How Scoliosis Has Affected My Life

Many people all around the world may come across symptoms of having scoliosis. Mostly girls from ages 10 to 16 get a curve of about 10 degrees. Scoliosis is the curvature of the spine and mostly occurs in adolescent years. Scoliosis may be identified during a physical examination by bending forward to see if your back is completely straight and if your shoulder blades are balanced. During my research process i found out that a lot of people at my school have scoliosis.

I walk into the cold, white hospital, my hands are sweating and my knees are shaking. Even though I have done this every six months since I was twelve years old, it never gets easier. I find a seat in the corner of the waiting room, embarrassed by the large, plastic, butterfly printed scoliosis brace I hold tightly against my side. The door opens, a nurse dressed in plain navy blue scrubs calls out “Emma for Dr. Meyers”. She leads my mom and me down a long hallway, and into a small, brightly lit room. The curse that is scoliosis is hereditary, which means my mom has it, and each of my sisters has been touched by this cruel disease that bends the spine as well. Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that occurs during the growth period just before and through puberty.

A body image is a subjective combination of all the thoughts, emotions, and judgments that an individual may perceive about his or her own body. Each individual has a unique perception of his or her own body. This image is strongly influenced and often times skewed due to the increasing pressure created from outside, societal factors. With a world that is continuously creating new forms of social media and entertainment, individuals are constantly exposed to images that supposedly define bodily perfection and are then expected to resemble these images in order to fit in and/or please society. The expectations that have been put in place by society has created unwanted pressure on individuals who feel as if they need to resemble these images to get society’s approval.

In my head I was scared I was paralyzed and that I would never walk again. Scoliosis scarred me for life because the pain subsides in my forever now. It hasn’t gone away since the surgery it is only tolerable now. My memories from the hospital stay consist of lying on the striker frame in pain, staring at the floor or the ceiling depending upon the way I was positioned. Every fiber in my body wanted to move, but the process of moving was unbearable. Only two days after my surgery they started having me try to walk to the bathroom on my own, I needed assistance the first couple of tries but after a while I could walk on my own. Sitting up or in a chair was another thing, I was only relearning the muscle movements for my back, but I couldn’t stand the pain and my stomach couldn’t keep the food down. I cried every day because I couldn’t do things for myself, I was mad at the world for putting me through pain. After about a week in recovery I was sent home, but there were problems there too. After 3 months I was able to finally sit in a chair for a long period of time, lay in my bed, run, and do every day things on my own again. I learning an important lesson through this; you don’t become successful without working for and the occasional obstacle. Spine surgery changes a person. It can fix

The spine is one of the most important structures in the human body. The spine is located in the dorsal cavity and consists of 24 bones, called vertebrae. These vertebrae play a crucial role in protected the body’s command center, the spinal cord. But what happens when a disorder prevents the spinal column from functioning correctly? Scoliosis is a musculoskeletal disorder that causes abnormal lateral curvature of the spine and it effects millions of people in the US per year. I have chosen this disorder because I am aspiring to become a chiropractor and scoliosis is a typical condition that chiropractors help treat on a daily basis.

This raises the question about gender difference and the concept of body image and prevalence of

During my time volunteering at Putnam Valley Elementary School in NY, I realized how truly debilitating it must be for these children on a daily basis. Thus, I developed a desire to one day become a physical therapist to be able to aid children and strengthen their independence. I aspire to seek reward in being able to help children become happier under difficult circumstances because their success is important to me. Similarly to these children, people with medical conditions such as scoliosis, kyphosis, and lordosis suffer from very debilitating impairments. I am inclined to be able to help these types of clients due to how serious their injuries can be. In numerous cases these types of clients may suffer the most while trying to go about their daily routines, so I hope to alleviate those struggles. Obtaining specialization in neuromuscular treatment will enable me to transform clients' lives by reducing pain and getting them back to their normal daily functions. One of the various ways I will be able to optimize a client's movement and improve their quality of life is through becoming knowledgeable in the Schroth 3D Scoliosis treatments. Upon obtaining certification of this method I can prevent further curvature of the spine, correct scoliotic imbalances and posture,

People now a days have a problem with the way they appear. For hundreds of years, people, especially females, have been concerned with their weight, the way they look, and the way people perceive them. In the article, Do You Have a Body Image Problem? author Dr. Katharine A. Phillips discusses the concerns with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Dr. Phillips uses her knowledge or ethics to discuss the effects that BDD has on people today. She also uses emotion to show the reader how people are seriously affected by this disorder. In Dr. Phillips article, she discusses how people are emotionally and socially affected by the body dysmorphic disorder, and how society is also affected by it.

Imagine that you are a registered nurse charged with bringing a patient up to the hospital’s catheterization lab for an emergency procedure and have a very limited time to avoid permanent cardiac damage to the patient’s heart. Upon entering the elevator, you press the floor button for the catheterization lab but nothing happens. Sporting a confused look on your face, you press the button a few more times, and finally the door closes. However, when it opens, it is on the wrong floor. Repeatedly the correct floor is chosen, but the elevator never arrives at the catheterization lab. Welcome to being plagued with Multiple Scoliosis (MS). Those living with MS are essentially wired with a malfunctioning electrical system, and people living with MS are constantly plagued with miscommunication as well as other complications. Although, not born with this malfunctioning electrical system, we will discover what MS is, what happens to the body, and what complications can occur in those diagnosed with it.

Scoliosis is a disease that affects the spine. There are many people that have spine problems, but with scoliosis a person will have a curved spine. Studies show that it is more common to diagnose someone in their younger years. Scoliosis usually occurs in the thoracic area and the lumbar region. Doctors will look at specific criteria to diagnose a patient and move onto possible treatments.

Doctors may provide a back brace for patients, but most will have to undergo surgery (juvenile). The last sub-type of idiopathic scoliosis is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. This type occurs between the age ten to young adulthood. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is also known as AIS, this is also the most common type with the best profession (adolescent). Idiopathic cases are mostly graceful and painless. This is normally noticeable when someone is bending over. Sometimes the scoliosis is not noticed by the patient's parents because it is usually mild to moderate. The reason for this is because it usually develops during adolescence when children become more self-conscious (what are). Congenital scoliosis is the second type of scoliosis. This type of scoliosis occurs in the womb. Children develop a lateral curvature of the spine even before birth. Congenital means that abnormal development is the cause of the condition (congenital). The last type of scoliosis is Neuromuscular scoliosis, this is caused by the presence of a neurological or muscular disease. This is where cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy affect scoliosis. There are numerous types of diseases that can cause neuromuscular scoliosis. Treatment for this type is very unpredictable because the abnormal curves in the spine are also unpredictable (neuromuscular

I’ve come to the realization that I am so blessed and grateful for my birth defect. Having a deformity is very eye opening but since mine is less severe I am forever grateful. There are so many people in this world that are struggling every day to survive and live a healthy happy life and I was worried about the way a scar looked upon my face. As I was struggling with wanting a perfect scar removal I remember the feeling of loneliness on a path that seemed forever long. I never want someone to feel as if they are alone down a path to nowhere. I know that as we face obstacles in life that it does indeed feel this way. For this reason I give so much of my time volunteering for those less fortunate so that they don’t feel alone and so that they can see an end to the long journey that they have had to face. Volunteering is by far one of my favorite pastimes. It is always a very humbling experiences.

My goal is to be able to do the things I want to do without my scoliosis affecting me and preventing me from doing it. I want to be able to play volleyball and soccer, without having to take a break every ten minutes. I want to be able to go shopping with my friends, without having to worry about clothes not fitting my shoulders.

Depending on the severity of the curvature, different treatment methods are implemented to attack this abnormality of the spine. Although the effectiveness of using plastic back braces to deter the curvature is still to be determined, doctors still generally use this method for smaller curves. In recent years, doctors have been employing a minimally invasive surgical approach for larger curves, one that requires surgeons to only make a few small incisions along the spine, rather than the traditional two-foot incision along the spine. This technique is by far the most radical treatment since the first scoliosis surgery took place in the early 1900s.

Scoliosis is a complex deformity or curvature of the spine and entire torso and has been recognized clinically for centuries (Asher, Marc A.). “For a few of the patients an underlying cause can be determined, including congenital changes, secondary changes related to neuropathic or myopathic conditions, or later in life from degenerative spondylosis. However, the cause of most scoliosis is not known and since about 1922 such patients have been diagnosed as having idiopathic scoliosis (Asher, Marc A.).”