to see Brian every 4 months, while he was growing. (Usually the curve doesn't worsen after growth subsides.)

The Next 3 Years

For the next 3 years, we faithfully took Brian to his appointments--every 4 months--each time finding out that the curve had stayed relatively the same. Brian continued to play sports in school: hockey, golf, and tennis. His doctor said that his participation in sports wouldn't hurt his spine, but may cause him muscular discomfort, so gave him anti-inflammatory medications to take and an order for PT, as needed. It seemed that any time Brian had to repeat a specific task for an extended period of time, he would suffer afterwards. But he didn't want his coaches to know about his back problems, so we honored his wishes, and didn't say anything to them.

After Brian stopped growing, the specialist told him that he could return in a year. At that time, the curve hadn't changed, so he told us that Brian didn't need to see him again. Unfortunately, we were back in his office only a few months later, because he was in so much pain.

Brian was referred to the spine specialist's physical therapist (he had been seeing a therapist at our local hospital), but everything they tried made the pain worse.

The Pain Clinic was the next stop. His doctor there wanted him to see their physical therapist, which he did. After several visits he still had no relief from the pain. Brian received twenty-some cortisone injections from his Pain Clinic doctor, tried a TENS unit (it uses electrical impulses to alleviate the pain), and was given at least 6 different anti-inflammatory medications plus a couple prescriptions for pain--all without success. Since the spine specialist said that there was nothing more that he could do for him, we sought out another opinion.

The spine specialist at a famous midwest clinic informed us that Brian had a 70 degree curve, not 48. He suggested a brace. Even though it wouldn't change the degree of his curve, we were told that it might help to relax the muscles that were causing his pain and allow them to heal. We made several trips to have the brace molded, made and fitted. But when it was straight enough to help his upper back pain, it put too much pressure (and subsequent pain) on his lower back and pelvis. Another failed attempt to relieve his pain. The specialist told us that the only thing left to do was surgery. He mentioned that Brian's pain and degree of curvature certainly warranted it, but that he hadn't performed the surgery often enough to know if it would even help him. So now what?! We certainly didn't want him to go through surgery if the doctor couldn't give him a better prognosis than that.

Not knowing what to do or where to go next, I spoke to our Orthopedic physicians at our local clinic to get their suggestions. One of them had worked with Dr. Weinstein in Iowa, just a year before. He highly recommended him, so we were off to Iowa City, Iowa.

Surgery

I later found out that Dr. Stuart Weinstein is a world-renown surgeon in his field and that the University of Iowa Hospitals is highly acclaimed for their orthopedic care. (Already I felt better.) When Brian saw him for the first time, he was very impressed. It was evident when he said, "Finally! Someone who knows more about my back than I do!" We were also very impressed with his genuine concern and friendliness.

Dr. W. told us that Brian's thoracic curve was 80 degrees. How could that be?! Brian confessed that during the first 3 years, he fudged--he didn't want to wear the brace, so he arched his back during the X-rays. Since he was pretty flexible, he was able to lessen the curve substantially by straightening his back in this way. Later on, he decided that he needed to be honest, in order to get the help he needed, so tried to assume his natural posture. At Iowa, the tech had him hold onto an apparatus during the X-ray, which helped him to stand with a more normal posture.

Brian was ready to have surgery. He had muscle spasms in his legs and lower back, along with the pain in his upper back. During his senior year of high school, he had to take pain pills before every hockey game and tennis match, in order to make it through. Even then, he was miserable. (Brian still didn't want us to say anything, but we decided that it was time to inform his coaches of his back problems. He wasn't too upset with us a few months later, when we told him that we had talked to them about it.) We thought that after he finished playing sports it would get better, but it didn't--it got worse.

It was a big decision. It was a lengthy surgery--an invasive one. And even though Dr. Weinstein reassured us that Brian would feel much better afterwards, we were still very apprehensive. But Brian knew what needed to be done. Surgery was scheduled for December 14, 1999.

It was the longest 10 hours of our lives. But Dr. W. sent messages up to the reception desk every hour or so, to inform us of Brian's progress. He told us what stage of the procedure they were at, and how Brian was doing overall. The surgery went well. Brian was in the hospital for 7 days. It was the hardest 7 days of our lives, seeing him in so much pain. But we had the best Christmas present ever--to have our son home with us and to have our prayers answered. We just wanted him to have a normal life, an enjoyable one without pain. Now, he was finally going to have it. (Although we were still somewhat apprehensive--not knowing for sure how he would do long term.)

Post-Op

He was 19 years old, a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Six weeks after surgery, he went back to his dorm. He couldn't bend, twist, or lift anything more than 10 lbs for 6 months. The hospital occupational therapists gave him a "grabber" and other devices to assist him. He's a tough kid. With a little help from his friends and the university, he made it through the semester. In fact, he did very well--he even made the Dean's list, taking chemistry and calculus courses, besides.

Brian's follow-up visits showed that everything was healing properly. At his 6 month visit, he was given the go-ahead to do whatever he wanted to do, but to start slowly. (But contact sports were probably not a good idea.)

After Dr. W. straightened out his back, he was an inch taller. He lost 17 lbs throughout his ordeal, but slowly gained it all back. Brian faithfully lifted weights 4 times a week throughout the summer and continues to lift as often as his schedule allows.

Today

I am happy to say that he looks great. Today Brian weighs 185 lbs, is 6 feet tall and is a very strong young man. He looks the healthiest he's ever looked--and stands up so straight and tall.

But more importantly, he FEELS GREAT! He smiles and laughs all the time (well, mostly), and is so talkative. It's amazing how much his personality changed. We knew that his anger and irritability (before surgery) was due to the pain, and rightfully so. But we didn't realize just how much the pain affected him until after he was able to live without it.

Surgery is very rarely needed for patients with Scheuermann's. But for those "rare" few, it's a life-saver. We thank God that we were able to find Dr. Weinstein. Brian finally got the help he so desperately needed--and from a man who was not only an excellent surgeon, but a compassionate and caring person. Brian's story ends on a happy note, I'm thankful to say. And I hope your story, whatever situation you find yourself in, ends on a happy note as well. Good luck and take care.

Tim & Diane Weber