Answering Your Most Frequently Asked Questions About My Scoliosis!

Since starting this journey, there have been a lot of questions that my family, friends, and others have asked me about my Scoliosis. Even though I add my own personal experiences and opinions in my posts, I decided to address some of the most frequently asked questions that I get asked!

1. Does massage therapy help your Scoliosis?

I absolutely love massage therapy! Not only is it super relaxing, but it also relieves so much stiffness and stress from my back that I didn't realize I had! I also find that after having a few regular massages, my rib hump was temporarily less prominent.

Picture from one of my massage therapy appointments.

2. Can you work out or do physical activity?

I work out a few times a week, and I always try to be as physically active as possible. Exercise is very beneficial for my Scoliosis, and my overall health. My workouts vary from strength training to cardio (see my previous post for some easy ab, core, and back workouts that require no equipment), and I can perform most exercises perfectly fine.

3. When does your back hurt the most?

This may sound a bit odd to some, but other than if I get injured exercising (or slipping and falling on ice during this 'Polar Vortex' in Toronto), folding laundry irritates my back the most! Based on lessons taught in my Kinesiology degree, I believe it has something to do with the lengths of my back muscles and using both my arms at the same time causing some sort of stress or strain to the muscles. Sometimes washing dishes also aggravates my back muscles, but to a lesser degree compared to folding clothes as only one of my arms is really doing work. My back also will start to become really sore if I sit for prolonged periods of time.

4. Does your Scoliosis make it difficult for you to sleep, and do you use a normal bed?

I personally don't think that I have better or worse sleeps than anyone, as my Scoliosis doesn't bother me at all when I'm laying down (when I was younger I'd have discomfort when I laid down from growing pains). As a preference I do like to have extra padding or foam on my bed to support my back, but it really comes down to personal preference!

5. Was sleeping hard to do in your back brace?

At first it was almost impossible to sleep in my back brace, but as time went on, I actually started to kind of like it! It made me feel secure and aligned my body, so that when I woke up, I wouldn't have soreness from sleeping in an uncomfortable position (due to growing pains from puberty).

6. What happens if you get injured? Do you have to go to the hospital?

As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, I did play a ton of competitive soccer (which is a contact sport), and sometimes I would get injured. Fortunately none of these injuries required me to go to the hospital. If I got into a hard tackle, sometimes my back would be a bit sore the next couple of days, but that was as bad as it ever got. Since my hips are at slightly different heights, I did sustain a few injuries to my left leg (such as Achilles tendonitis, Patellar tendonitis, and shin-splints), as it's more prone to being injured than my right side.

7. How do you deal with people asking you about your Scoliosis?

I try to be as open and transparent with my Scoliosis as possible, because I find that I then have more control over the direction of the conversation so that it doesn't get too personal. Being open about it also allows my friends (or whoever's asking) to ask me questions that they have which gives me an opportunity to share my knowledge on the subject with others!

8. What's your favourite or worse moment of wearing a back brace?

Once when I was travelling to Mexico for vacation, we had a stop-over in the United States and we had to clear security again. I was wearing my back brace through security which freaked a lot of the border agents out as they didn't know what I had on my core! I ended up having to take it off to go through security (which was a bit of a pain), but now I laugh at that experience! The worst moment of wearing my back brace was probably the problems it caused when I would eat. Not only was it painful, but it felt like the food I ate was stuck in the bottom of my throat right where the back brace would start. Against my physician's recommendations, I later started taking it off when I ate, but just until my food digested.

9. What are you most nervous about for your surgery?

I'm actually most nervous for the recovery aspect of the surgery, not so much the surgery itself. I know there's a lengthy road ahead of a lot of 'ups and downs,' but I'm someone who tends to become really frustrated if I'm in pain for a prolonged period of time. Also the fusion itself will cause me to move differently since I won't be able to bend, and I'm a bit concerned about how I will cope with that change.

X-ray images of what spinal fusion surgery looks like on the inside!

X-Ray of Maggie's Spine After Surgery [Photograph]. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/orthopaedic-surgery/patient-information/patient-stories/maggie-story.html

10. How long are you planning on taking pain medications after your surgery?

It's hard to give a definite answer as of right now, simply because I only have a guess about the amount of pain that I'll be in. I plan to only be taking pain medications for the recommended amount of time, but the sooner I can avoid taking strong pain medications the better (so that I won't build up a reliance on them)! I have been assured that my health care team will be working with me to ensure my pain us under control, while eventually tapering me off of medication over time.

11. What's the absolute worse part about having Scoliosis?

In my case, the absolute worse part about my Scoliosis will be having the surgery. I am definitely looking forward to getting it over with, but I also realize it will be a very major surgery with a substantial amount of recovery time, and I'll have to learn to do daily activities differently (as far as how my body moves and bends). That being said, I am grateful that my curves are not any worse than what they currently are. Not having surgery increases the chance they will worsen, which could cause a lot of complications.

12. If you could give one piece of advice to someone with Scoliosis what would you say?

Don't let anyone (including yourself) make you feel like you're less or inferior just because your spine's curved. Everyone has challenges in life, and Scoliosis just happens to be one of the few challenges I am facing. There are much bigger issues in life that people have to deal with, so I try to keep some perspective. I try to embrace my condition and use it as an opportunity to support others with Scoliosis and also to educate the public!

13. Are you planning on taking time off from university to recover from surgery?

As of right now, I am not planning on taking any time off from my schooling. Since my surgery will be done back in British Columbia, my surgeon said that even if he operates on me at the end of June (if I wanted) he'd still feel comfortable sending me back to Toronto for September. I will definitely be taking it easier during my first semester back, just because there will be some lifestyle adjustments that I will have to make.

14. How does your family feel about your spinal fusion surgery?

My family is extremely supportive of MY decision to have spinal fusion surgery. Yes, surgery isn't an ideal circumstance; however, I know that everyone will be right by my side throughout the whole process.

This blog is my own personal experience and journey with Scoliosis. It is not a medical blog, and if anyone has concerns about their own health, they should see a physician.