80 year old diagnosed with scoliosis
I have recently been diagnosed with scoliosis. I am 80 years old, but not your typical 80 as I've been a dancer all my life and danced (strenuous Russian dancing) until age 75 with a farewell performance. I'm not bent over or anything and know no reason why this should develop. It seems to have started a year ago following a surgery on my cervical spine (a cyst between
5th and 6th vertebreas) that was removed. I would never have known about scoliosis until an xray showed two lateral curves. It's a mystery as I've danced my way through life since age 14 (professional ballet as well as Russian folk) so it can't be congenital. This orthopedica surgeon must have started a chain reaction of some kind as other physical problems have started up. I know, you're thinking it's just advancing age. This is of course is true, but I don't think it's entirely that considering my usually excellent spinal health.
I'm still posture perfect, but it's the muscles surrounding the spine that give me pain. Are they affected by the scoliosis?
I guess there's is no cure for it. As you know, orthopedic surgeons won't even take patients after age 35. So, is the only path open to me to be possibly shots of cortisone?
Richka diagnosed with scoliosis
Hi Linda,
Thanx for your welcome to this forum. I'm new at it and not quite sure yet how to navigate it but it seems that it will be very helpful in the long run.
You know already a bit of my history from my original posting and some to Ed.
Linda, I'm not sure what 'functional' scoliosis is, but, being a dancer all my life I believe I have always had perfect posture or as close as it could be. Even now I continue close to military posture. However, since I've started with computers about 10 years ago I may have developed a bit of a slouch, at least while I'm sitting here. I recently bought another computer chair but even that's not exactly a straight back. it's an area I must look into more carefully.
To answer your other question. The Osteo surgeons not accepting over age 35 comes from the The Orthopedic Institute here. I live in Tucson, Arizona and that's their policy. Do you mean it's different elsewhere?
Thanks for your response.
Richka
80 year old with scoliosis
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JenniferG
Hello Richka and welcome to this wonderful forum.
I'm sorry you're having this problem at this stage of your life. In my search for information about surgery for scoliosis in older people I came across cases of people of great age having this surgery. Of course, it would depend on many criteria, not least of all your current health and state of your bones. Have you had a bone density scan?
Being so fit, you are probably not a candidate for osteoporosis, but there are no guarantees. It might be a good start, having a scan which could also rule out a fracture.
The hard part is finding a scoli specialist who you feel comfortable with, and finding out your status as far as surgery or other treatment goes.
Good luck!
Jennifer .. Thanks for your welcome. I have no idea about my bone density but since I've had a lifetime of strenuous male dancing I believe my bones to be not exactly fragile. But who knows? As soon as I reached 80 various things started to go wrong and the cervical spine surgery last year seems to have started a chain reaction. I truly believe that's what started the scoliosis.
Yes, I was wondering about osteoporosis, but I've heard that it doesn't happen so much with men. I'm not bent over or anything like that.
I live in Tucson, Arizona, which is supposed to be the pinacle of medical research and so on, with the University of Arizona here and its breakthroughs in heart research as well as outer space, etc, but it seems most of the doctors I'm saddled with just want to give all sorts of useless, and expensive, tests. The Orthopedic Institute where I had my spinal surgery is next to impossible to get an appointment. However, several years ago when I tore a meniscus in my knee while demonstrating a dance step, the first surgeon wanted to operate so I went to a sports surgeon for a 2nd opinion and he said surgery would do no good. Gave me a cortisone shot and that was the end of it. My knee has been like new ever since!
Sorry, I'm getting off the track. Thanx so much for your help and this site promises to be just the thing I need at this point.
Richka
scoliosis related to nosebleed-nonsense
Richka: this forum is not a substitute for a complete medical work-up by a competent physician. That being said there are a lot of clueless physicians. In my case an emergency room physician stated that scoliosis surgery is never done over age 19!!!
Please check out the nosebleed. If you are not satisfied get other opinions.
80 year old diagnosed with scoliosis
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Karen Ocker
Richka: this forum is not a substitute for a complete medical work-up by a competent physician. That being said there are a lot of clueless physicians. In my case an emergency room physician stated that scoliosis surgery is never done over age 19!!!
Please check out the nosebleed. If you are not satisfied get other opinions.
I have no idea how this clueless posting has re-appeared, and after 3 years! I have since been away from this scoliosis site after receiving some rude responses and just now have returned. This one popped up. I certainaly never thought that this forum was a substitute for medical work or have ever used it as such. In any case, I have other health concerns now besides scoliosis which now seems a minor complaint. Thankyou.