Scoliosis: Ascending the Curve [Hardcover]

Brooke Lyons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1999

There are roughly five million people in the United States being treated for scoliosis. Every year some half-million new cases are diagnosed--the great majority of them adolescent girls. Untreated, scoliosis causes increaing curvature of the spine--a progressive, debilitating condition that can leave the sufferer permanently bent over and eventually totally crippled.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

For many scoliosis sufferers, diagnosis and treatment occur during adolescence, so its fitting that this up-to-date look at the subject comes from Lyons, an 18-year-old Yale freshman and national teen spokesperson for the Scoliosis Association. Lyons joins forces with Boachie-Adjei (chief of scoliosis serivce at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery) and psychologist Podzius to exhaustively cover all the relevant ground. They begin by defining the problem: scoliosis is a deviation in growth, possibly genetic, which causes ``a three-dimensional curvature of the spine.'' While lateral curvature causes a noticeable bend to one side, rotation of the spine also rotates the rib cage, which causes compression of the organs within. The authors describe various types of scoliosis (some straighten by themselves, with physical maturity; some, if left untreated, will progress throughout adulthood) and diagnostic techniques. They then cover treatment: bracing and surgery are the choices, depending on type and severity of the disease. The authors look in detail at surgical complications, pain management techniques, ``How to Cope with Physical Challenges and Stigma on a Daily Basis,'' and the search for a genetic cause. All of this material is interwoven with details of Lyons's own story and those of others. The nuts and bolts of scoliosis: from surgery to social concerns, comprehensive, current advice in the sympathetic and realistic voice of a fellow sufferer. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company; 1 edition (August 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871318830
• ISBN-13: 978-0871318831
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #819,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Case Histories and Medical Reference, June 27, 2000

By 

Donna Kennard (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scoliosis: Ascending the Curve (Hardcover)

As a mother of 2 daughters who have scoliosis, I found this book very informative and reassuring. There was a wide and varied range of scoliosis case histories described, providing something that almost every person/family with scoliosis could relate to and learn from. The medical, social, and emotional aspects of each case were described so those of us touched by this rare abnormality no longer felt alone.

I admire Brooke's courage in writing this book, because scoliosis is a serious, relatively rare and frightening condition. This makes it difficult to talk so frankly about the feelings, emotions, and often severe medical treatment required to control this deforming condition. Bravo Brooke and congratulations for bravely placing a picture of your own back on the front cover of the book.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and supportive, October 20, 1999

By 

Katheryn J Park (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scoliosis: Ascending the Curve (Hardcover)

This book is very informative. It gives a great insight to scoliosis and its trials and errors. Very nice detail of what to expect in every phase of the condition. I really enjoyed reading it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, May 17, 2001

By 

JAMES WATSON (NOTTINGHAM, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scoliosis: Ascending the Curve (Hardcover)

This book has help me understand in great detail how the spine vertbrae's are linked.With the surgeons letter i was able to see what parts of the spine where affected on my son.This helped to inform me, in a manner in which is easy to understand as the book is written in PLAIN English. I would Reccommend this book to parents or people with Scoliosis wishing to be informed without medical terms.Helps take away the fear of the unkown.rating by me 8 out 10.