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    Cross posted in the other forum:

    Hi, i am a 22 year old female. i've seen 3 orthopedic surgeons to confirm that my lateral curvatures are about 16 & 19 degrees (YAY! never had back surgery!) but I'm sad (and frustrated) about my back hump b/c of the rotation of my rib cage. it's really not noticeable but I get so terrified when people hug me, or when any of my friends/family members/boyfriend touch my back. All the specialists say my scoliosis isn't getting worse but to me, I always thought scoliosis included not just the lateral curvatures but also the ventral and dorsal curvatures (i.e rib & back humps) and it frustrates me like no other that all 3 (in various locations) tell me my scoliosis is fine, it's only 18*--but MY BACK HUMP BOTHERS ME! My rib hump doesn't really bother me but it is my back hump. i don't know if it's b/c I've gotten to be more self conscientious or if my back got worse but now I refuse to wear a tanktop w/ a bra in public unless I have a jacket on, or my hair covers the straps b/c who knows when out of the blue someone sees why the left strap is diagonally downward pointing towards the right and the right strap is a bit shorter (b/c of the volume taken up by the hump). I've always felt sexier when i was able to reveal the spaghetti straps on the tanktops and this sucks ass (the only soln i found was to wear strapless bras w/ tanktops). But yeah, nobody notices--in fact, I usually like to model (for fun, nothing professional) and ppl are all jealous of my body (I'm really skinny) but i get so scared when ppl touch me or see me from the side b/c then i feel like they've discovered the deformed monster in me

    so my question is this--would thoracoplasty help me? I've read that ribs will grow back to the way they are naturally, but I've also read that if one does not have back surgery, then when the ribs grow back, they will go back to the way it naturally was (curved). Guys I'm so depressed about this (and I'm in the prime time of my life!!!).

    Everything on my right side is so tight. Last night was sad too--I was in front of the bathroom mirror and i tilted my head back and i noticed that one side of my neck was slightly longer than the other and it was a bit crooked to the right. Now, nobody notices this as long as I do not tilt my head back while standing up--hell, I didn't even notice this until 22 (almost 23) yrs into my life. are there any exercises to undo some of this???

    Finally, for someone like me with very minor lateral curves, would back surgery help me gain any height?? I'm really short (not even 5 feet) and the orthoped said I lost 2 inches due to my scoliosis (is this true with a 16* 19 degree curvature???) i know back surgery can undo curves but 1) usually ppl who get such surgeries end up w/ curvatures still greater than mine right now (so minor benefit for me??) 2) their spine becomes fused so they lose space between the vertebra (so loss in height) but I guess b/c their curvatures were so big that the height gain they got from the curve corrections were bigger than the loss in height from fusion. Is this correct?

    I'm so depressed and stressed out. I've been getting so many tension headaches lately as a result of my self-image

    sure lateral curves do not change much after growth stops but i don;t think this applies to back humps, right???

    again, you can't really tell but god, my left side is so beautiful w/ all the natural womanly sexy curves and the right side is just plain, very little (if any) womanly sexy curves left

    please offer me some suggestions on what my options are.

    PS--I'm going to see a specialist in January (he used to be the president of the National Scoliosis Reserach Foundation) to get my back hump measured--has anyone done this? is it worth it?

  • #2
    Hi Alex2006

    Welcome to the scoliosis forum.

    I noticed that no one has responded to your letter yet, but didn't check to see if someone on the other forum answered--come on ladies!!

    Many other people have written into this forum dealing with the same body image issues that you are dealing with. You are certainly not alone! All of us with scoliosis, whether slight or severe, have looked into the mirror and said, "why me?" and felt different than others with straight backs. My 15 year old daughter has a slight 15 degree curve and hers is not noticeable unless you are looking for it; it doesn't require any treatment, but of course always helps to keep your back muscles strong to avoid muscle imbalances and problems.

    It sounds right what the orthopedic drs. were telling you in that your curves are not severe enough at this point to do surgery. sometimes people with severe pain from scoliosis will have it done when their curve is in the 30-40's, but not usually. However, you should keep getting your curves checked about every 5 years because as you age, they could progress and worsen. It doesn't seem likely that you have lost any height with those small curves.

    I'm not sure about them doing thoracoplasty to you without scoliosis surgery. That would be a question for the NRS specialist you will see in January.

    From what you've written about doing modeling and others envying your body because you are skinny, it doesn't sound like other people are aware of the humps or unevenness that you are seeing. People who hug you love you and accept you for who you are, not how even your body is. There are people on here with huge humps and curves of 80-100 degrees or more and they have boyfriends, husbands, family, and friends who love them regardless of whether they will ever be perfect.

    I myself had scoliosis surgery 3 months ago for curves of 70 and 76 degrees. Needless to say, my back was shaped very strangely with a big hump by one shoulder blade. However, when I told people that I was having the surgery (for progression and pain), they told me that they had never even noticed anything wrong with my back!!!

    I did NOT have thoracoplasty as my drs. did not think it was severe enough to do it. After reading about how painful the rib surgery was on this forum (sometimes more than the back surgery) and how some people have very long lasting pain after the procedure, I decided not to have it done. After the surgery, I was looking in the mirror and saw that although it is much straighter, one shoulder blade still sticks out farther on one side than the other. I told my husband about it and he said that my back looks so much better than before surgery that there is no comparison and that the hump is only noticeable if you are looking for it.

    So please realize that other people are no where as critical about your body as you are and that no one is absolutely perfect in everyway. Our differences are what make us each a very special person and people will love and touch you for you, not for your shape.

    Go back on some of the older threads on this forum and look for others which talk about appearance and I think reading these will help you as they have helped me.

    Deb
    age 47
    posterior surgery 7/24/06
    for T70,L76 S curve
    50% correction

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Cakedec
      So please realize that other people are no where as critical about your body as you are and that no one is absolutely perfect in everyway. Our differences are what make us each a very special person and people will love and touch you for you, not for your shape.
      Deb
      age 47
      posterior surgery 7/24/06
      for T70,L76 S curve
      50% correction
      I think you covered everything in your post Deb, and if I can add to this phrase I will say that everybody even models and actors have imperfections, that's life. Personally I like imperfections, it reflects what the person is and gives them a unique and individual look, but that's just me. Reading on how many people care so much about their humps, I'm really thankful I never even cared about that, and so did anybody in my life. If they did, they're superficial ignorants and I don't need to bother with fools like them.

      Pain is such a much bigger problem when it comes to scoliosis. I do remember one time a month or so before getting surgery when I saw my reflection in a glass door just how deformed I was, but I did have a 60 degree curve and was really skinny at that point.

      I think when self image and imperfections become a big problem in one's life then maybe some counseling could help.
      35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
      Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
      Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
      Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
      Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

      Comment


      • #4
        I had surgery about 7 weeks ago and gained about an inch and a half. I had a 55 degree lumbar curve, not sure of the final because I haven't had my complete xrays done. A lot of my friends have told me they never realized how crooked I was until now. We are all bothered by our imperfections, but I would definitely keep a watch on it. I left mine unchecked for 20 years.
        surgery 9/06
        Rothman institute

        Comment


        • #5
          thank you all for your kind words. I sincerely hope the fact that "my hump is getting bigger" is only a mental thing (due to the fact that we are more critical of ourselves than others are). It has bothered me to such a great deal that I notonly got tension headaches (as mentioned) but was depressed to the point where I was considering going on anti-depressants (I do no take any other medication). I know I am very fortunate not to have a curvature greater than 20 and suffer from health problems. THe only health problem I currently have is being able to find a position to study in--I am in the doctor of pharmacy program and back when I was younger, studying for long periods wasn't a problem but now the only comfortable studying position (for my back) is laying on my stomach on the bed and we all know what that leads to. Any suggestions? Neck pains & back pains are my biggest enemies.

          I think shoulders make girls really attractive (esp. when they are revealed when one's wearing a spaghetti strap tanktop)--any idea how to build strong, muscular swimmer's shoulders (w/o swimming)? I figured if I can do this and then do more of it on my left side (since the curve goes to my right and therefore i look like i have more muscles on my right), then more muscles on my left side will help me look more balanced. More imoprtantly, my strong muscles (attached to the back bones) can pull on the opposing forces that pull my spine to the right.

          Thanks a lot again!
          Last edited by alex2006; 10-29-2006, 02:44 AM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Alex,

            did you go see a PT? They could help finding exercises that could strenghten your muscles on your uneven side. Yoga is great too, for posture and pain. Swimming is one of the best exercises for any type of back problems, as you mentioned.
            35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
            Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
            Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
            Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
            Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

            Comment


            • #7
              Sweetness, I've given up on PTs (esp. after they tell me--in black & white--that each session was $10 w/ my insurance and then hounded me for months to pay $300 and threatened to turn to the collection agency if I didn't pay, ugh)...unless these PTs work directly with scoliosis specialists or are themselves fully trained in scoli and or evaluate my xrays, I unfortunately take everything they say with a grain of salt--I believe everything they tell me is the same bs they tell all other back sufferers. (1) there's your regular "I am getting old" back sufferer and then there's your scoliosis back sufferer...don't treat me like everyone else and tell me the same thing you tell everyone (2) even within the scoli patients, we all have unique curvatures. therefore, give me a thorough evaluation and a unique set of programs customized to my curves (haha). it can be the same exercises other people do but make me feel like these exercises are customized to MY needs and MY curves and that they will help with MY scoliosis. make me believe that

              Maybe I am being too picky. I'm not a girl who easily believes what others say--ooooh, do xyz exercises and your back will get better..oh yeah? how do you know, miss PT? hav eyou seen my xrays? did you ever bother asking me what the degrees of my curvatures are?

              I like customized plans. I work in the pharmacy and just because a lot of our patients taken Lipitor for high cholesterol does not mean they are all the same--everybody's body system is different and metabolizes the drug differently (hence, some drugs do not work for some people).

              Anyway, am I fantasizing such good PTs? are there any PTs specialized in scoliosis?

              anyone have any good experiences w/ PTs? =)
              Last edited by alex2006; 10-30-2006, 08:50 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                I know what you mean. I saw a PT as recommended by one of my orthos and she was very good for certain things, but I have rods and she didn't understand much about that. She worked me really hard and I had a broken rod, but it didn't show on my X-rays and she actually made my pain much worse. Thinking back she should have suspected something was broken b/c of all the crackling/clicking noises, but oh well.

                I know Pilates are good too for scoliosis. Good luck in finding a PT or exercise program suited for you, I know it is not easy but can be achieved. The key is to stop or try something different when one thing doesn't work or makes pain worse. A good PT will tell you that.
                35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
                Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
                Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
                Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
                Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

                Comment

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