We are asking you to support your student who needs to wear a spinal brace to prevent their spinal curve (scoliosis) getting worse and avoid the need for surgery. A meeting with your student and their parent(s) would be helpful. They need to wear the brace for 20 hours each day until they finish growing and there will need to be regular hospital visits to adjust the brace and monitor the curve with x-rays. This is a big commitment for them and their family.
Please try to reduce any anxiety the student may have wearing a spinal brace and potentially feeling different from the other students. Have an open discussion about whether the student wants others in their class to know about their brace. Some younger children may need help taking the brace off and putting it back on. This is an easy process and the parent can demonstrate it to staff members.
- Taking the brace on and off:
- This takes time.
- Your student will know how to take the brace off and put it back on but may need some help.
- They will need somewhere to lie down to put the brace back on.
- They may need help fastening the Velcro straps if these are at the back of the brace. The straps will be marked with a line to indicate how tight they need to be.
- PE:
- A 10 minute ‘early pass’ before and after PE if needed to take the brace off and put it back on again.
- The brace CAN be taken off for PE (store it somewhere safe) but some may want to keep it on depending on the activity.
- Some young people with scoliosis experience pain which may limit activity.
- Toilet: The brace may need to be removed before going to the toilet depending on the design – please check with your student.
- Lessons:
- Backless stools can be very uncomfortable to sit on when wearing a spinal brace.
- A short time to get up and stretch during a lesson may help but this should be balanced against drawing attention to the brace.
- Carrying heavy bags whilst wearing a brace can be uncomfortable. If possible, storage may be helpful.
- Braces can move during normal wear and may need to be adjusted. Students may need to readjust the brace during school time. Please discuss this with your student to agree a way of managing this e.g. a student ‘pass’.
- Clothing: Braces are usually worn under clothing so new, ‘bigger’ sizes are required. This can be expensive so flexibility may be needed.
Please discuss these things with your student as this is always a balance between drawing attention to their brace and making their lives easier. All relevant staff should be aware the student needs to wear a spinal brace.