Testimonials
James, 69
My name is James Mossman and I am 69 years old. I've had idiopathic scoliosis for a long time. A few years ago, it started getting worse, twisting my spine so that I shunk 15 cm. Before, if I stood for five minutes, I was in excruciating pain, and if I walked more than one hundred metres, I hurt so bad that I had to sit down and rest. My scoliosis and my subsequent loss of height compresed my internal organs. So I started having heart problems and had to see a cardiologist.
I've been wearing the SpineCor® brace for seven months now and I'm being monitored by Dr. Louise Marcotte. My quality of life has greatly improved. I've recently had a cardiac stress test, which I passed with flying colours. I no longer have to see a cardiologist.
I can now stand for much longer than before and I can walk quite far without much pain. My pain has not completely disappeared, but it is now tolerable at all times and I can do physical excercise. The new muscles that are the result of this excercise is also beneficial for my posture.
Before I met Dr. Marcotte, no one could really offer me an effective solution. They said that because of my age, there was nothing that I could do and that I had to "deal with it" as well as I could. The excruciating pain made travel difficult because of the need to get around. My poor quality of life just depressed me. But Dr. Marcotte and the SpineCor® brace have improved my life enormously. The treatment is fairly easy once you get used to it. It's not uncomfortable. I am really grateful to Dr. Marcotte and the SpineCor® brace and I recommend the treatment to anyone who has adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. For me, it's been a miracle.
Sincerely,
James Mossman
Jonathan, 21
Chronic back pain has been affecting my quality of life since I was 10 years old. I often had to stay home from school, because I could barely stand after playing hockey or golf. The guys called me "the hunchback" and other hurtful names, and my self-esteem was tested. I saw several doctors and specialists hoping to find a way to relieve my pain, but they all said that there was nothing wrong with my spinal column, other than my poor posture.
Finally, when I was 18 years old, I had enough. An orthopedic surgeon diagnosed me with mild scoliosis, as well as hyperkyphosis in the upper thoracic region of my spinal column. He told me that the only way to fix my problem was to fuse two metal rods into my spinal column. After I came to terms with the fact that I'd have to have this delicate operation, they told me that my case was "not severe enough" to qualify for the surgery. I had no other option than to wait for my case to get worse.
Then, my mother met Dr. Louise Marcotte and she told me about this new brace that might help me. I had been so discouraged by so many doctors that I was extremely nervous. But I've been wearing the SpineCor® brace for around three months now, and the chage is increadible. When I put it on, my back pain literally disappears. I don't even remember the last time my back hurt. Before, I had constant nosebleeds, but they, too, disappeared when I started wearing the brace. It keeps my back straight as a rod all day long, and my family swears that I'm at least 5 cm taller. It really is a miracle.
The brace is easy to put on in the morning and you can't see it under clothes. When I participate in sports, it completely relieves my pain, both during and after the excercise. I love golf, and honestly, I said goodbye to my slice since I started wearing the brace during my rounds! Mt drives are more accurate than ever.
This brace improves my breathing, my self-confidence and my quality of life. I can now participate in activities that I thought I had given up forever. This brace is more than revolutionary for cases like mine. Dr. Marcotte has not only helped my back, my health and my golf game, she has changed my life, and I am extremely grateful.
Gordon, 81
In July of last year (2009), three of my vertebrae (T6, T7 and T8) showed compression fractures, so that I was feeling a lot of pain that seemed to radiate from the fractures to the shoulders and sides. The pain got worse over the summer.
On August 20, Dr. Louise Marcotte fitted a SpineCor® brace for me, and I wore it every day, which greatly reduced the pain and helped me hold myself more upright, as well as strengthening the muscles surrounding the fractured vertebrae.
I'm almost 82 years old, and I feel that because of this brace, I can have a good life for longer, despite my medical problems.
Susanne MD, 48
Here is a testimonial about Dr. Louise Marcotte and her expertise concerning spinal care and the SpineCor® brace.
I have idiopathic scoliosis and I wore the Milwaukee brace for two years when I was an adolescent. With time, my scoliosis progressed and is now at an angle of 56 degrees. I'm 48 years old and I'm a full-time radiologist. I'm still active and I excercise regularly. After working all day at the computer analysing x-rays, I am in a lot of pain.
When I consulted a New York orthopedic surgeon specializing in scoliosis treatment, he told me to excercise and stay active, because surgery would no be suitable in my case. My internet searches led me to the SpineCor® brace, and I communicated with some of the inventors, Doctors Charles Rivard and Christine Coillard at Montreal's Sainte-Justine children's hospital. They were helpful and professional, and were kind enough to direct me to Dr. Louise Marcotte, a chiropractor specializing in posture problems. She has a lot of experience in treating adult scoliosis with the SpineCor® brace.
I was extremely impressed by Dr. Marcotte's knowledge of the mechanics of posture, of scoliosis and of the SpineCor® brace's adjustment. After my first visit, I left her office and drove for two housr wearing my new brace. Instantly, my posture was improved and my back pain disappeared. My family noticed my improved posture; in fact, I am two centimetres taller. I wear the brace to work at my computer every day. I have no back pain when I wear it. However, when I take it off, the pain returns, because my poor posture and the resulting muscular spasms also return. I have never taken medication for my back pain, and now, fortunately, I don't need to. The results are actual and quantifiable. Dr. Marcotte took photos of my posture before and after the initial fitting and gave me a PosturePrint® progress report. My postural deviations were calculated and there is a significant improvement when I wear the brace. I also had my Posture Index® calculated—a scientific method categorizing and quantifying the severity of postural deviations. In addition, I was prescribed excercises adapted to my specific type of scoliosis, along with drawings and instructions to help me do them. I never expected to get such a holistic treatment for my scoliosis, and now I have hope again.
It's encouraging to be able to do my work without the debilitating pain that I had, and it's all because of the SpineCor® brace. After my first week back at work, the brace has already proven itself.
I strongly encourage scoliosis-affected adults to consider the SpineCor® brace as a long-term therapy, to take control of their pain and their posture. The results are worth the effort. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Marcotte for her expertise, her advise and her help concerning this chronic and sometimes debilitating disease. I'd also like to thank the brace's inventors, Drs. Rivard and Coillard, and highlight their visionnary goals, their research and their innovative ideas.
