just been told i have scoliosis

[racmac]

Been to see ostepath because back/neck very stiff and tense and this is leading to bad headaches.

I have had this few times in the last 5 years and the osteopath said casually at the end of the consultation well of course the lst osteopath told you you have scoliosis

Which was a bit of a shock.

Anyone have this? What should i do? Go to GP? Dont know what to do if anything

Hello racmac.
If you are concerned about it then go to your doctor, he/she can arrange an appt with specialist who can get x-rays done for you which can determine the extent of the curve.
Im due to have 2 surgeries after Christmas to have my spine fused and my rib hump corrected because I have severe progressive scoliosis (and a number of other things) This is extreme and only really done if the curve is big and/or it is compromising your heart and lungs. Im sorry ive probably worried you with mention of surgery, most cases dont need surgery and if you didnt know until now then I highly doubt you'll need it. My sister has mild scoliosis which was found my her wedding dress fitter. So some cases are not so scary!

In the meantime, pilates and swimming is excellent for scoliosis pain.

Scoliosis is fairly common (yes, me too) and a lot of the time it's safe to pretty much ignore it, though try to do all the things that are generally advised for healthy backs anyway, such as sitting correctly when MNing working on a computer, taking gentle exercise etc.
ABF: bloody hell, poor you! My mother used to delight in sending me clippings from the Mail's health pages about surgery for scoliosis in adults (I was diagnosed at 15, they said, it;s mild, come back if you get pain and I thought they meant real bad pain so never bothered, probably should have had treatment earlier).

Oh, and one thing to avoid: fecking amateur masseurs. I hate massage anyway, and the one or two times I've let some hippy fuckwit near my back I've been miserable for days...

I have scoliosis which has made one leg a bit shorter than the other but I don't limp nor do I have much back pain. I have to be careful in certain positions but as ABF said, swimming and pilates are brilliant and I was diagnosed at 14 and I'm 45 now and it's really not caused me much of a problem. I don't think you need to see your GP - there isn't anything they can do (unless you're racmac :o)

blimey amazing (you scared me )
Hope that all goes ok for you - sounds quite scary.

I do exercise - I run reguarly and i weight train and do aerobics - but maybe none of those things will actually help?

Can it be diagnosed in adults or would i have it as a child but just not known about it?

I meant unless you're ABF (you seem pretty blasé about it but it sounds horrible :()

I know swimming and pilates are probably the best things to do but i HATE them - i like jumping around and getting sweaty

It's something you're born with - all is means is that your spine is twisted. It can be very badly twisted or not very much. And as far as I understand, where the twist is in the spine has an impact. Mine is quite low down but it turns quite a lot which is why my leg is shorter. With some people it might just be a kink to one side.

oh thank you ive stopped panicking now

Join the rest of us!
I found out having my 4th tattoo on my back when my artist told me that I wasn't straight.

Mine causes some problems as the twist is impacting on the nerves in my legs causing them to got numb during flare ups but I swear by Pilates.

Im sorry racmac I was probably the worst person to answer your OP first!
Seriously though it sounds like you are doing ok if you can do aerobics and weight training, I can barely walk around a supermarket some days! You should definitely try pilates.

Mine curves and twists at the top, makes wearing a bra a right pain in the arse, was ok before I had kids but now I cant quite get away with not wearing one!

I am blase about surgery atm, but after Christmas expect an influx of "omg im shitting myself" and "help me im going to die arnt I?" threads!

It's one of the reasons I rarely wear a bra TBH, I have always found them uncomfortable. ABF mine is at the top too (T3-T5 according to an osteopath I saw about 15 years ago).
It may be inherited in some cases, so those of us who have DDs should be on the lookout once they hit puberty AFAIK it doesnt often affect men.