Something you should read before surgery

[green m&m]

The reason scoliosis does not get a lot of attention in the medical community is because it's not a fatal, life-threatning condition. (Except for very small percentage of cases..)

If you look around...you'll see what I mean. I have a very common (1/4000) genetic disorder that has been known in the medical community for over 200 years. But because only a very small percentage of ppl w/ it are very severly affected.. there weren't much research on it until about 30 yrs ago.

Anyway, if you feel so strongly about what you said..why don't you do something about it? You won't reach lot of audience posting on a message board, and certainly not anyone in the medical community...since after all this board is geared toward the general public.

[spincon58]

I hope I don't get killed for voicing my opinion on this subject...First I do not believe we are here to judge anyones pain level....everyone experiences pain in all different levels....When I was in my 20's I had a 26 degree curve and I was in pain all the time...to think this forum is telling Shaun he doesn't feel pain because his curve is at 20 is very wrong....If he say's he's in pain, let's leave it at that//...the second thing , this is only one man's opinion based on HIS knowledge of scoliosis research......I do not believe he came to this forum to start any heated debate with any of us..I believe he believes he has an idea to help.....all ideas are welcome..this is a free speech forum...I think his posting was way to long and repetively....as he was also feeding off of our replys....
Advice...Have your spine xrayed...check out your curve....see a pain management specialist...Physcial threapy helps....read all of NSF archives, and learn....maybe your opinions will change.....good luck, and feel free to post any time ...

[survivor]

Survivor

Shaun...

In all cases of structural scoliosis, the vertebrae are wedge shaped. If you, or anyone else on this forum have functional scoliosis, you don't need surgery (be it on bone or soft tissue). A few visits to a good physical therapist should do the trick.

--Linda

Linda - are you a physician or in the medical field? You seem to have a vast knowledge of the medical field?

Dawn

[survivor]

Survivor

Shaun26,

If I am understanding your posting correctly, you have not yet had any type of surgery to correct a deformity in your spine? Is that safe to assume? It is very interesting to me also how the muscles play a roll in scoliosis. What I dont feel is that the muscles are the controlling factor. I feel that everyones body is different and every degree of curve is different and yes you do see scoliosis patients with humps on their backs, uneven hips etc. I feel the muschles move with the movement of the spine and that for example the hump on ones shoulder area is not the muscle but the shift in the rib cage.

I think until you have the surgery or consult with a physician regarding you condition, discouraging individuals from having surgery due to possible muscle shiftings is rediculous.

Dawn

[LindaRacine]

Hi Dawn...

Nope, not a physician, nor do I have any medical training. I've just been involved in helping patients find resources for a long time. You might want to check out my website:

http://www.scoliosislinks.com

Thanks!

Regards,
Linda

[Shaun26]

I think until you have the surgery or consult with a physician regarding you condition, discouraging individuals from having surgery due to possible muscle shiftings is rediculous.

Dawn

Did you bother to read the first two sentences in my post in this thread. The very two first sentences. I'll quote them for you:

If you need surgery you need it. This is not to discourage it at all. I would recommend surgery in many cases even mild ones. This is just something perhaps you could bring up with your doctor.

Don't fret, you weren't the only one that missed it.

[Shaun26]

On a lighter note, I'm going to get checked out soon. I'm also in correspondence with http://www.consultingorthopedists.com inquiring about the possibility of botox treatments and the like.

[Shaun26]

Lastly, 'surgery' is something that I want and I only have a 20 degree curve so the last thing I'd be interested in is discouraging people from having it. Obviously it should be taken on a per case basis. I feel that if I can correct my spine completely for instance with botox treatment 'surgery' if we can call it that, it will provide evidence that scoliosis can be corrected completely.

My belief that muscles often (but not always) play a significant role in the development of scoliosis should in no way conflict with scoliosis patients wanting or needing to have surgery.

[Shaun26]

Perhaps it's the thread title that misled people into thinking this would be a thread negating the use of surgery because I called it "something you should read before surgery." Therefore many people were primed to think I was against surfery and read everything I wrote with this preconception. That's not the case at all. I should have chosen my thread title more carefully, but I was just cutting and pasting the same thread in many forums when I came here not realizing that it's not very busy here and that people actually take the time to read most of the forums. I just wanted to get the most exposure possible in the hopes that more people would read my post and give me feedback on my thoughts.

[survivor]

Did you bother to read the first two sentences in my post in this thread. The very two first sentences. I'll quote them for you:



Don't fret, you weren't the only one that missed it.

Yes I did read what you wrote. Thank you for the re-quote, but it wasn't necessary. Many people don't have surgery because they are frightened by articles such as yours. My curve was 72 degrees, after 2 surgeries it is still 52 degrees. There is no way to completely correct scoliosis, so if there is someone thinking that there is a cure all, you may wish to think again because there isnt. Do the research, learn all you can and ask a lot of questions.

Dawn

[Shaun26]

There is no way to completely correct scoliosis, so if there is someone thinking that there is a cure all, you may wish to think again because there isnt. Do the research, learn all you can and ask a lot of questions.

Dawn

There were people who said it was impossible to sail across the world, fly to the moon, cure diseases. But those things can be done now. Your defeatist attitude is one that is shared strongly in this community. Maybe it can't be cured 100% of the time, but I think much more can be done and that it can be cured for many people. We just have to have the technology available and people willing to take a chance (doctors + patient).

[JanM]

I really don't think she has a defeatist attitude. Those of us who have been reading these message boards for quite a few years have seen many people over time who have come on and proposed some new way to look at scoliosis, or some new way to fix it, etc. But then we wait and watch and it has always turned out to be a false alarm. I think it behooves us to be cautious after seeing so many people claim to have some new method that has never proven to be something that will really help us. We would all LOVE to find something that would cure our severe curves without having to resort to surgery, and it's hard to watch while some people (I'm not saying this is you) try to sell us things that just get our hopes up and then disappoints us. When some messages seem to have that sales pitch kind of tone, it makes us wary because of prior experiences.

[megster85]

I don't know where you got your information from or if you are just making up your own theories but I think it's best to leave the research to the professionals. Scoliosis has nothing to do with the way you sleep or which arm you open a door with or carry your bag and I think giving people that information is misleading.

Part 2

Things like sleep patterns, sports bags, and daily physical routines must also be taken into consideration. When I was younger, I would always sleep with my body in a certain configuration. It felt comfortable this way, and incidentally, my spine developed a curve that is reminiscient of the configuration my body had when I slept. Did my sleeping pattern cause the scoliosis or did I feel more comfortable sleeping this way because I already had developed scoliosis all those years ago and didn't know it? I don't know, however in the years after I found out, I begin sleeping in the opposite configuration. One spends many hours of their lives sleeping so trying to 'correct' or brace the curve naturally this way is something I've tried. To this day I know it would be more comfortable resorting back to the previous configuration.

I also used to carry sports bags with one strap so that the weight was unequally distributed across my back. I would suggest using a normal double strapped bag. I also began working out in 8th grade, probably too young because the spine is still developing. Any mistakes or overworked back muscles that are not noticeable at that stage may be magnified over time in the form of scoliosis. The same goes for activities such as basketball where you essentially use one half of your body differently repeatedly over the other half. When you throw the basketball using proper form, you're excercising your throwing arm more than your aiming arm and this repeated action may also mean that you're developing certain back muscles more than others.

In short, compensatory behavior is recommended. If you're used to sleeping in a specific way, sleep the opposite way. If you carry your wallet in one back pocket begin carrying it in the other. If you open doors with one hand, begin to always use the other instead to open doors. We could probably learn much from people who can write and play sports using both hands by studying their muscle development.

To summarize all points made, we have to begin taking the mystery out of most idiopathic scoliosis conditions. Common sense will tell us that a curved spine is that way because of the spine or the spine muscles and most likely an interaction between the two. Therefore any corrective effort should and must effectively take into consideration both in order to find an everlasting solution. Our piece meal approach that too often focuses on one over the other, or over emphasizes ineffective solutions such as yoga, have led the medical community to an impasse and there will be no breakthrough until these lines of thinking are dramatically changed. Perhaps it will take more peole suffering from the condition to propose these different approaches because living with it gives one intimate knowledge about it. If we continue to tread the current path, you and your children (who may be prone to mild scoliosis) will continue to suffer life long discomfort and even pain without any hope for solution.

[JanM]

I'm 53 and have 40T and 60L curves. When I was about 10 in the early 1960's, I was first diagnosed with scoliosis and at that time the doctors made me sleep on one side, put a lift in my shoes, always sit with something under one side, do my homework leaning to one side, etc. I remember doing this for years and being teased by the kids in class because I was always carrying around something to sit on. And I remember it didn't help me. I also remember they told me my scoliosis would never get worse after I stopped growing, which turned out to be very wrong. I really don't know anything about scoliosis research, but it does seems that these ideas about the muscles etc. may not be new and revolutionary.