Written by
I was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 10 and wore a body cast for one year, a Milwaukee brace for 3 high school years. Fast forward many years later, our 3 children grown up and my spinal curvature worsened to cause significant complications to my heart and lungs. At age 56 I had major surgery that took 10 hours. The result is 2 steel rods in thoracic area and 1 rod in lumbar area. Surgery did not correct curvature but prohibits further curving so now my spine is stabilized. Five years after that surgery I was in an accident and had to have repair surgery in the lumbar area reconnecting screws!
The only therapy advise given was to continue walking and do water exercise or swim. Now at age 68 the pain in my hip area has worsened and doctor recommends hip replacement. I intend to avoid any more surgery. At this point in time I continue to exercise in a pool and when walking, use a cane.
Have I been discouraged, depressed, angry, frustrated most of this earthly life? Yes! But I have a wonderful supportive husband, loving family, 2 grandkids and am caregiver to my 91 yr old mother. I've been employed but at my age now, I enjoy several volunteer activities. In summary, God is on my side anyway and He loves me and gives me the strength, courage and grace to keep on keeping on!
I was diagnosed with scoliosis in my early years as well and nothing was done nor was it ever a problem. Now after many years of extreme sports and a very active lifestyle I've started to experience aches in my back that seemed unusual but I wasn't particularly concerned. 2 1/2 months ago I developed some debilitating pain in my back that included nerve pain in the shoulder. I could no longer work and dragged myself to the hospital. 3 days later I was having surgery; hardware was inserted on 3 vertebrae in the cervical spine. The pain was gone, I was thrilled. The neurosurgeon was surprised to find quite a buildup of calcium on several vertebrae and spent hours shaving it off (I'm in my mid 30's]. He ended up removing 3mm of vertebrae. 6 weeks after surgery a CAT scan revealed that one of the screws moved and I ended up having a second surgery a month ago where they added more hardware. The first time around was relatively painless, the second one has been very difficult. I've been out of work for nearly 3 months; I'm self employed and cannot collect disability insurance which has been an added burden on top everything else. Fortunately I have a decent healthplan, until the govt gets its claws on it but I digress. I'm still feeling post op pains (I stopped taking the meds- they were playing with my mind too much) but I'm hopeful I'll be pain free in a few weeks.
This has been quite an ordeal. Best of luck to everyone dealing with this pain in the, um, back.
Try telling an orthopedic doctor your in pain because of your scoliosis, or the SSA when your applying for disability, they seem to take a different approach to pain. Much like women were once told menopause was a figment of thier imagination, im getting fed up with paying a specialist to examine me and he/she says "nothing you can do about it" of course there is nothing I can do about it, I'm not the one with the medical degree, perhaps if you gave up golfing on wednesdays and spent some time doing research we would have something that WE WILL DO ABOUT IT!!!!!
im getting tired of this lazaifaire attitude to people who have this horible horible horible disease. The hypocratic oath states a doctor must first do no harm, well my grim prognosis of "there is nothing you can do about it" has led to a suicide attempt, which in my opinion is doing harm and throwing out the window "first do no harm"
lets get on the ball and start doing something about this disease, if you orthopedic doctors of america had it, a cure would have benn devoloped looooonnnnngggggg ago, let them eat cake i suppose is the mode, but just remember what happen to king louie and marie antonette, off with thier heads madame guillotine!!
i hae scoliosis, and i was braced as a teenager. It seemed to help but I have a rib hump that hurts alot everyday... I have a 6 month old, and my pregnancy seemed to only make it worse. I now have to sleep on a heating pad, and I wake up several times a night to turn the heating pad back on. I have also seen a chiropractor, which seemed to help, but I am unable to go now due to insurance. Everyday activities are uncomfortable, from cleaning to sitting. Its horribly painful, I am 25 now, and I am considering having surgury to help manage my pain. has anyone had this surg?
i have a 35 and a 40 degree curve in my spine and lately ive been waking up with severe pain. it has gotten worse and i am now waking up in the middle of the night. ive tried heat, meds, and excessive pillows. i dont know what to do anymore.
any suggestions
Have you tired sleeping on a cloud? The TempurPedic Cloud Supreme might be just what you need for a better night sleep.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD
I too was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child and had to were a Milwalkee brace. As a young person I never experience any pain, maybe a slight discomfort. But now I am 35 years old with too kids and experience pain on a daily basis. I have an "s" curve i don't remember the degree because I guess as a kid, I didn't pay much attention to that. I have never complained to my doctor because I knew the pain was caused from the scoliosis and like you have all heard from many people/doctors theres nothing they can do to help... So I treated myself with lots of advil and a heating pad. Recently within the last year the pain has began to spread to my abdomen/hip area - like its going straight through my body. Has anyone else experienced this? Look forward to your comments, thanks....
Be careful with taking so much advil, you risk burning a hole into your gut. You might need some safer, stronger medication options available only by prescription.
If the pain is increasing, spreading and becoming even more disabling, you need to see a spine specialist or at least a physiatrist who can help you preserve your function and quality of life.
The women I see who have severe scoliosis keep going with a combination of good drugs, some exercise, and a great attitude.
Just keep swimming...
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD
hi i wore a brace as a teenager too and my upper back and neck as well as my pelvis hurt every day. i am waiting for my local library to find a book for me on the Schroth method of therapy for the spine. i intend to read it from cover to cover and find someone to show me how to do these exercises. the schroth method has had very good results with adults. good luck to you.
I am 48 years old. I was diagnosed with Scoliosis when I was 13. My mom noticed the hump on the right side of my back then she had a personal friend that was a doctor look at me and he confirmed it. After that I was taken to a doctor that put me in the milwaukee brace. I wore it for a while until my mom discover stretching worked better. Anyway at 16 I ended up having surger with the herrington rods. I have an S curve and after that surgery I did well until the start of my 40′s. My pain has gradually gotten worse. I cannot stand long, I cannot lay on my side for a long period of time and since the surgery have never been able to lay on my stomach. I have gone through pain management and physical therapy. The physical therapy was good except when one thing started to feel better then another would start to hurt. I now have severe back pain when I am active at anything. I have to stop and sit or lay down. The pain can be a burning sensation and radiate to my hip and legs. I visited with my doctor yesterday about surgery on my lower vertebres that are not fused. He told me they are now bone to bone and that is where my pain comes from. I don't know what to do. He told me he cannot make the decision for me and that my pain would make that decision for me. I would like to know if there is anyone out there that is similar to me and that has had the lower fusion at my age that has helped with the pain?
Any feedback would be most appreciated.
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Thank you for discussing scoliosis. I wore a Milwaukee Brace for 3.5 yrs during my teen years. It was miserable then and I was told after I quit growing I would be fine. Well, that couldn't have been further from the truth. With each pregnancy (3) my curvature got a little worse & now I am 42 yrs. old and deal with chronic upper back, shoulder, neck, low back, hip and left leg pain everyday of my life. I almost wish they had put rods in when I was younger. Now, when people ask me why I have pain they look confused when I say it all started with scoliosis. Their usual response is, "it's that a kid's disease" or "does that still bother you?" I try to explain to them that is a lifelong disease that I will be battling until I die probably. I recently finished another round of PT and the therapist stated that there wasn't much she could do for me since I was so malaligned. I have accepted this disease and will deal with one day at a time, but I get very annoyed with the eye-rolling, the lack of empathy and the down-right rude comments from people in my life. Believe me, if I could have one wish it would be to have a normal spine, but since I can't I would appreciate some level of understanding from friends, family, co-workers and my own healthcare professionals.
Taking one day at a time is a good policy. I hope that you share this article with some of your friends and family members. Through education, an improved understanding among those you are closest with can start to weave a better support network. In your area, there might be a scoliosis support group that could also lend a hand. Try to remain impervious to the negativity. A "Water off a ducks back" attitude, so to speak, will help to rise above negative attitudes as you try to stay positive and happy.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD