Ask the Doctor: Athletics Are Possible with Disease
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Our 14-year-old daughter was checked for scoliosis at her school, and they sent a note to us saying she has it.
She is scheduled to see a doctor.
We’re worried sick about this.
Our daughter is a very active young woman and into many sports.
Does this put an end to her athletics?
Will she need surgery?
We need some answers. - R. and M.T.
ANSWER: Hold on.
Your daughter might not need treatment.
Surgery is performed only in a small number of cases.
She’s likely to be permitted to continue with an active sports life.
Scoliosis is a bending of the spine to the right or left.
If the bend is in the upper back, the chest area, it’s called thoracic scoliosis.
If it’s in the lower back, it’s lumbar scoliosis.
Only 10% of children ever require treatment.
Let me say that differently: 90% never need treatment.
What dictates the course of action is the angle of curvature.
Since all this is new to you, you must not have detected anything wrong with her back.
That suggests she has only a slight curve.
That kind of curve is observed for changes.
Slight curves, which the majority have, don’t preclude sports participation.
A less upbeat prognosis holds for scoliosis discovered at ages younger than 12 and a curvature of greater than 20 degrees.
As far as I can see, neither criterion applies to your daughter.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 25 and have worn glasses for 10 years.
This past year, my vision started to blur.
I put off seeing the eye doctor until things really got bad.
The doctor told me I have keratoconus, something new to me.
He said I might need surgery in time.
What does that involve?- L.C.
ANSWER: A little anatomy is called for in order to explain this.
The trouble in keratoconus involves the cornea, the clear part of the eye in front of the pupil.
With keratoconus, the cornea thins and bulges outward in a cone shape.
That distorts vision.
In most cases, it is not a hereditary condition.
Contact lenses can retard the progression of the bulge and can correct your blurry vision.
Different lens material is used according to the severity of the bulge.
If the process continues, then the replacement of the cornea with a donor cornea works wonders.
Corneal transplants are among the most successful of all transplants.
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible.
Congratulations to Hunter Ashley for getting a 2nd place in the Discus throw. He may be a Freshman, but he can definately out throw a lot of sophmores, Juniors and seniors. Way to go Hunter. Practice always pays off. Proud of you.