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  • Ageing w/scoliosis

    I'm new here and just reading through some of the posts. I'm looking for some info from anyone who is mid 30's or on up in age. I'm turing 38 and have a 62 degree curve. I've never had treatment...besides chiropractic care when I was 18 at which time my curve was 50 degrees. My plan was to just let it ride out...I'm getting concerned now mostly w/the deformity. I have the one hip that sticks out and the usual one pant leg shorter, etc. but I've been pretty able to conceal it...I wear baggy type shirts and have found that while standing still I can bend one knee in (on the longer leg) and it actually makes you look straighter from behind. I make an effort to hold my shoulders back and stand tall when in public..I'm just wondering how much worse the deformity will get if I get to say a 70 - 80 degree curve as I get older...I seem to change about 1 degree per year so this is highly likely. If I knew I could still conceal it pretty reasonably w/clothing I wouldn't be worrying so much.

    I don't want to have surgery... not even really considering it but have read that some people end up doing the surgery just for cosmetic purposes.
    43 y.o. married w/a 12 and 14 y.o
    62 degree curve T7 - L2 that is now being measured at 54 degrees?????
    Never had surgery/Thinking about it and gathering all the info I can!

  • #2
    Lostfan,
    There's a lot of us here mid 30's and older with scoliosis and who have had surgery and who haven't.
    Mine was not done for cosmetic reason, it was pain that brought me to do it.
    Just read through the forums, do a search, you'll find that there a lot of people here your age and older with this.

    As the curves progress, the deformity usually does as well.

    Welcome .
    36 year old single mom of teens ages 14 & 15.
    Anterior/posterior spinal fusion on February 9th & 16th 2006 with Dr. Anthony Moreno who now has his own practice.
    Fused from T-3 to S-1 (sacrum)
    Curve pre-op = 70 degrees
    Curve post op = 20 degrees
    No pain anymore!!
    Google is your friend

    I am not a doctor and will never give medical advice. I will support and answer questions from personal experience only.

    Comment


    • #3
      Being that you had a 70 degree curve...do you think you still looked pretty "normal"...I guess I'm just picturing something out of the ordinary in my mind...my chiropractor told me that because the changes happen so slowly usually about 1 degree per year...that your body is capable of adapting to the changes and will try and compensate for the changes. I'm just wondering how far out your hip can actually do...or how much shorter you can get...I'm sure it takes so many degress to actually make you lose height. I know you cannot answer these questions I'm just thinking out loud. I have an appt with an ortho surgeon on Tuesday so I think this is all weighing heavily on me as I know as usual, he will suggest surgery.
      43 y.o. married w/a 12 and 14 y.o
      62 degree curve T7 - L2 that is now being measured at 54 degrees?????
      Never had surgery/Thinking about it and gathering all the info I can!

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi

        I am 48 and have a 80 TL and 90 T spine curve. These were not what I started out with. They have progressed gradually over the years and had my first consult with an ortho last Tuesday. I wore a brace when I was in my teens but it still progressed later.

        The older you get the harder it is to have surgery in regards to recovery time and good curve correction I believe. I didn't even know about corrective surgery in adults until six months ago. Isn't that sad?

        I would like to say that my mom has scoli and she is in severe pain with spinal stenosis. I don't want to get that way. I am just trying to salvage my life for later on.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by lostfan
          Being that you had a 70 degree curve...do you think you still looked pretty "normal"...I guess I'm just picturing something out of the ordinary in my mind...my chiropractor told me that because the changes happen so slowly usually about 1 degree per year...that your body is capable of adapting to the changes and will try and compensate for the changes. I'm just wondering how far out your hip can actually do...or how much shorter you can get...I'm sure it takes so many degress to actually make you lose height. I know you cannot answer these questions I'm just thinking out loud. I have an appt with an ortho surgeon on Tuesday so I think this is all weighing heavily on me as I know as usual, he will suggest surgery.
          I actually lost 3 inches in height, I have since gained that back from being straightened so nicely but yes, you can lose a lot of your height.
          My deformity was easily seen. I hid it to the best of my abilities but anyone could see it. It got much harder over time to hide it.

          My hip was never sticking out, but jutted higher if that makes sense. It was like up so high it was millimeters from my spine and actually touching the curved portion of my lumbar spine and causing wear and tear that shouldn't have been.
          I developed arthritis on top of the scoliosis and had all kinds of other issues to boot.

          It's up to you whether or not you have surgery, just because he suggests it, doesn't mean you have to do it, this is your body and if you feel you can live with the pain and the deformity, that's your call but, as the curves progress, so will the deformity in most cases and that would be something I discussed with my surgeon if that is a major concern to you.

          Best of luck to you and really, read through the forums, there are so many of us your age and older who have posted their stories.
          36 year old single mom of teens ages 14 & 15.
          Anterior/posterior spinal fusion on February 9th & 16th 2006 with Dr. Anthony Moreno who now has his own practice.
          Fused from T-3 to S-1 (sacrum)
          Curve pre-op = 70 degrees
          Curve post op = 20 degrees
          No pain anymore!!
          Google is your friend

          I am not a doctor and will never give medical advice. I will support and answer questions from personal experience only.

          Comment


          • #6
            kkong,

            I read in an earlier post that you were considering surgery...have you come up with a decision yet? How bad is your deformity...or your moms...can you still pretty much look normal w/clothing?

            I am married x10 years and my husband says he doesn't care about the deformity. I worry about it much much more than he does. I am 37 almost 38 and I just have occasional pain mostly in my lower back but nothing I can't live with. I have 62 degrees at T7-L2, about 31 degrees T1-L2 and 25 degrees lower lumbar.

            It seems from reading on this site too that a lot of people wait until they are in their 40's or 50's for surgery so maybe I should stop worrying and see what happens over the next 5 years or so and then look at the possibility again. I guess when you have a really bad curve, to even be corrected to say a 50 degree curve would be OK. I started out at 50 when mine was first noticed and I had no problems at all. You have to wonder too though as we age how much of the pain in related to the scoliosis and how much is somthing we would get w or w/o the curves?

            So much to think about....it's never an easy answer.
            43 y.o. married w/a 12 and 14 y.o
            62 degree curve T7 - L2 that is now being measured at 54 degrees?????
            Never had surgery/Thinking about it and gathering all the info I can!

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks for the info Katblack.

              I've been on line all morning reading posts. There is so much info here. My back hurts from sitting.

              Did your doctor tell you about the hip rubbing on your spine? I was last to my ortho in 2000 but I've never been told anything like that. Was that picked up on a routine scoliosis xray? Do you know about the arthritis? Do they find that in a routine xray or do you need an MRI or some other test?
              43 y.o. married w/a 12 and 14 y.o
              62 degree curve T7 - L2 that is now being measured at 54 degrees?????
              Never had surgery/Thinking about it and gathering all the info I can!

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by lostfan
                Thanks for the info Katblack.

                I've been on line all morning reading posts. There is so much info here. My back hurts from sitting.

                Did your doctor tell you about the hip rubbing on your spine? I was last to my ortho in 2000 but I've never been told anything like that. Was that picked up on a routine scoliosis xray? Do you know about the arthritis? Do they find that in a routine xray or do you need an MRI or some other test?
                My left hip was always in agony, it "clicked" when I walked or twisted, the docs could hear it.
                Through x-rays and MRIs, we could see it very clearly touching in some spots/positions and then they would have me bend over, take another xray, it wouldn't touch. Bend sideways toward the curve like doing a side bend, it would be grating on it. The arthritis was noticed at the same time.
                They aren't sure if the scoliosis caused the arthritis or if that was just genetics.
                36 year old single mom of teens ages 14 & 15.
                Anterior/posterior spinal fusion on February 9th & 16th 2006 with Dr. Anthony Moreno who now has his own practice.
                Fused from T-3 to S-1 (sacrum)
                Curve pre-op = 70 degrees
                Curve post op = 20 degrees
                No pain anymore!!
                Google is your friend

                I am not a doctor and will never give medical advice. I will support and answer questions from personal experience only.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by lostfan
                  I am married x10 years and my husband says he doesn't care about the deformity. I worry about it much much more than he does. I am 37 almost 38 and I just have occasional pain mostly in my lower back but nothing I can't live with. I have 62 degrees at T7-L2, about 31 degrees T1-L2 and 25 degrees lower lumbar.
                  Hi Lostfan...

                  I'd like to encourage you to get checked out by a scoliosis specialist to find out what your real degrees of curvature are. Curves are not normally measured as you've stated. Your curve either goes from T1-L2 OR T7-L2, not both. And, if your curve is really only 31 degrees, you may have good odds of never needing surgery.

                  Regards,
                  Linda
                  Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                  Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Linda, I was looking at an xray report and that is how the radiologist has it typed up. I believe I have an S type curve but my biggest curve is in the middle from the T7 to L2 (according to that particular xray) being at 62 degress unless it's changed since 2000. I don't have a very noticible hump in my upper back, only when I bend over, but I have a very pronounced hip on my left side and also a big "wrinkle" of skin (or flab if you will) in that section of my back. Does that sound right? You have me scared now.

                    I do have an ortho appt on Tues and that's what prompted me to start doing some checking to see if anything new had developed since 2000. He seems to push surgery to I know he will be suggesting it.

                    I've read so much on this site. Just happened upon it.
                    43 y.o. married w/a 12 and 14 y.o
                    62 degree curve T7 - L2 that is now being measured at 54 degrees?????
                    Never had surgery/Thinking about it and gathering all the info I can!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi Lost...

                      It's hard to know, because you actually mention 3 measurements:

                      I have 62 degrees at T7-L2, about 31 degrees T1-L2 and 25 degrees lower lumbar.
                      So, you either have 3 curves that were measured in a strange way, or the radiologist measured the curves in a way with which I'm not familiar. Either way, hopefully you'll know more when you see the orthopaedist next week.

                      Regards,
                      Linda
                      Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                      Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I am so happy to have found this website and your posting! Thanks for sharing your story. I can so relate to it! I was diagnosed with a curve of 55 degrees back when I was 10 years old. I was never braced or treated surgically but occasionally visited chiropractors through the years. I am now 35 years old. Curve is now 70 degrees, which leads me to believe it will just continue to get worse. I am 4 inches shorter than what I used to measure at. I have very little back pain, so my only reason for considering surgery now would be to prevent poor quality of life down the road when it is too late to take action. Granted, my back looks pretty hideous but I am beyond bikini days (I forgot to mention I have 3 little kids!) and I never see my back so that doesn't bother me much. Case in point: I have a 87 year old Aunt who has scoliosis. She has a heart problem but cannot have heart surgery because of the severity of her curve, combined with her age. In addition, she has a prolapsed rectum but cannot have that operated on because of the weak heart. She is very disfigured. If I choose to do nothing will I be in a worse position later in life? I am so scared. I feel like all options just suck.
                        Becky

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I fit your profile pretty well. I discovered a few months ago that I have an S-curve (28 and 34 degrees) that had gone undetected for all my 34 years, despite having complained of intermittant severe back pain for nearly 8 years now.
                          The degree of pain you may or may not experience does not seem to have a direct correlation to the Cobb angle of the curve. I've heard of 50 to 60 degree curves that were painless, and of 15 degree curves that were excruciatingly painful.
                          You may have to try several physicians. If they tell you the pain's all in your head (if you have pain), don't go back, find another one. Good doctors are incredibly difficult to find.
                          28 degrees cervicothoracic, 34 degrees thoracolumbar, not diagnosed until age 34. Get yourself and your children screened early!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Hopeful,
                            I am now considering surgery. A recent checkup showed my curve at 64 degress. My only reasons are really for fear of future deformity. Do you know what your aunt's curve measures? How does she look deformed...I mean is she noticibly crooked or hunched over?

                            The thing that really scares me is that most people seem to have trouble somewhere down the road after surgery, either w/curves coming back or humps coming back, it just seems like so much to go through if you're not really in pain. I am scared that if I don't stop it now that when my kids are older and I want to do things with them I will be embarassed of my appearance. I wish there were more studies of people who had the current methods of surgery done 30 or 40 years ago instead of just 10 - 20 years. Once it's done you can't go back.

                            At times I think to myself just schedule it and get it over with. My rotation right now is not real bad...but is getting worse. My back hump is slightly worse than 10 years ago and I've noticed my hip is a little higher now, plus losing the height is obvious but right now I was told I would be able to get good correction and will only have to have the posterior surgery. I'm scared if I keep waiting that I will need a more in depth surgery and the results will not be as good due to increased rotation and getting older. There is no easy answer.
                            43 y.o. married w/a 12 and 14 y.o
                            62 degree curve T7 - L2 that is now being measured at 54 degrees?????
                            Never had surgery/Thinking about it and gathering all the info I can!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Hi, Lostfan,
                              I saw your post and couldn't help responding. I had surgery 40 years ago (Harrington rods) and I am just fine. My spine was fused from T-3 to L-3 and the 87 degree primary thoracic curve was corrected to 37 degrees. I have no regrets, because if I hadn't had that surgery when I was 13 years old, I might not be here today.

                              Comment

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