Lung capacity, breathing

[darrin90]

Okay you guys I'm having a kind of weird issue which I think my scoliosis and hypokyphosis (reversed kyphosis) is causing. I'm often in lack of breath, and my voice is often weak. This is really annoying because people can't pick up the words I'm saying, and therefore I'm socially handicapped.

Does anyone on the forum have similiar issues? Does aerobic or anaerobic excercises help solving my problem? Is curves in the upper spine often associated with bad pulmonary function, vital capacity etc?

[rainbow2010]

I have deterating discs and spine above my fusion. When the pain from the nerves gets bad, I have a hard time taking a deep breath. When it started, the pain was so bad, I ended up with pneumonia. I get ablations to stop the nerve pain so I can breath!

[Karen Ocker]

Yes, scoliosis definitely can reduce pulmonary function. Some literature I have read has shown reduced pulmonary in children even starting at a 60 degrees thoracic curve. Triple curves, like mine, make it worse. I have only 50% pulmonary capacity and I really notice it. Even though I have had state of the art surgery, both in 1956 and my revision in 2002, my chest deformity caused me to actually lose lung tissue.
Exercise helps somewhat but correction of the curve, before it severely deforms the chest, is the real solution. Before my revision, I exercised and even hiked a lot but my breathing got worse with the curve progression and I couldn't overcome it with anything I tried. Very scary indeed.:eek:

[darrin90]

Yes, scoliosis definitely can reduce pulmonary function. Some literature I have read has shown reduced pulmonary in children even starting at a 60 degrees thoracic curve. Triple curves, like mine, make it worse. I have only 50% pulmonary capacity and I really notice it. Even though I have had state of the art surgery, both in 1956 and my revision in 2002, my chest deformity caused me to actually lose lung tissue.
Exercise helps somewhat but correction of the curve, before it severely deforms the chest, is the real solution. Before my revision, I exercised and even hiked a lot but my breathing got worse with the curve progression and I couldn't overcome it with anything I tried. Very scary indeed.:eek:

Yes thats kind of scary! I am wondering how you notice the 50% decrease in your pulmonary function and how it affects you in your daily life?

Hopefully my chest deformity will not worsen, because than I might need spinal fusion surgery. But I think my 40 degree curve is not going to cause any real physical pain for me or lack of pulmonary function. I just feel like my breathing capacity isn't what it used to be before I got scoliosis 3-4 years ago.

[Karen Ocker]

I consulted a pulmonologist and he did breathing tests; this was before my surgery. I was 70% of normal. After surgery I am 50% of normal. I was warned about this before my surgery by the pulmonary doctor at Special Surgery. He said that, because of all the cutting through my breathing muscles to do the anterior approach those muscles would be weaker. I find breathing exercises help me now that my curves are reduced and stabilized. I live a perfectly normal life but get easily winded if I try sprinting quickly up stairs or a hill.

The best solution is to intervene before the pulmonary function is so bad that anesthesia is unsafe. Unless the curves are stopped and corrected it only gets worse and no sort of breathing help last for long--in my experience.

[tonibunny]

I too have about 50% lung function, but in my case it was always at least that bad because I had severe scoliosis as a baby and some lung tissue wasn't about to develop properly. I know I get tired quicker than other people, and running leaves me out of breath very quickly, but other than that I tolerate it really well and I'm very fit and active and do a lot of mountain climbing and cycling. I'm a long distance runner rather than a sprinter :D