hikerchick
02-28-2009, 06:54 PM
I have been lurking here for so long, I feel like I should finally introduce myself. So, Hi!
I have an S curve, diagnosed at 13. Was supposed to wear a Boston brace for 3 years. At 16 my doc said wearing the brace wouldn't help anymore at that point, and I could have surgery if I wanted. My parents left it up to me. :rolleyes: What 16 year old is going to choose surgery for themselves? Not me! This was in the early 80's.
Fast forward to today. I'm now 39 years old, two beautiful daughters, happily married. I have been in pain from my back for about the last 11 years and have tried pretty much everything: acupuncture, chiropractor, osteopath, naturopath, physical therapy. My physical therapist has helped me the most, I see her about once a month, when my back goes out of alignment. I'm very active, workout a lot, bike ride, go to the gym. I have given up doing things that cause me more pain: running, snowboarding, anything high impact really. I was a personal trainer for many years before I had my kids.
I had a lot of emotional pain from having scoliosis as a teenager. I never told anyone about the brace or my back at the time, not even close friends. I was very embarrassed by it. :( I wish I had shared the info with friends, it would have been nice to have some support. I have always been very self conscious about my back and have really worked hard to overcome that. I guess that's why I'm saying hi on here now, It's always nice to have support.:p
Anyway, I am seeing a neurosurgeon in 2 weeks. I don't think I qualify for surgery, as I believe my curves are in the 30 - 40 range. I get very frustrated from the pain though, and I hope he can offer some help. I am going to start doing yoga again tomorrow to see if that helps.
I wanted to say hello, and thank everyone for sharing their stories on here. It is always helpful to me to read about others in my situation.
I have an S curve, diagnosed at 13. Was supposed to wear a Boston brace for 3 years. At 16 my doc said wearing the brace wouldn't help anymore at that point, and I could have surgery if I wanted. My parents left it up to me. :rolleyes: What 16 year old is going to choose surgery for themselves? Not me! This was in the early 80's.
Fast forward to today. I'm now 39 years old, two beautiful daughters, happily married. I have been in pain from my back for about the last 11 years and have tried pretty much everything: acupuncture, chiropractor, osteopath, naturopath, physical therapy. My physical therapist has helped me the most, I see her about once a month, when my back goes out of alignment. I'm very active, workout a lot, bike ride, go to the gym. I have given up doing things that cause me more pain: running, snowboarding, anything high impact really. I was a personal trainer for many years before I had my kids.
I had a lot of emotional pain from having scoliosis as a teenager. I never told anyone about the brace or my back at the time, not even close friends. I was very embarrassed by it. :( I wish I had shared the info with friends, it would have been nice to have some support. I have always been very self conscious about my back and have really worked hard to overcome that. I guess that's why I'm saying hi on here now, It's always nice to have support.:p
Anyway, I am seeing a neurosurgeon in 2 weeks. I don't think I qualify for surgery, as I believe my curves are in the 30 - 40 range. I get very frustrated from the pain though, and I hope he can offer some help. I am going to start doing yoga again tomorrow to see if that helps.
I wanted to say hello, and thank everyone for sharing their stories on here. It is always helpful to me to read about others in my situation.