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My Adult Scoliosis Story

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  • Sorry for getting snarky, but you push me into this position every time Sharon.
    I was going to edit my post, but it looks like I don't need to, Thanks and sorry Linda.

    I spent hours last night reacquainting myself with 3d modelling.
    And I succeeded in creating a set of 4 lines in 3d space accurate enough in the way I want it.
    - My vector set.. (or line, point, line, point, line, point, line... thingy... Rohrer Lol)
    I created 4 long skinny 'cylinders' then rotated them individually into position on equal angles.
    There's a problem in the way you view these angles in that it doesn't matter if you look from either the back or the side.
    The set looks the same, so trying to represent it in 2d images just doesn't work, you'll see what I mean later when you see from both views.
    So I had to do something in 3d modelling I haven't done before, which is to place a camera in my scene and set it on a target point in my scene and then create a path for the camera to move on, while remaining fixed on the target, in order
    to create a video.
    And I succeeded in doing that.
    Otherwise you'd have to install software that allows you to directly view the 3d model.

    Next I had to create a time frame.
    The original scene I created with the camera moving around my object took 5 seconds.
    So I stretched it out to 10 seconds.
    The problem was when I rendered the short video and saved it as an .avi file on my compuer it had some settings done in a way that made my 10 second video 28.5mg (double the 5second video size) and with a bitrate of 23040 kbps which is way to much to play without lag.
    It was set to render in full hd 1080p but somehow the output height and width was only 720 x 480 pixels even though it should've been 1920 by 1080... so I tried fixing it but couldn't figure out what was wrong there...
    The video file played on my computer ok, but you would probably need a really good internet connection to play it properly over the internet, and mines not that good.
    So I tried uploading it to my site anyway to see if I could make a link that would play it, but the file exceeded maximum upload size, and I had to add .avi to my list of allowable file types, so I had to change some settings inside the administration of my site and I tried it again and still it failed, maybe there was another setting somewhere messing with me, so not to be outdone, I connected to my host via ftp and tried uploading it directly to my site in binary.
    And I succeeded in doing that.

    So then I tried accessing the file directly from a link and it actually plays though its a little jittery on my computer from the lag.
    I have VLC media player installed on my pc, and I think this media players feature of being able to run in my web browser may have allowed it to play, so I'm not sure if it will work for others if they don't have VLC media player installed.
    Its good software for sharpening video quality in cam movies, that's why I have it, it's not software you'd particularly regret downloading for any reason (eg spyware or viruses).

    http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html

    My Video
    My Screenshot
    My Screenshot 2

    So now I have to figure out what was going wrong and how to render my animations at a lower output so the files wont be so large and also I have to learn about encoding videos to reduce their file size and bitrate...
    So sorry about the quality and image size of the video, I'll fix it when I figure it out...

    The 4 lines you might see (if you are able to) wont seem like anything interesting at this point.
    Don't be deceived into thinking its looks simple enough because its about to get a million times more complicated.
    That is if I'm successful in conveying what I want to show..

    Its through this one set and 3 more sets just like it that I was able to make sense of the loading of the altered system of biomechanics in my spinal column.
    I'm going to have to create another video (and test playing normal video files from my site properly) to show what these lines relate to, and their relationship to the other sets, and how they relate to the natural movements of the spine in my altered biomechanical system.

    The good news is that even though my model today might seem crap, maybe if I persevere I might in time actually be able to use that 3d spinal column model I have eventually. Doubtful, but possible...
    I haven't done any 3d modelling for at least 5 years or web design for around 3yrs so it will take time to improve.
    Last edited by sjmcphee; 02-02-2016, 08:04 PM.

    Comment


    • This is kind of what I feel in the center of the thoracic region.
      I'm not sure I did it exactly right, but its good enough... for now.
      (creating shapes and adding bending modifiers to them)
      Think of this as the point at T6.
      Concave and Convex - What I Can Feel
      As I run my fingers down my spine along spinous process this is what I feel.
      I feel a dip, a concave, which is not just a tiny element of lordosis, but it also has a sideways lateral element to it.
      As I continue further down and over onto the convex side I notice that the relationship between the two spinous processes is not exactly right, its a little out of alignment.
      They are on different angles.
      As I continue further down and feel the convex, I can see that it doesn't just have a kyphotic element to it, it also has a lateral element to it.

      Now I don't know if anyones really paying attention, but these angles correspond with the angles of those lines in the previous image when looking down from the top view.
      (The only reason that image was rotated on an angle btw was because the shadow from the lighting in the model was in the way)

      For the second 'vector' set, you need to take the image of those 'vectors' and flip it upside down and turn it inside out so that you get that straight midline 'vector' (previously shown in upper thoracic) in the lower thoracic.

      (The normal kyphotic curve was been divided, and is now effectively 2 regions.)

      If these first two sets are top to bottom and bottom to top, then the next two are inside out.
      'middle to top and then bottom back to middle', and then 'middle to bottom and then top back to middle', in a manner in which cervical and lumbar also get those 'midline' vectors.

      Next you'll be asking "so we have 4 regions, but only 3 junctions - what gives?
      That's where the problem at T3 and T4 comes in.
      Its a junction but not a real junction like the others, its the geometric equivalent of a junction.
      Like an 'S' but cut in half so that its kind of like two interlocking C's (one back to front) instead.

      The only thing I haven't explained at this point is how to use the spines natural movements in this 'altered system' to find these different 'vector' sets.

      You know when you lean forward slightly you start to activate flexion / extension and bend the lower part of your back?
      Or activating flexion / extension higher up in your spine if you lift your arms up and sort of feel the changes in the upper part of your back?
      Finding these vectors is kind of like using your back in that see-saw kind of a way within this messed up system.
      I can activate flexion / extension and lateral flexion at one end of my spinal column to stiffen up and isolate the vector sets.

      Its in this manner through the use of these 'groups of lines' that I could determine the level of axial rotation at every level (above and below at these junctions) and how the loading was systematically changing.

      Comment


      • Originally posted by Pooka1 View Post
        Only a surgeon can tell you but I would bet you either have a small AIS curve or a small functional scoliosis associated with a LLD. A surgeon or radiologist would have to determine if there was rotation evident on the radiograph to determine if it is AIS or a functional scoliosis. The curve may be too small to detect rotation even if it is AIS. In any case, I bet you could bend it out even if structural because it is so small.
        Hmmm...
        Ok in the case of small AIS curve, tell me do you subscribe to Professor Stokes theory that AIS is caused by a 'vicious cycle' of growth and asymmetrical loading of the growth plates?
        If so... then how do you propose that I have AIS if there was no rapid progression during growth?
        Its a fairly simple argument. Scoliosis 101 mate...
        Are you saying his theory is wrong or what exactly? What do you think?
        I don't have any known hereditary predisposition so where do I fit into your AIS theory now?
        I thought AIS was a condition that affected mainly women, mums, daughters, sisters and nieces. I'm not even a girl.
        Unless of course you believe that after reading my original x-ray report I may have some evidence of degenerative scoliosis.. no?
        And the SRS still say that LLD don't cause scoliosis so are you saying you disagree with the SRS?
        You think as I do that the LLD might be related to my scoliosis?
        Did a spinal curvature or bad posture cause the LLD or did the LLD cause the spinal curvature? Well?

        So if there's no structural problem in scoliosis then why do millions of people go see chiropractors to get spinal adjustments?
        And if there is a structural issue in scoliosis then how DO YOU THINK IT STARTS?
        With only a concave, or only a convex or both?
        Maybe you think structural problems start in multiple locations at the same time.
        Why do you think I specifically said two crunches in my spine?
        Why not one, why not three?

        And what is a functional curve anyway - is there any explanation for it other than what you can see in an xray?
        No biomechanical explanation? Is it just curve progression? Spinal Rotation?
        And why wouldn't you see rotation? isnt it +1 +2 etc and seen in the pedicles, just as easily as iliac apophysis for skeletal maturity?

        And so what actually do we know about scoliosis apart from curve patterns?
        Any consensus on the DNA front?
        Oh that's right your scolioscore was a dismal failure, another pump and dump stock for someone to get rich...
        What about biomechanics do we know how that works?
        Your traction chair, seems to be making some patients curves worse.

        They cant even get their trial and error based treatment protocol right, they still come up with failures.

        Years tipped into research and what exactly have you got - NATA

        Why run me down?
        Whats your angle?

        Is it you are all pleased with the current trial and error treatment regimen and just come here for the social value?

        Yes its good to keep asking others questions so you can make them look stupid... Not
        Maybe some people get their jollies from this type of behavior, not me.

        You people think I make my scoliosis story up for fun?
        I'm not that creative sorry.
        It took me 17years just to make a stupid model with 4 lines in it.

        Comment


        • Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
          If so... then how do you propose that I have AIS if there was no rapid progression during growth?
          You may have had rapid progression during growth. You are conflated speed of progression with extent of progression. You may have had rapid growth to get the curve where it is. You didn't have extensive growth and the curve stayed small. A small, non-braceable, non-surgical curve is the most common AIS curve as I understand it. You have the most common type and size curve for AIS (small T curve) if it isn't just a functional curve.

          And the SRS still say that LLD don't cause scoliosis so are you saying you disagree with the SRS?
          No I don't disagree. It is exactly as I posted earlier. LLD can cause a functional scoliosis which is what you might have. LLD does not cause a structural (AIS) scoliosis.

          You think as I do that the LLD might be related to my scoliosis?
          Did a spinal curvature or bad posture cause the LLD or did the LLD cause the spinal curvature? Well?
          LLD is genetic as far as I know or perhaps due to injury. It can drive a functional scoliosis per that reference I posted. If you wear a shoe lift the curve might completely disappear if it is a functional curve due to a LLD. It is just a temporary bend in the spine that can be bent out. In contrast, no amount of shoe lifts will make a structural AIS curve disappear because there is rotation and wedging due to pathology.

          So if there's no structural problem in scoliosis then why do millions of people go see chiropractors to get spinal adjustments?
          There is a structural problem within the spine in structural scoliosis. There is no structural problem within the spine in functional scoliosis.

          Millions of people go to chiros because they are not aware that it is nonsense. Millions of people read their horoscopes and think that is about them also. It is not news that millions of people believe false things.

          Why do you think I specifically said two crunches in my spine?
          Why not one, why not three?
          Why do you think crunches translate to changed structures? When you crack your knuckles did you change the structure of your hand?

          And what is a functional curve anyway - is there any explanation for it other than what you can see in an xray?
          No biomechanical explanation? Is it just curve progression? Spinal Rotation?
          And why wouldn't you see rotation? isnt it +1 +2 etc and seen in the pedicles, just as easily as iliac apophysis for skeletal maturity?
          A functional curve has no rotation because it is just compensating for something else. The spine is just bending like it bends at other times.

          AIS is not simply a functional bend because there is pathology driving the wedging of the disc and vertebrae that causes the rotation which causes the curving.

          In functional scoliosis, the initiation of the curve is outside the spine like a LLD. In AIS, the initiation of the curve is a pathology within the spine and is either disc wedging or anterior overgrowth or something causing rotation.

          You people think I make my scoliosis story up for fun?
          I have never thought you were lying. I think you are mistaken. When it comes to scoliosis patients, I think virtually none of them are lying. I think many are often mistaken about many things because they are lay people. I am a lay person and I could be mistaken because this isn't my field. My questions are posed to allow you to see this. If you or anyone could feel minute positions of each of your vertebra then why do you need radiographs? Why expose yourself to the radiation if you can feel every exact position of every vertebra? Please consider that.
          Last edited by Pooka1; 02-03-2016, 07:51 AM.
          Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

          No island of sanity.

          Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
          Answer: Medicine


          "We are all African."

          Comment


          • Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
            I don't have any known hereditary predisposition so where do I fit into your AIS theory now?
            I thought AIS was a condition that affected mainly women, mums, daughters, sisters and nieces. I'm not even a girl.
            You don't have any KNOWN relatives with it. But that doesn't mean you don't have any relatives with it, especially with small curves they may not know about. If you didn't injure yourself, you wouldn't know you had a curve either.

            I would have said there is no scoliosis on either my side or my husband's side before our daughters were diagnosed. After I mentioned scoliosis to the families, it turns out there is scoliosis on both sides of the family including a surgical AIS case in my husband's cousin that was never mentioned until that point. My Aunt has a scoliosis that is now obvious to me after I knew what to look for. Or you could have a spontaneous AIS case or it could just be a functional scoliosis from your LLD.

            Surgical AIS cases are mainly girls/women. But I think the distribution of small, non-surgical curves is more even between girls and boys.

            You are a textbook AIS case in my opinion because you have the most prevalent type and relative size of curve for AIS.
            Last edited by Pooka1; 02-03-2016, 11:46 AM.
            Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

            No island of sanity.

            Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
            Answer: Medicine


            "We are all African."

            Comment


            • This is currently the "hot" post with almost 4500 views. I have been entertained as I scrolled through some of the exchanges. The most recent post got my attention and I felt compelled to reply.
              As a 69 y/o male with 63 degree thoracic and 48 degree lumbar and .82 " LLD on left leg. I have the Radiology reports to prove it.

              Most people consider this a severe case. It hasn't really bother me except for the rib hump.

              I believe that my greater than 3/4 " short left leg caused my spine to compensate by creating the "S" curve. In addition, my body is twisted. I equate that with rotation...(could be wrong)

              I have given some thought about the possibility that the spinal curves caused the LLD. I wish I had Radiology reports when I was 5, 10, and 15. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 16.

              I have worked really hard to use PT to correct my condition. (including the straight arm plank exercise discussed in other posts). I created my own program which is a hybrid of several.

              I work at it a couple hours a day. The pain I had 6-7 years ago is gone. Occasionally, I get sore when I over do it.

              I wish I knew if I had structural or non-structural (functional) scoliosis. Comments welcome. No one in my medical journey has ever mentioned it.

              I was encouraged that Pooka1 stated that non-structural scoliosis could be fixed once the LLD issue was resolved. I have worn a lift for several years and feel that my PT is helping. Later this year I intend to have new xrays to try to quantify what I feel. I am positive I have changed my body. I can tell by how it feels when I lie on the floor or the bed. It is not as twisted as it was.
              I have no clue what my spine is doing. My posture has improved significantly. The rib hump is not as obvious as it was.

              I would urge sjmcphee to get into a daily disciplined PT program. I wish I would have started when I was his age. As bright as he appears to be, he will figure it out and have a full life.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by rkochis View Post
                I wish I knew if I had structural or non-structural (functional) scoliosis. Comments welcome. No one in my medical journey has ever mentioned it.
                Maybe Linda can comment but the only way I have ever heard mention to tell the difference is how muchyou can bend it out as documented on radiograph.

                Given the size of your curve, I am guessing your surgeon just assumed it was structural. There was an ususual case on the forum where a woman had two large non-structural curves. It is my understanding this is exquisitely rare but I don't know that. She still chose to fuse her thorax which straightens the lumbar because it is non-structural in the hope of avoiding her lumbar from ever getting structuralized and
                Needing to be fused.

                That's my recollection.
                Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                No island of sanity.

                Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                Answer: Medicine


                "We are all African."

                Comment


                • As far as I know, functional curves never get to be large S curves.

                  I really don't understand why this issue continues to be discussed. Scott believes something about his spine, and no amount of debate is going to change that. Why don't we just move on?
                  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


                  • Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
                    As far as I know, functional curves never get to be large S curves.

                    I really don't understand why this issue continues to be discussed. Scott believes something about his spine, and no amount of debate is going to change that. Why don't we just move on?
                    He is suffering from bad info. Suffering. I thought I could ease his suffering with better info. He doesn't want better info apparently.
                    Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                    No island of sanity.

                    Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                    Answer: Medicine


                    "We are all African."

                    Comment


                    • By the way, do you rememebr king14? She was able to bend out BOTH her large curves. Neither was structural. I think that is EXQUISITELY rare! I think she should be a case study.

                      Anyway, she had the thorax fused to try to save the lumbar from getting structuralized. Here's her radiographs...

                      http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...4&d=1348369570

                      People reading this should not get any false hope that their large curves are not structural. Probably 99.99999% of large curves are structural (except in a false double which is actually a single structural curve pattern). And king14 still got a fusion even though she didn't have a structural curve so maybe all that matters is that you have a large progressing curve at that point.

                      I am still amazed at king14... my amazement never went away.
                      Last edited by Pooka1; 02-04-2016, 06:42 AM.
                      Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                      No island of sanity.

                      Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                      Answer: Medicine


                      "We are all African."

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
                        As far as I know, functional curves never get to be large S curves.

                        I really don't understand why this issue continues to be discussed. Scott believes something about his spine, and no amount of debate is going to change that. Why don't we just move on?
                        I read this and was quite shocked.

                        Discussion is always valuable - and also being able to talk about things can soothe the mind. yes some of the discussion has got heated at times but it also has been acknowledged. When two people get together and discuss it is always valuable - communication is everything.

                        You don't have to get involved if you don't wish to.

                        Comment


                        • You want to know what the dumbest part of this whole thing is?
                          All it would take is for someone who's heard my story to actually spend just 5 minutes taking a look at my spine for themselves.

                          I've had a long day, and I need to get up early to work in the morning.
                          Thanks to those of you who responded, I will reply to everyone tomorrow.

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by burdle View Post
                            I read this and was quite shocked.

                            Discussion is always valuable - and also being able to talk about things can soothe the mind. yes some of the discussion has got heated at times but it also has been acknowledged. When two people get together and discuss it is always valuable - communication is everything.
                            I generally agree with you that discussion is or should be valuable. But I also agree with Linda that some people are not going to let go of bad information if they have held it for years. I just thought that Scott became obsessed with his back after a small curve was found incidentally with his shoulder/neck injury. Had he not gotten that radiograph showing the curve in the lower back, he would never have erroneously tried to connect it to the shoulder/neck injury. He wouldn't be completed obsessed with folk biomechanics in trying to connect two things that are unconnected. And he wouldn't think he can see things that can't even been seen in a radiograph. The people doing actual biomechanics are using college level math and physics and graduate level anatomy and physiology. And they are using radiographs for a reason and not just looking at people's backs.

                            This is why it is a shame Scott saw that curve and spent so much time on this.

                            Also, honest discussion is valuable but not possible in some cases like with the CLEAR chiros as you have seen. They count on people being misinformed about chiro so they can continue selling $3,500 vibrating traction chairs that do nothing to help a curve.
                            Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                            No island of sanity.

                            Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                            Answer: Medicine


                            "We are all African."

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
                              Hey Rohrer,
                              My knees are like that, they click a lot of the time when I bend them.
                              It was more of a crunch (x2) than a pop, but similar to a chiropractor making an spinal adjustment.
                              Only, there was tingling and numbness in my arms and I had no strength to hold things, and I could feel that something was structurally out of place in the spinal column.
                              I think there probably was some soft tissue damage.
                              That sounds like a lower neck injury. (bold mine)
                              I have neck problems and similar symptoms.

                              Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
                              If you asked me if I truly believed there was a structural element of lordosis locked in the thoracic region of my spinal column, then I would say yes, I'm certain of it, and it is the basis for all the bad structural loading - 'altered biomechanics' that I've been trying to say for all these years has been occurring as a part of my scoliosis, which began as a result of that work injury. - Yes.
                              Impossible unless you are severely hypokyphotic like me. You clearly lean the other way per your sagittal x-rays. (bold mine)

                              Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
                              First I understood that I'd done something serious to my spinal column and that its normal oreration had altered.
                              Secondly, I understood what was going wrong, so I was frantic but believed I had the knowledge to fix it.
                              (bolds mine)
                              Your injury sounds like soft tissue swelling that began to take place immediately. This DOES alter your normal operation of the spine.

                              It's so sad that this makes you feel frantic. That in and of itself can make your symptoms feel worse. I hope you don't still feel frantic and have learned to live with your very small curves.

                              If you had the knowledge to fix it, why didn't you? You admitted staying home from work playing video games while off work. This isn't going to help the swelling or help fix your spine. Yet you obsess over it...??? It confuses me that you claim to have all this knowledge, which we established is false according to your explanation, and did everything counterproductive to help yourself including trying to argue with researchers that had already researched your ideas. This made you more frustrated, and I might say angry that you felt/feel that no one is listening or taking you seriously. We are. But you have to be open minded enough to admit to the facts. You have no proof that your scoliosis wasn't already present. It was a secondary finding.

                              When I look at your coronal x-rays, I can see your spinous processes almost dead center throughout your curve. My daughter has a curve of similar magnitude as you and NO rib hump. This means there is very little or no rotation at all. The curve just isn't large enough, or that type of curve. Some people with smallish curves will have HUGE rotation and very little lateral curve. My DIL was that way and had to have surgery. She literally was having what looked like the crankshaft effect with no hardware so she ended up needing fusion for a curve under 50o. She was 48o laterally.

                              Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
                              I mean what are the chances that someone witnesses a biomechanical system of instability within a curve pattern involving concaves and convexes structurally, but it turns out that this does not have anything to do with the majority of scoliotic cases?
                              I don't believe you did. You felt popping, like you said you would feel from a chiropractor. Some of that was probably "knuckle crunching" in the spine and some may have been stretching or small tears in soft tissue. This isn't going to give you scoliosis or alter your biomechanics indefinitely, unless you never let the soft tissue injury heal properly.

                              Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
                              I had every reason to think I was right, though I also have to look at whats missing.
                              What's missing is the logic of what really happened to you. You won't accept rational explanations and insist your case is unique. In a way it is. We are ALL unique. If you really think you have come upon this great break-through, then you have to figure out a way to explain it. The researchers are well aware, as most of us are, that we have altered biomechanics. Since your spine is so "level", referring to your spinous processes, you seem to have less altered biomechanics than most of us. Are you limited in your range of motion? Are there things that you can't do because of your curvature and altered biomechanics? I'm not being snarky or mean. I really do want to know if this limits you in any way.

                              Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
                              The reason why other patients didn't come forward with similar information, probably isn't because I'm any smarter than anyone else, its most likely because they never had the same things occur as part of their scoliosis in order to define as I did in the first place.
                              I also had a work injury where I felt more like a crinkle in my lower spine. Afterward, not only did my lower back hurt, but my upper back started hurting worse than it had before. It was so much that I sought medical attention and was seen by a scoli specialist. The work injury affected my L5/S1, which the surgeon didn't even look at. My upper curve had progressed a little, but I do NOT believe it was a result of hurting my lower spine. My upper curves were stable for a good ten years after that. My lower back has continued to degenerate.

                              I blame the upper back pain on holding myself differently to compensate for the lower injury. That's what we do. It's not a conscious thing, usually. We change the way we sit, stand, walk, and do just about everything else when we are injured. That doesn't mean that we've started a system of altered biomechanics that lasts a lifetime. We heal and get back to normal. I just happen to have a deformed L5 and my neurologist said that the Spina Bifida Occulta (that's what it's called) CAN be painful. I never completely healed as the injury caused a bulging disc which was the start of DDD, and continued to have intermittent pain in both the lower and upper spine. I was 29 when my "injury" happened. However, I chose not to dwell on it and I have had many years of a very active lifestyle despite a lot of intermittent pain (I've had since a kid) that gets worse as I get older. Now I'm in my 40's and unfortunately, people in their 30's and 40's start to develop spinal degeneration. Some hold out longer, some don't, as in the case of my ex who was disabled from DDD in his thirties. I have DDD in my L5/S1 and it HURTS! MY scoliosis HURTS. I'm a rarity as I've heard that most people don't have as much pain as I do from scoliosis. But, I have some sort of neuromuscular disease which likely contributes a lot to that pain.

                              My scoliosis doesn't fit a particular pattern. I've yet to meet a doctor that has seen a curve like mine. YOURS fits a typical right thoracolumbar curve. You can see the curve all the way to your pelvis. That's why I interpret it that way, even though you disagreed in my previous post.

                              You may be one of the unfortunate ones who have degeneration. Ask your doctor if he sees any degenerative changes. IF he tells you he sees nothing out of the ordinary for someone "your age", then that means there ARE changes going on. That has nothing to do with your original scoliosis, except it may degenerate from age WAY later on. Likely never to surgery unless you have a lot of degeneration.

                              Originally posted by sjmcphee View Post
                              I wasn't wrong to come forward and to try to get the questions answered.
                              I've been witness to a biomechanical system of instability in my scoliosis and this is still important knowledge, and as a patient, I also don't fit into any normal scoliosis category so its not unreasonable for me to seek some kind of an explanation.
                              No you weren't wrong to try and get questions answered. That's why we're here, for answers and support.
                              I think the part you feel you are missing is the support. I think you don't feel supported or validated. I'm sorry for that. But those of us that try to give you reasonable explanations for what you are feeling are trying to support and validate you. But you are very stubborn, as you know.

                              You have to remember that we ARE taking the time to read your posts and your ideas. Isn't that validation. How would you feel if no one ever commented on your threads? It takes a LOT of time to respond to your lengthy posts and we are giving you that validation and support by doing so. I hope you understand that.

                              You are a real scoliosis patient. However, you obsess way more about it than most. That's not going to be good for your psyche. It will give you a disability complex where you may limit yourself. My advice is to live life and not to obsess so much over this. Keep track of it but don't dwell on it. Think of those two boys from Canada who had 120o+ curves and count your blessings.

                              All the best,
                              Rohrer01
                              Be happy!
                              We don't know what tomorrow brings,
                              but we are alive today!

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                              • Rohrer, nice post! I wish I could write like that. :-)

                                Originally posted by rohrer01 View Post
                                My scoliosis doesn't fit a particular pattern. I've yet to meet a doctor that has seen a curve like mine. YOURS fits a typical right thoracolumbar curve. You can see the curve all the way to your pelvis. That's why I interpret it that way, even though you disagreed in my previous post.
                                Scott, Rohrer really is an example of an EXTREMELY atypical curve and situation. She has a thread with her radiographs.

                                In contrast, if you asked any surgeon, I am confident they would tell you your small right T curve is the most common AIS presentation there is. You are textbook AIS. Until the pre-existing curve was found as an incidental funding, you didn't claim to have altered biomechanics for which there is no objective evidence, only your subjective claims which I don't dispute but which I doubt are related to your small curve or your shoulder injury or anything with your spine. I assume your shoulder/neck injury healed long ago and you are back to where you were... with a small T curve that you never knew was there. No change other than you appear to be making yourself frantic over the incidental finding of a small AIS curve which is unrelated to your injury. You would have been so much better off had they not imaged your lower back and just did your neck where you did have an injury.

                                You are a real scoliosis patient.
                                Yes Scott is a real patient and one of the lucky ones who will probably never need any treatment in his life. Most people here would trade places with him in that regard. I wish my daughters had Scott's curve and not the one's they had.
                                Last edited by Pooka1; 02-04-2016, 06:30 PM.
                                Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                                No island of sanity.

                                Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                                Answer: Medicine


                                "We are all African."

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