Doctor in 1 week: this is my last chance

[txmarinemom]

There is a technique called Raindrop that takes 9 oils, oregano, thyme, basil, cypress, wintergreen, majoram, peppermint, aroma sieze(a blend) and valor(blend)... they are put on the spine in a particular order... it detoxes the spine.

I know... sounds hokey right?

Sorry, cyn, but it IS hokey. If you get any effect at all from it, it's psychosomatic.

And a bit of interesting reading about Gary Young (from quackwatch.org) ...

Pam

[Ballerina]

Oh, again, hope404 .. CLEAR (with many exclamation marks) and all ... *sigh. Justine, keep an open mind ... but search the forums here on the method (CLEAR) this person is pushing.

Do NOT waste your time on CLEAR. I'm not even a believer in the grand claims of Schroth, really, but I'd recommend it over Woggon's witch doctor methods. Schroth likely can't hurt in a case like yours with a small, seemingly non-progressive curve. Is it any better than yoga, Pilates or ANY exercise that strengthens your core? Who knows. I'd try those less costly alternatives first, and know that any exercise you find that helps will be something you'll need to continue your entire life.

As bas mentioned, an MRI would be a good first step to make sure you know there are no underlying conditions causing your pain - and probably a prudent one before you start any therapy or exercise program. I saw adult bracing mentioned, and I have mixed feelings on that: There are too many other things you haven't tried, IMO, to jump right into a brace ... and I believe you're far better off at your age (and curve size) if you can strengthen your core vs. "propping it up" the rest of your life. Looking down the road, it doesn't seem like a great alternative.

Have you tried simple things like yoga, ibuprofen, and ice vs. heat? Heat often aggravates pain and spasms (it took me until AFTER surgery to realize that): Cryotherapy (icing an area) can be quite effective in certain circumstances. Your 27° curve (Regarding the prior 28.5° measurement you were given ... who told you they could measure it that precisely? Curves are not measured in fractions of degrees.) seems to be causing as much or more discomfort for you at 17 than my 35° did at 10 years old. That's NOT at all to say I believe it doesn't hurt ... I absolutely believe even smaller curves can hurt (just like some larger ones never do).

A pain management doc is also a good suggestion, but I'd try more conservative methods before resorting to narcotic or surgical intervention (and that's generally a PM doctor will suggest). As a last resort, they do have some tools in their surgical arsenal that can provide relief for some. One of the more common is a rhizotomy - a.k.a. RF ablation - where they zap the medial branch nerves (they carry pain impulses) and basically stops the pain impulse by shutting down that pathway for some period of time. The nerves may or may not regenerate after they're burned the first time, or even first few times. The procedure is relatively painless, but may or may not be 100% successful depending on the rotation of your curve.

I'm curious ... what type of exercises are you currently doing for your back, if any, outside of PT?

Regards,
Pam

I am so sorry that I have not come and checked on this thread earlier. I have been sooo busy!

As for your question, other than the physical therapy exercises which where given to me, I am do a lot of strengthening and stretching exercises in order to keep my body flexible for dance (although I do not take classes due to school). I also walk mostly every night but other then that, I have not seen other exercises for scoliosis.

I have had an MRI done during my first appointment at CHEO whereby nothing abnormal was found other then having scoliosis as well as the lumbar spine being rather straight (when looked at on the side - rather than having the natural curve in the spine).

I have been fitted for a SpineCor adult brace which I will be receiving on May 7th, which has been the first thing (other than PT and exercising) to try an eliminate the daily pain. I have tried icing, Tylenol, IBprofen and other over the counter narcotics, but it seems to only alleviate the regular muscular pain from everyday life (if I do strenuous activities that day) but it has never helped with my now "normal" pain, thus I have stopped taking them.

Once again, thank you to everyone who have been helping me with this and giving me great information. You have all helped me so much, and I really truly apreciate it.

Hopefully bracing will help, but if not, I will most definitely keep looking and searching this forum!

Justine

[aterry]

Hello Justine,

I'll be interested to hear your experience with the brace starting on May 7. Good luck! My daughter is also a dancer. She is 16 and also has a lot of pain. She's started PT but so far that hasn't helped. Her curve is of similar degree to yours: 26 degrees but it is lumbar. Like you, nothing she does helps--she has tried a whole variety of pain medication. None of it does anything. She is still dancing although it is hard to work in enough classes around school. Does you pain increase or decrease depending on how much dance activity you have? We are also considering a brace for pain. Please keep posting.

Best wishes, Ann

[Andrea]

You can meet other girls your age at the Curvy Girls Scoliosis Support Group of Ottawa. E-mail curvygirlsottawa@gmail.com