Case Summary  |  Scoliosis

I was eleven years old and excited about starting middle school (I was an optimist) when during a routine check-up my pediatrician mentioned to my mother that my spine showed two very definate curves. One was between my shoulder blades, another was located in my lower back. The next week I was in the office of a pediatric orthopedic, who diagnosed me with two rather severe curves in my spine.
The doctor mentioned surgery, my mother wasn't happy with that thought, so I found myself ensconsed in a Boston brace. i HATED that monster. It was hot. It was itchy. It made me look weird, no matter how I dressed. However, I couldn't argue that my back hurt. A lot. It was hard for me to be on my feet for long periods of time.
The brace, though? In the year I wore it I didn't notice any improvement. Since I hadn't grown in a year the doctor suggested physical therapy as an alternative to help with the pain. The physical therapy was actually somewhat helpful, and helped diminish what I had always thought of as my humpback shoulder. Joining the swim team was also a very effective treatment.
When I got to college, a yoga craze was sweeping the nation. I signed up to fullfill my PE credits. Amazingly...I felt better. I looked better in my clothes. The yoga instructor suggested I try pilates. Pilates was my own little miracle. For the first time I no longer noticed my uneven shoulders.
And so I continued for the next ten years. Now I'm in my third trimester of pregnancy. It has not been easy. Hot showers, prenatal yoga, and pilates HELP...but there is a lot of pain. There are days it feels like my back is breaking. My current ortho thinks post-baby I'll need to go in for spinal fusion, before I end up with a dowagers hump and permanent pain.
Honestly? I wish my parents had done the surgery when I was a kid. The brace was awful. But for anyone with moderate to severe scoliosis I can't suggest enough taking up pilates and spending copious amounts of time in the pool.