Hello for all that dont know this about me , now you do , I want to write about this as not many people know of this condition
and it could save alot of trouble if detected as a child ,everyone should do ramdom checks
on their children even in their teens as thats when most of the time it is found , but start as soon as you can to check their spines and do it every few months as they grow .
this is what i have and have had my whole life
mine is called idiopathic Scoliosis and i have , I may of had a slight curve as a child but due to things behond my controll it has excelled through abuse.
ive always had back aches as a small child ,My parents did take me to one specialist and they looked at my kidneys and said they where fine so there for I am ok , Boy where they wrong and never did any follow ups on me what so ever .so with abuse that i wont get into my spine only got worse as time went on
it wasnt till i had left home and started to work and the pain that i was having each day and night along with the headaches
and then my brother in law spotting my curve in my spine that i was aware that there was something very wrong and it wasnt in my head .My curve is double or 'S' curve pattern. so my whole spine is affected its the shape of an s .
To those that dont know about what this is here is a little something on it
Scoliosis is a condition that involves complex lateral and rotational curvature and deformity of the spine. It is typically classified as congenital (caused by vertebral anomalies present at birth), idiopathic (sub-classified as infantile, juvenile, adolescent, or adult according to when onset occurred) or as having developed as a secondary symptom of another condition, such as cerebral palsy or spinal muscular atrophy.
Occasionally development of scoliosis during adolescence is due to an underlying anomaly such as a tethered spinal cord, but most often the cause is unknown or idiopathic] Contrary to common belief, scoliosis does not come from slouching, sitting in awkward positions, or sleeping on an old mattress. Scoliosis often presents itself, or worsens, during the adolescence growth spurt
Who gets this
Scoliosis is found uniformly in both males and females,females are about 8 times more likely to require treatment. Generally scoliosis can be corrected if it is detected at a young age and while the bones of the spine are still growing. Mild cases of scoliosis are typically monitored, but severe cases can require a back brace or even surgery.
What are the Symptoms of Scoliosis?
The symptoms include the following:
* Uneven hip and shoulder levels
* Unequal distance between the arms and body
* A prominent shoulder blade
* Muscle mass or humps on one side of the spine
difference in leg lengths,,Body appears to lean to one side .
Headaches Backaches
How is Scoliosis Treated?
Many children who are sent to the doctor by a school scoliosis screening program have very mild spinal curves that do not need treatment. When a child does need treatment, the doctor may send him or her to an orthopaedic spine specialist.Ask your childs school if they are still doing this as when my boys where in primary school it still wasnt checked ,Its very important to check this .
If they find a slight curve and send you to a specialist , they will do a check up go through your family history to see if thats why you or your child has it
A doctor May suggest the best treatment for each patient based on the patient's age, how much more he or she is likely to grow, the degree and pattern of the curve, and the type of scoliosis. The doctor may recommend observation, bracing, or surgery.
Be Pushy with the specialist and go with someone as you need alot of support with this in understanding whats going on with you or your child . I went alone many times only to be in tears of my outcome in life with this
My curves are to this day the first cuve is bending at 65 degress to the right and then turns to 55 degress to the left as measured on an xray
Curves are measured in degrees and persons with curves measuring under thirty degrees entering adulthood are considered having a mild curve while those over 60 degrees are considered severe.
my ribs on one side is slowly crushing my heart and my lungs as it is getting worse .
They say on some of the sites that most people dont feel pain , thats a whole lot of rubbish they forget to mention that the worse degree of the curve the more pain you will get
I can tell you its soo very painful ,
even at times when you make the bed or sit in a chair at the computer it hurt's to buggery .and the cold also makes it sore
i was told that if i have an operation that even before that it will cost me a deposit of 50 grand and it will not garantee that i will ever be able to walk again ;and if i leave it It will shorten my life span .
just say they did operate and everything went well with severe cases like mine
it will be 6 months in hospital in traction ,
for those that dont know what this is , you are strapped on a bed only able to wiggle your toes or your fingers if you are lucky and they dont have weights on them for 6 months , your head is put in something like a seperate traction also as you will not be able to move this for 6 months ,the bed that you are on will spin over every few hours so you wont get bed sores ,
after 6 months this will be reduced slowely
after a year has passed then you will have to start to learn to walk all over again as you have not been allowed to do that for the whole year ,
like babies I would have to learn to crawl before i get to that stage
but this is only with severe cases
.no doctors or specialist have ever had any follow up with me ,, i have been lost in this system
they will not always tell you straight up that you should or shouldnt have the operation for fear of being sued
You have to follow the doctors up in my case i went to the best all the way down to the line looking for help for me
i was told that they where actuly scared of my case and wernt confident in leaving it or even doing the operation .
I check my childrens spine myself
look at your childs back you see the natural line where the spines ment to be when they are standing up
run your fingers that that path it should fit into place
next get them to bend over and touch their toes while being straight , the spine also should follow down
if it dosent then get a referal to a specialist as soon as you can , and ask alot of questions ,, dont go alone and write it all down
and always make sure you go to the right specialist ,
i went to Professior Tailor ( hes retired now ) but thats the kind of specialist that you are looking for
the early the better as they can help stop the spine from getting worse as they get older ,
you could never tell that i have this just by looking at me as i have lernt to hide it
here a link to this
http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article133.html
I hope that this will help .thankyou for reading its close to my heart ,Debbie
(July 2007) (
Lexi xxx
