Scoliosis in adults

[MrsTeachers]

I have just been diagnosed with sclerosis. I'm 33 years old and it was picked up on a chest X-ray for something unrelated.

I am waiting for a referral to orthopaedics for MRI scan but does anyone have any experience of this

[Title edited at OP's request]

Do you know what kind of Sclerosis? Multiple? Systemic? What was your chest x ray for and what did they find? I have Systemic Sclerosis btw.

Sorry thoracic sclerosis

Oh do you mean Scoliosis? Where your spine bends?

Yes, so sorry I'm still in shock. Yes that's what I mean x

Funnily enough i have that too! But mine is at the bottom of my spine and I have a few bone spurs too. It does cause pain and i had a few issues when pregnant, but other than that mines not bad. I would suggest ypu maybe start another thread about scoliosis. Hope you get what you need :)

if you report the thread they will change the title.

Mine was picked up whilst I was in labour!

It didn't cause any problems till I was about 45 and I've cured those (or made them manageable) with a combination of better posture and osteopathy.

... my osteopath says the body is designed to function entirey normally with a 10 degree curve as often one leg is longer.

I think mine's more than that but I'm not asking!

Thank you I've just reported and asked to change title.

@ImsorryWilson how was yours picked up? I would have no idea about mine if I hadn't had chest X-ray for something completely unrelated

it's a funny story - I was in labour with child number 1 aged 32 and the anaesthetist was looking for a place to stick the needle in. he said "do you realise you've got a scoliosis in your spine".

at that moment I wouldn't have cared if I had Alton Towers in my spine....

I then forgot about it until I got something called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and had to stop tennis and violin. But that was good really because I had to really figure out how to sustain my posture better - be more upright.

For many people it's no big deal so it's a question of degree and any changes over time. If you can strengthen the muscles on either side of the spine enough to hold yourself up that's the ideal solution. But right now you probably have a slightly skewed sense of what upright means...... it takes a while to be able to feel that your muscles aren't lying evenly.

In all honesty it's not a big deal for me now and I even did violin practice over the weekend.....

"At that moment I wouldn't have cared if I had Alton Towers in my spine"

That made me LOL....

I'm glad you have not suffered and am I hoping I will be the same, it's not causing any problems at the minute.

Did you have any scans? I've been referred for CT and MRI scan, I'm just feeling really anxious about the whole thing

I had an MRI because my symptoms mimicked multiple sclerosis and just an ultrasound for my thoracic outlet syndrome.

The trouble with scoliosis for me, is it makes other (normal middle aged) muscular-skeletal conditions more problematic. Fight the scoliosis and you can address the other conditions.

Did they say why they are scanning you?

For me the treatment was:

1 Osteopathic massage to treat the stiffness in the thoracic spine

2 more osteopathic message to reduce inflammation levels of the tissue around the spine

3 A life sentence of Pilates adjusted to take into account the curves of the spine

4 posture changes

I0% of the population has curves in the spine. I went back to my neurologist with some test results which were apparently not very good but he said that they really didn’t matter given that the musculoskeletal treatments I’d had and the regime I’d committed to were resolving the problem

Thanks for that post @ImsorryWilson it's really helpful and reassuring.

I had the X-ray initially to check for covid changes as I had covid a while back and becoming sob when exercising which is something that had never happened. I've had also had an Ecg which showed some abnormalities but I'm just hoping that has nothing to do with the sclerosis. I've had 2 pregnancies and it has never been picked up. The doctor said she was shocked that I had never noticed, I mean I do have aches and pains but just put it down to everyday tasks.

Did you see an orthopaedic consultant or anything by?

Thanks again for your post

You're welcome. I saw a neurologist and a vascular surgon because my nerves and arteries leading down to my arms get pinched because my shoulders are hanging funny.

Some scoliosis is present from birth, some we get from poor posture/uneven leg length. Try to find out which yours is rather than just hearing about possible operations.

i'm not aware of any connection at all between scoliosis and ecgs but I'm no medic.

any decent surgeon will want you to try physical therapy (massage and fancy versions of pilates) first but the NHS doesn't really offer those services in an intensive way so it might take ££££ or insurance.

the first thing you do is stand up straighter - imagine growing taller. Then you gradually learn to do all exercise in that straighter position.

otherwise if you exercise you will tend to "use" the bend ....

basically it's all to do with trying to get the back of your neck further away from your waist without "cheating". Think "grow tall".

come back when you know you're not having surgery

sorry, meant come back if you want to chat! I dont' know anything about surgery.

@ImsorryWilson thank you so much. I would definitely like to avoid surgery and first try physical therapy, and would be willing to pay. Just feeling really anxious whilst waiting for CT scan