The picture to the right is an illustration of what some cases of scoliosis looks like. There are many different curvatures but this is how my back is shaped. I am very self conscious of my rib hump & have always worn my hair long to try to hide it. I feel that it makes me look heavier than I am b/c of the dimension & crooked posture. With me being only 5'1" this weighs on my self esteem. I always wonder how tall I'd be if my spine were straight. As I've gotten older, I've learned to accept this as a part of who I am. There is nothing I can do to change it so I just live my life as normal.
I have shared with you about my scoliosis so I thought I’d share this with you... I have been sitting here reading over my medical records out of curiosity. I was so young when I had these office visits & surgical procedures, I wasn’t aware of all of the details.
I see that that my initial upper right thoracic curvature was 50 ° & lower left was 35° when I was 13 years old in March 1992.
I had my first surgical procedure December 15, 1992. This procedure is called a Posterior Surgical Fusion & it was from my T4 to T11 vertebrae. This procedure corrected my upper & lower curvatures to 21° each & I gained 1 inch in height. Being only 60¼ inches to begin with, this made me happy! Within 3 months, my upper curve had already declined to 28°. Eight months later, at a follow up visit, my upper thoracic curve had worsened even more to 32° & my lower left lumbar curve was then at 23°.
One & a half years later, June 1994, my right thoracic curve had reached 30° & my lower lumbar 24°.
It was December 12, 1994 (almost 2 years to the day) that I was readmitted for removal of spinal instrumentation b/c the lower convex rod had displaced (I could feel it popping when I would bend over & place my hand there - not a good sign LOL).
19+ years later I still have a horrible curvature of the spine & I am so very curious to know at what degree my upper thoracic & lower lumbar curvature is now. I wish for a noninvasive treatment for my spine to help with the left over curvature - that was a major procedure at such a young age all for, what seems like, nothing. I had gone from a 50° to 30° in only a matter of approximately 2 years.
No matter what, don't give up on yourself. I never thought I’d be able to exercise at the intensity I do today (ChaLEAN Extreme, P90X, Insanity, Asylum, Turbofire, Les Mills Combat) but I am so thankful for it. I believe that if it weren't for Beachbody's fitness programs, my body would be much weaker & therefore I would most likely experience a lot more back pain. With the curvature of my spine, it is very difficult to do floor ab exercise & even work with the bar (from Les Mills Pump) b/c I am "crooked", but I refuse to let this win. With your doctor's permission, if necessary, do your best always... do NOT let a simple deformity get the best of you - YOU ARE IN CONTROL!
***WWW.TURBODOLL.NET***
I have shared with you about my scoliosis so I thought I’d share this with you... I have been sitting here reading over my medical records out of curiosity. I was so young when I had these office visits & surgical procedures, I wasn’t aware of all of the details.
I see that that my initial upper right thoracic curvature was 50 ° & lower left was 35° when I was 13 years old in March 1992.
I had my first surgical procedure December 15, 1992. This procedure is called a Posterior Surgical Fusion & it was from my T4 to T11 vertebrae. This procedure corrected my upper & lower curvatures to 21° each & I gained 1 inch in height. Being only 60¼ inches to begin with, this made me happy! Within 3 months, my upper curve had already declined to 28°. Eight months later, at a follow up visit, my upper thoracic curve had worsened even more to 32° & my lower left lumbar curve was then at 23°.
One & a half years later, June 1994, my right thoracic curve had reached 30° & my lower lumbar 24°.
It was December 12, 1994 (almost 2 years to the day) that I was readmitted for removal of spinal instrumentation b/c the lower convex rod had displaced (I could feel it popping when I would bend over & place my hand there - not a good sign LOL).
19+ years later I still have a horrible curvature of the spine & I am so very curious to know at what degree my upper thoracic & lower lumbar curvature is now. I wish for a noninvasive treatment for my spine to help with the left over curvature - that was a major procedure at such a young age all for, what seems like, nothing. I had gone from a 50° to 30° in only a matter of approximately 2 years.
No matter what, don't give up on yourself. I never thought I’d be able to exercise at the intensity I do today (ChaLEAN Extreme, P90X, Insanity, Asylum, Turbofire, Les Mills Combat) but I am so thankful for it. I believe that if it weren't for Beachbody's fitness programs, my body would be much weaker & therefore I would most likely experience a lot more back pain. With the curvature of my spine, it is very difficult to do floor ab exercise & even work with the bar (from Les Mills Pump) b/c I am "crooked", but I refuse to let this win. With your doctor's permission, if necessary, do your best always... do NOT let a simple deformity get the best of you - YOU ARE IN CONTROL!
***WWW.TURBODOLL.NET***