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49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
For putting on my socks, I usually use a chair and balance on my heel, lifting up the toes. I can put my socks on down on the floor, but use a chair since its easier
After my surgeries, I thought I would never be able to reach my feet ever again. Well, this was wrong. Around 7-8 months after my surgeries, I started the slow stretching process by putting one foot up on a chair and doing SLOW, LIGHT hanging stretches, (NO PULLING DOWN) trying to reach my feet. One foot at a time, 5-10 very light stretches on each side a few times per day for around 2 months. Finally I could reach my feet to tie shoe laces this way. This was a slow process as I didn't want to risk doing any damage. For full fusion down to the pelvis, make sure you are released to do this from your surgeon. I was released around 6 months and still waited a little while longer before doing this.
The rebuilding of the soft tissues after large scoliosis surgeries is a slow process....Its one day at a time.
49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
Attached below is a photo of a vertical squat at the kitchen counter. This was forced when the dishwasher need unloading. It is possible to simply drop dishes into a dishwasher so loading is not a problem. (smiley face)
Now, I hand wash my dishes. I constantly think about bacteria while doing this as sinks are loaded with bacteria. Dishwashers do a good job of killing bacteria.
Notice head over toes, my spine is vertical with no leaning at all. Use hand on kitchen counter for balance.
I am getting heavy these days. Sigh....My appetite around 6 months post increased for some reason, as if my brain stem did an override demanding nutrition. That's my excuse.
49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
Absolutely FABULOUS photo series, Ed! This is going to help people. Thank you so much.
I continue to be amazed that you are getting about a 45* offset between your shoulders and hips in the seated twists. I work out with a trainer twice a week including on flexibility and I can only do about that much. I think you have a normal range on that.
Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis
No island of sanity.
Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works? Answer: Medicine
I work out with a trainer twice a week including on flexibility and I can only do about that much.
Sharon, You and I rotate the same amount then, fully fused and unfused. This would lead one to believe that the spine itself does not rotate much. (Especially mine!)
Here is a study. Max rotation is at T7, its 2.7 and 2.8 degrees (See Figure 4) If you add up the total rotation numbers on each level, its roughly 15 degrees. Notice the very low rotational values in the lumbar.
The figures in the Moe handbook I posted years ago, "roughly" 20 degrees articulation are in "different" planes. Not rotation.
Ed
49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
Very interesting post, Ed. It really ramifies to me why my kids claim they feel normal. Apparently, there is just not much movement in the thorax nor in normal life to notice the difference compared to fusion.
Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis
No island of sanity.
Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works? Answer: Medicine
Amazing photos Ed, especially the last one.
It will give people on the forum a lot of incentive to keep up with their physio.
I have a physio therapist coming to the house every two weeks and that is how she showed me to do squats at the kitchen counter.
Can only get down half as far as you but now I see it might be possible to get all the way down.
It has been 6 months since my revision and I am up to an average of 4500 steps a day ( not all at once )
If I sit too much my pelvis screws will give me a lot of pain in the evening, but Dr. Wilson said that will probably last
For another 6 months.
Marianne
rotoscoliosis, subluxation and spinal stenosis
Surgery April 15, 2015 at age 67
T11-L5
Decompression with multiple discectomies
Concord cages @ L2-3, L3-4, L4-5
Osteotomies and local bone grafting
Revision Feb.22, 2018
Replaced rods
Took out L5 disk to free up nerves
Used BPM to help with fusing
Fused T10-S1 with screws in pelvis
It really ramifies to me why my kids claim they feel normal.
We all want to feel normal.....especially when we are young. There is a powerful inner drive which promotes or encourages that positive attitude which is so important. One has to want to heal to be successful. The constant affirmation or supporting this healing process is important in kids, (which you have done) its also necessary in adults and its a dual understanding between patient and surgeon. If something is not quite right, we continue. The most important thing is being pain free or having a reduction of pain levels.
Regardless of mobility, we all have scar tissue, altered muscles, and levels of damage and atrophy in the thoracic surgical zone on open procedures. I really hate to point this out, but I have to.
I don't see how any scoliosis patient could say this feels normal.....its not normal. I am talking about the bear traps, the gripping feeling. I have had the traps all summer regardless of weather. Some of us get so used to pain, I was writing down 3 levels of pain at the Chiropractor when I was dying before my surgeries 11 years ago. Walking in sideways with brutal sciatica from 4 lumbar herniation's doesn't deserve a 3, but it happened. They questioned me about this and suddenly the writing was on the wall. Many of us hide our pain and do it well. I had it happen, and I have seen it in other adult scoli's. We age with scoliosis, we maintain for periods of time, then we crash. When I have to lay down, I have to lay down soon.
We have to be honest about our pain.....honest with ourselves. Sometimes there is a self masking in this regard for various reasons, pleasing others, pleasing parents, pleasing doctors and pleasing ourselves.
I hope this makes some sense....
Ed
49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
Amazing photos Ed, especially the last one.
It will give people on the forum a lot of incentive to keep up with their physio.
I have a physio therapist coming to the house every two weeks and that is how she showed me to do squats at the kitchen counter.
Can only get down half as far as you but now I see it might be possible to get all the way down.
It has been 6 months since my revision and I am up to an average of 4500 steps a day ( not all at once )
If I sit too much my pelvis screws will give me a lot of pain in the evening, but Dr. Wilson said that will probably last
For another 6 months.
I still squat. I can bend over but still squat.
For patients just returning home from surgery, heel lifts are good for blood transfer to the feet. I would do heel lifts and squats at the kitchen counter.
The squats are good skiing exercise! I would guess a skier would do pretty good at these. My legs were oversize and just made of steel back in the day when I was skiing. In high school, I was the only one who could leg press 850# on the universal gym. It was the max amount of weight, and the football jocks had trouble with that. LOL I was also pull up champion when I was around 13, Nobody could beat me. I was doing around 30 pull ups at rehab after my shoulder surgery at age 50, the doctor saw me doing this and told me I was done. Gym can be addicting. I didn't have physical limitations with a large S curve when younger.
Sitting is not the most comfortable thing for us, frequent walks help in this regard. I am having hip numbness and pain from sitting lately.
Marianne, I hope your revision has helped out some. Ginger in Utah is having her revision done in October, an extension to the pelvis just like you.
Ed
49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
To me your best photos are the rotation photos. It looks about the same as when I rotate and I haven't been fused!
Dingo, Yes, they did a good job.
Can you imagine what that was like coming back out of my ALIF? Hours and hours of internal stitching. The spine lays deep, so entry from the front is like going to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Talking about rotation, check out the study in post #6.....you will find it interesting.
Ed
49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
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