Scoliosis

[slipperandpjsmum]

I am currently being investigated for scoliosis, although it does look like I have it. Wondered if there were any other MN out there with the condition?

I have mild scoliosis caused by torticollis as a baby. It doesn't bother me on a regular basis but has caused bouts of sciatica which were treated with physiotherapy/osteopathy.

Improving the strength of your core muscles is a good idea, things like yoga and pilates, swimming, etc.

I had to have a special consult with the anaesthetist when pregnant to see it I'd be able to have an epidural due to the curvature. I did have one in the end but it didn't work on both sides, but I don't know if the scoliosis had anything to do with that. It didn't cause me any other problems with the pregnancy.

Good luck with your diagnosis.

I also have (very) mild scoliosis caused by torticollis...on my right side. You can see the contracted muscles on the right hand side of my neck - they are pretty obvious, which I hate, but hey ho.

I book an appointment with an excellent physio twice a year to unlock my stiff leg / hip muscles as I get sciatic pains (common with scoliosis.) I do lots of stretches every day, otherwise my muscles get really tight on the affected side. Yoga is excellent for building back muscles and keeping you flexible - my friend also teaches Pilates and has taught me loads of stuff which helps hugely.

All in all it's not too bad, quite manageable really. I believe the angle of the curve of the spine as it deviates from the norm determines how much trouble you'll have with it in future. If it's being investigated when you're an older adult, as mine was (I was 24 when I got my diagnosis) it's unlikely to be anything other than a mild case - severe cases tend to get picked up in childhood as they are so obvious. I have a friend who has two steel bars in her back, inserted when she was 13, to correct a severe bend.

All the best!

x

Hi Cailleach, I've never met anyone else who had torticolis before! I was 14 when I got diagnosed, due to bad sciatica.

Thanks.

My spine is an s shape and I have a ledge at the top of my spine, which is very noticeable. The pain has been increasing over the last few weeks and I now find it difficult to walk if I have not take any pain relief.

Is it diagnosed through an x ray or can it be done by a doctor examining you/looking at body shape, posture etc?

I can't remember if I definitely had x-rays, I may well have. But you could tell by looking at my hips when it was bad, they were really lopsided.

Me neither! Funnily enough mine wasn't picked up until I was in for sinus surgery
and the surgeon said "I'd like to order some xrays done on your spine, I want to know what's wrong with your neck." This as I was being put under anesthetic, so my last thought was "oh bloody hell, what else is wrong with me now?"

I'd noticed my neck was a bit wonky since I was a kid, but just assumed it was the way I was built. I'd had back and hip pain since I was small, but the doctors always said it was growing pains...nope!

It doesn't bother me too much...Can't lay flat on my back on a hard surface though, and getting up from sitting on the floor makes me wince a wee bit (old git already at 35!)

Other people have much worse, I know.

slippers They got a physio to examine me physically, checking leg lengths etc as my hips were also off-level. Then they usually xray your back to see what's going on and take it from there.

The pain is probably muscular - I get awful twinges when my muscles tense up on one side, trying to compensate for the postural imbalance. Physio really does work wonders. I go private for mine - £30 for half an hour twice a year, maybe three times if necessary - and he works wonders.

slippers - my situation sounds very similar to you. I have scoliosis which was picked up when I was 13 but considered to be border line for the operation. It is a high risk op and often only successful for a few years before it has to be done again. I didn't really have any problems with it until during pregnancy when, because of the softening of the bones, my spine did all sorts of wierd stuff and is now a sort of S - a much more pronounced curve on the lower half, but also the spine has rotated so that it sticks out very unattractively. I am very self-conscious about it and it does affect my self-esteem. I get a lot more pain nowadays but work hard on strengthening my core muscles. I did a course of physio which worked on stretching and elongating my back.I get pain if I have to carry things alot or stand around or walk very slowly. I sometimes get pain because of trapped nerves in my hip.

it can be diagnosed just by looking at you if you bend forward & touch your toes someone would be able to see how the spine curves and there may be a bump. But an X-ray will obviously give much more detail.

.

I have it, nothing to add to the above except did you know usain bolt suffers from it! I find that comforting

Really Caerlaverock! Somehow that does make me feel better!

i have full blow scoliosis S curve and was diagnosed when mum spotted a "rib Hump" aged 11, I had two operations when i was 17 and am now 35, I still get pain which is generally controlled and I still have a noticeable rib hump. Pregnancy actually helped mine as it altered my posture but i didn't cope with the birth well as i was very scared of spinal's (some damage was done to my spinal cord during the corrective surgery) and the anethatist didn't seem to really care about my concerns or show any understanding of the condition.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions
x

the pregnancy thing is interesting isn't it Helly. I hadn't really realised what my back was doing and if only I had know I would have paid greater attention to my posture during pregnancy and it might have helped. A couple of years ago I even wondered if I should get pregnant again to try to correct my spine. I had a C'section and, like you, was very worried about the spinal. Medics seem to have very little understanding of our condition and I have to say I have had little empathy or support over the years.

wow Caerlaverock i had no idea.
Chocolateshoes its the lack of understanding by the maternity consultants and others in their department that is one of the main reasons why I decided not to have another child.
The lack of understanding is outstanding i remember being rather upset when my midwife announced to a student during a check up "helly is rather scared of pain and is also scared of an epidural" I rather forcefully corrected her to point out I had been in near constant pain with my condition since the age of 11 and the only reason I didn't want an epidural was because of my pre-existing condition... needless to say it was never mentioned again!