So, I went to my Dr. It turns out that I have scoliosis. Apparently, I’ve had it for quite some time.
I suppose that this would explain the constant low back pain, sciatica, daily headaches and jaw clenching. I’m lucky enough to have not one curve in my spine. Not two. No folks, I have a wopping three big curves in my spine, and rotation to boot.
At this stage of the game,there’s not a hulluva lot anyone can do about it either. My spine has sort of solidified in this rather unfortunatly position, and is now colapsing on itself, accordian like. I can get physio to prevent it from smooshing down further. I had it today. Owie.
The surgery is a tough one. A girlfriend of mine had it done in her teens after wearing a brace for years and wasn’t helping much. It was hell for her.
Sorry you received such crap news.
Do you swim at all? The warm water does wonders for my back.
Well, sh*t, indeed! I complain about my back, but a new mattress could remedy that, I suppose. But you, wow. So sorry.
My dad went through two surgeries for his back, and just a couple of years ago, he nearly had to go to a neurologist for further problems, which extended into his neck. If I recall, either two or three of his neck bones have been surgically fused together. I think he’s okay now after all of that, thank god.
And now, I fear my wife has back problems that sound similar to yours, although I seriously doubt hers are that extreme. That really sucks.
Sorry to hear about this, alice. My brother had a couple rods and a cage put in his back, but this was because he shattered a vertebra and otherwise messed up his back. I’m curious as to what surgery hopes to do for your condition (i.e., what would they do? Rods for the cuves? Anything for the rotation?), and why you say it’s “extreme.”
Anyway, my vague understanding about physio is that it hurts during but is supposed to feel much better after. Hope this is true for you.
I was diagnosed with scoliosis about 20 years ago after suffering several years of “growing pains” when I hit puberty. I have one great big curve that makes one hipbone 3 inches higher than the other, (not noticable now that I have meat on my bones). I can do almost everything a non-curvy spined person can do, as long as I have plenty of Tylenol and a heating pad nearby.
I have a whacko orthopedic problem, the main manifestation of which is REALLY BAD scoliosis. My spine looks like an S AND I have kyphosis – an outward curve. Beat that!
I get some pretty nasty muscle spasms from time to time but it doesn’t give me as many problems as I’d think it would. I had fusion surgery when I was nine – no rods, just bone packed in there that they harvested from my pelvis. ulp Then a body cast for six months, thankfully not the type involving your legs so that you’re basically immobilized, and a brace for six more months after that. Ever since, ah, sweet freedom! (I’d been in braces since I was 18 months old. I’m very very unusual.)
Since I was a kid, I healed quickly. I shudder to think about how I’d do now if they did the same surgery. But my spine hasn’t moved since, which is a GOOD THING.
Ok, my spine looks like an “S” with a “C” sitting on top of it, and I have kyphosis in two opposing directions.
I guess I win, although I hadn’t realized it was a compitition.
Thanks to everyone else. Apparently, just because the scolosis isn’t enough on it’s own, the ligaments in my left hip are shot to boot, which I suppose explains why my hip always pops out of my hip capsule. That, at least, is treatable. We’re going to start with some exercises to strengthen the surrounding area, which can help for some people. If not, I guess they can inject dextrose into the ligaments which will make them shrink, offering more support. Apparently my huge flexability has actually become a problem. Who knew that being able to put both your legs behind your head at the same time could be a bad thing?!?!
The physio did some poking and prodding around my lower back yesterday, and now it hurts like a sonofabitch. However, she also did some farting around with my upper spine, and now it feels great. I haven’t had a headache in 2 DAYS, which for me is quite an acomplishment!
I was feeling pretty morose yesterday, but today I’m less depressed about the whole thing. All things considered, I could have it much worse.
I have an ex gf who has scoliosis. She had the surgery when she was about 8 or so. Its VERY painful (not to mention pricy) from what I understand, but its a helluva lot better than the alternitive (death).
Like the others, alice, I’m sorry for your predicament. I have a question, however. Given that your scoliosis is so severe, why wasn’t it diagnosed sooner? You’d think that it would have manifested itself much earlier.
