Scoliosis: The Forgotten Disease? - Comments

I have a mild case of this.
I got diagnosed a few years ago and luckily for me I havent gone past a 20.

But I know what you mean when your back hurts.
Mine hurts all the time, but I think 8 years of gymnastics contributed to that also.

Amazing article =D

Yeah scoliosis is really media shy, meaning it doesn't rear it's ugly head anywhere near as much as cancer and the like. My mother, sister, and I have it. Along with one of my two brothers. His scoliosis was so bad he had to go in for 4 surgeries. His first was at my age. Right now I'm on watch, but my state isn't that upkept with it. They should be though.

Scoliosis strikes a lot of families really hard and not a lot of people speak up for it. It's like the problem left in the dust. I think there should be coping groups for it like every other disease. I'm constantly worried about mine progressing. I'd like to share my experience with the disease with a fellow sufferer more and more every day.

My 15 year old friend has it. I think she said like 5 degrees or something.

a twelve-year-old friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with this and sent to a specialst, and her mum is heartbroken..it is an unresearched area yet it is so awful.

Luls, I just had this test today.

We only had one scoliosis screening in all of my years of school, and that was in the fourth or fifth grade.

A friend of mine has it, she has to wear a brace now and for the two years after she starts her period. Another girl in my class had it really bad, she had to wear a brace and then get two operations, but now she doesn't have to hunch over all of the time.

Mick Mars, guitarist for Motley Crue, has a form of this.
It's a shame. He is getting very sick and nobody even really cares.
I hate that I'm watching one of my heroes whither away.

Not many people know the struggle and time and pain, I think everyone should get more educated on these kinds of things(:

--Chelsie.

I had scoliosis when I was 7, and I had to get surgery at 8. I had to wear a body cast for so long, and everyone teased me for it. I wanted to die. I went to physical therapy until I was probably ten. I need to go to the hospital every six months, and I have to go on Monday. I have four fused vertebrae in my back, and it's really awful.

The curve is coming back and my back hurts half the time. I need surgery again.

I know someone who has scolisosis and they had to have surgery. The annoying thing is people who see her don't know anything about her and the talk about her as if she's got something contagious. It's awful.
V.V.

I had a 60 degree S curve which made my legs different lengths and used to pinch nerves so some days I'd wake up and not be able to feel/move my legs and whatever. That was how they diagnosed it, but that took over 7 months because none of the doctors at my surgery had heard of it and thought I was just trying to skip school. Eventually it got sorted though, and since it was too late to get a brace I had the surgery last summer, and for the week in hospital and a quickly healing scar, IT IS SO WORTH IT! (Anyone having it and wants to ask anything just go ahead [= )
Amazing article too. I litterally jumped when I saw it because other than when purposely searching I've never seen anything on it before.

I have it too, in the mild stage, and I only found out recently, when our college called for a medical exam.
Great article.

I live in South Africa and we don't have any scoliosis testing here. My daughter was about a year old when we noticed that she couldn't hold her head up and because of that she couldn't sit.
After visiting a pediatrician and doing some tests they told me she had scoliosis, because there was a birth defect on her back, but there was nothing that they could do but monitor it. I wasn't very well informed, so I trusted the doctor. We kept monitoring and it got worse each year. She had a lumbar bend to the left of her body. Finally when she was eleven her curviture was at 45 degrees, the top part of her back had started to curve in the other direction to compensate for the imbalance (she was 13 by that time) Funny enough you couldn't see just by looking at her that she had a problem and she never had any pain.
We were blessed to run across an amazing surgeon who specializes in this type of thing and they operated. Her back is now almost normal, she still has to go for yearly check ups.
I think your article was very informative and helpful. Very few people know about this problem I know that I didn't.

At my school, we have to get scoliosis testing every year. :D
Luckily, I don't have it.
I like the article. It's really informative.

You know, you writing this... Just made me smile.
The fact that I'm not the only one currently going through ups and downs
with my own self-esteem... Thank you.

Yes, wearing a brace for twenty-three hours straight is torture D:
You can hardly breathe and bend. Fortunately, my friends and classmates
are all supportive and don't ridicule me, but call me 'abs girls' Ha ha.
But I did have friends in junior high who ridiculed me and it hurt me so bad.

I think I'm getting my surgery if it's really bad... But if not.
I'll ask my doctor if I can continue wearing my brace until I finish
high school and I'll get my surgery then..

Thank you for writing this. And those kids- are horrible to you D<

I have scoli i have an S we didnt see it at first cause it was in my shoulder but that was 120 degrees before we could get operated on and it was 96 when first diagnosed and my second one which im getting fused is 68 degrees...in Australia they brace untill about 65 degrees then they operate....there is no screening program in Australia though

Yeah I love this article. Well informed, well written, overall good article.

I have scoliosis but its mostly from consistently leaning to one side... Like it's mostly my fault for always keeping a backpack and purse and whatever on the one side. Weird...

Again, nice article.

hey,
i just wanted to say that i LOVE this article/column
because scoliosis really does go unnoticed or recognized for how severely it really affects someones life especially when they have a serious case
ive (known ) had it for little over 2 years now and i have the 2 curves with, i think the last time i had an x-ray my degree was 34.5, & they said that pretty much the only hope left for me was surgery and being my age i didnt want to go into surgery again because im young& its my back, and for a result of the surgery i would never be able to bend my back again not even the little bit that i can now, no scoliosis may not kill you but it affects your life majorly ... and its very comon & i suggest that anyone who hasnt been tested for it, do because the sooner its noticed the better.

Whoever teased you for just having a brace on your back is HORRIBLE!!! :'(

I have scoliosis...it sucks pretty badly. My spine is always hurting me. Mine is "C" shaped. They noticed it when I was younger & thought I would just grow out of it...but it's gotten worse. I'm glad there's people out there that actually care about this though.

Me and two friends have scoliosis, and mine happens to be the one where your spine twists in two different directions. I'm almost 14. My doctor said that I have nothing to worry about*both curves are over 30, but under 50* and to keep my back straight. If it gets worse, I'm getting a brace, like my friend who's curve is lower than mine. My doctor also said that they'll only consider surgery for a patient who has over 100 degree curve, and your article has me more concerned to keep my back straight. I thank you for bringing the light on scoliosis.