Great News!!!

It's been awhile since I last wrote.  Things have been a little crazy around here.  But rest assured, I will definitely update when I can.

In the meantime, I have added a subscribe option to my blog.  So please subscribe to stay up-to-date with all things related to Scoliosis and Alternative Treatments that I'll be sharing on this blog.

So, on to my great news!!!  As you know, six years ago I started going to see Dr. Greg who is an Atlas Orthogonist.  Every two years we do x-rays just to check on my spine and make sure it's not getting any worse.  When I started seeing Dr. Greg six years ago he never gave me any illusion that my spine would improve.  I was 20 and done growing, so prospects were pretty grim about my scoliosis ever improving.  Each time we have done x-rays we have seen slight improvement with my curves, which was always pretty shocking.  I happily welcomed any improvement even if it was only very slight.  Well, this year it was very different!

Dr. Greg did the x-rays and I anxiously awaited the results.  I'll confess I'm always a little nervous.  I'm always scared my scoliosis will get worse.  It's a big fear of mine.  This year, after the x-rays were taken Dr. Greg and I looked at the films.  My spine actually looked somewhat straighter and my hips were straight!  I thought that was pretty cool.  Dr. Greg said he would analayze them that weekend and measure and text me with the results.  So I waited... and waited... and waited.  It seemed like forever.  Finally he texted me and the results were astounding!

Six years ago my thoracic and lumbar curves measured in both around 50 degrees.  Not good.  This year, six years later, my thoracic curve measured in at 39 degrees and my lumbar curve measured in at 44 degrees!!!!  Dr. Greg was very happy with the results and I was over the moon!  I NEVER thought my scoliosis would improve that much!!!  I couldn't believe it and I was so happy.  It just goes to show that alternative treatments really do work.  Surgery is not always the answer.  Below are my newest x-rays. 

If you are living with scoliosis or know someone who is always keep faith and find the answer that works for you.  The answers are out there only waiting to be found.  There's never just one answer, there's thousands.  Don't take what one doctor says for face value.  Get a second opinion, a third, even a fourth and keep searching till you find what works for you.  If I listened to that doctor when I was 13 (the one who told me I was going to die) I would have gone through a massive surgery that I didn't need.  I'm so glad I didn't and so glad I found Dr. Greg.

And if ever I can answer any of your questions or you just want to talk, always feel free to e-mail me :) 

And here are my most recent, amazing x-rays!!!

Below is my Thoracic x-ray down to 39 degrees!!!

And here is my x-ray of my Lumbar spine down to 44 degrees!!!

"I Am Not Going To Let Scoliosis Control My Life..."

It's taken me a long time to get to a point where I'm ok with having Scoliosis.  I remember as a teenager being very ashamed and embarrassed by it.  I remember thinking, "why me?".  It's different now and I have learned to embrace my Scoliosis and it's uniqueness.

I think it's important to learn to embrace your Scoliosis whether you have had surgery or not.  No matter what your spine will never be 100% straight.  There will always be some type of curve.  So I started thinking instead of feeling self-conscious and embarrassed by it, maybe having a straight spine is overrated.

This thinking is what helps me "live with the curves".  It's part of who I am and part of what makes me unique.  I'd rather be different than be like everyone else.

When I was first diagnosed my scoliosis wasn't noticeable.  As I got older you definitely could see a noticeable curve on my lower back, especially if I bent a certain way.  I remember once in High School I was sitting at a desk.  Keep in mind I was insanely skinny because of my exercise bulimia (see previous entry about that) so my spine was extra noticeable.  I must have been leaning on my desk a weird way because a girl who was sitting next to me took her pen, tapped my lower back right where my spine curved, and said, "What's that?"  I was so embarrassed and now I realize there was no need to be.  At the time I just said my spine and the topic was closed, but now-a-days I might have been more open to educating her on scoliosis and more laugh it off than I did back then.

The summer time was especially hard though because I didn't want anyone to notice my spine and how it curved.  I hated it.  I would try on bathing suits and if you could see the least little bit of my spine I was unhappy.  I needed to having bathing suits that completely covered my spine.  I would constantly look in the mirror and turn around to see if my spine was noticeable and sticking out.  I would sit at the pool, and I know this would sound odd, but I would stare at other people and envy their straight spines.  "Why couldn't I have that?" I remember thinking.

I don't know eventually what changed how I thought about my spine.  I don't think there was just one turning point.  I think as I got older I realized it was unique.  When I started Atlas Orthogonal treatment and my body started shifting, my spine became less noticeable.  Eventually I just didn't mind anymore about my spine.  I knew I wasn't going to die from my Scoliosis and started realizing it was no big deal.  I was not going to let Scoliosis control my life... I was going to control my Scoliosis.

I found ways to live with my Scoliosis and ways to make daily activities easier on me.  I found ways to cope with challenges that I encountered and overtime, my scoliosis just became a part of me and not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

Nowadays I have no problems talking about my Scoliosis and educating people on it.  I'm very open when it comes to the topic of Scoliosis.  Let me tell you a weird story.  People look at me and either don't understand fully what scoliosis is or don't understand just how curved my spine is.  So, I ask people to trace my spine with their hands.  It's very funny actually because they start at the top of my back and start tracing down... and keep in mind they are feeling for a straight spine not a curved spine... so, they keep moving their hands straight down my back expecting a spine to be there and it's not and they get surprised.  So, I tell them "move your hand to the left" and when their hands finally feel my spine they are like "Ohmygod!".  I don't mind, I find it funny actually and in a way it's how I deal.  I rather people understand and have a hands on experience than not understand and think I'm making up stuff.

Maybe it's weird.  Maybe it's odd.  But it's me.  It's how I educate people who don't know.  Nowadays I can honestly say I love the uniqueness of my spine.  Isn't it better to say that than feel sorry for yourself?  I sure think so :)  Love your body... love your spine.  We are all different and all unique.

Exercise & Scoliosis

Note: Hi Everyone :)  I'm back and I'm sorry for disappearing.  Last Sunday I had to put to sleep my little yorkie, Sky.  It's been a hard week for me and I miss her terribly, but I'm trying to focus on the positive and I'm back.

~~~

Note: I am not a doctor and what follows is my story and what I have found that helps my scoliosis.  If this helps someone, great.  If not, that's fine too.  Before you start any type of exercise program please speak to your doctor because he knows you best. 

One of the most important things you can do for Scoliosis is exercise.  I can't stress enough how important exercise is.  Due to the curvature of your spine, your muscles are a lot weaker.  In order to keep your spine in the best possible condition you need to exercise to keep your muscles strong because by doing that it will help lessen any pain you have, build up your muscles to help support your spine, and help you regain mobility.

Exercise is important but you can't get obsessed over it, nor can you just decide to not exercise.  You have to find a happy medium, and that's something I'm still working on to this day.  I have done every spectrum you can think of, from completely over-exercising to not exercising at all, to finding a happy medium and I would like to share with you my experiences with each and also share with you the types of exercises that can help your scoliosis.

Over-Exercising (i.e. becoming obsessed)
When I was first diagnosed with Scoliosis I had been doing some reading on the subject.  I had read that exercise was excellent for Scoliosis especially swimming.  I had talked to people who had Scoliosis and they suggested yoga.  So it started off quite simply.  I started doing yoga in High School.  I loved doing yoga because it helped me stretch my muscles and made me feel strong.  I started not only doing yoga in school during gym class but also at home.  From there I progressed into the mind-set that exercise was the only thing that was going to help my Scoliosis.  I started over-exercising.  For six hours each day I would do a combination of yoga, rollerblading, swimming (in the summer), bike riding and eventually added to that mix was pilates.

I had found out about Pilates when I was in my local bookstore and saw a DVD for it.  After reading how it could make your body stronger I decided to try it.  I become obsessed with Pilates.  I started doing Pilates at home everyday including going to Pilates classes and using a Pilates reformer.

During this time period, I wasn't taking very good care of myself.  I suffer from anxiety and depression and it was just a bad period in time for me.  I developed exercise bulimia, barely eating and exercising like crazy.

None of this was good for my scoliosis.  I would actually end up hurting my spine more than I was helping it.  My back would end up black and blue from the pilates.  When I was exercising, if I was in pain, I wouldn't stop.  I was doing a lot more harm than good at this point and time.  I took exercise to the extreme.  This basically continued from the ages of 15 to 18.  I was in a bad place and I hated my spine and the visible curve I had.

Not Exercising
Right before my 19th birthday I was diagnosed with extreme anxiety and depression and finally put on medication (a lifesaver).  The meds helped to calm me down and helped me take control over my life and stop my obsessions.  I realized how much harm I was doing to my spine by the extent of exercise I was doing, so I basically stopped cold turkey and tried to focus on feeling good.  The problem with this was 1) I gained weight and 2) My back started to cause me pain.  I exercised a little but nothing to the extent I was.  Exercise went on the back burner.  I actually got very scared because I was afraid if I started exercising again (and I knew how important exercise was for my scoliosis) I would become obsessed and start the vicious cycle I was previously in.  This went from the age of 19 to 25.  By not exercising my muscles started to hurt me, it was hard for me to do simple things like vacuum the rugs in my house, etc...  And my eating disorder was still present, so I wasn't eating very well (skipping meals, eating very little, etc...).

This was also a bad time for my scoliosis but during these years I started doing something good; I started seeing Dr. Greg and he helped to stabilize my spine through Atlas Orthogonal.

A Happy Medium
When I was 25 and my eating disorder was causing me problems as was my body image issue I decided to start exercising again.  I was scared because of what had happened to me years ago.  I couldn't become obsessed.  I couldn't enter again that dark place where I was.  And, I also needed to start eating correctly.  I needed to start taking care of myself because that's the only way I could be happy and healthy.  I needed to find a happy medium.

I started off with some rules.  I would only do 30minutes of exercise three times a week.  I joined with Curves and found I was very out of shape.  I started exercising there and as I got stronger I started adding in other little exercises such as ice skating in the winter or bike riding.  I was going to take it slow and listen to my body and start eating three meals.  If I was in pain I was going to stop.

I slowly started getting stronger and getting in shape.  Curves was good but I started feeling it was too body-image focused with the monthly weigh-in's and measurements and that was starting to feed back into my eating disorder / body image issues.  Also, I started challenging myself more on the machines and this led to problems with my Scoliosis because I started throwing my back out more.

I decided to quit Curves, change my focus once again to feeling well and not focusing on weight or measurements, and join up at my local Rec Center.  I started to walk around the track there, do the eliptical machine, as well as the stationary bike.  For awhile I experimented with free weights but found I could easily throw myself out of alignment if I did that, so I stopped.

I now exercise for an hour a day and I try to hit the gym at least 4 or 5 times a week.  When my hour is up I'm done with exercise for the day.  If I plan on going hiking, or bike riding, or rollerblading, or swimming oneday than I skip the gym.  I even skip the gym if I am going to clean my house and there's a reason for this.

It's important to know what types of exercise or activities are good for your spine.  It's important to know the exercises that will help you and which will hurt you.  As I've gotten stronger I found I have been able to clean such as vaccuming.  But, because I use my muscles when I vacuum and because I'm standing and bending at times after a bit my back will hurt.  So if I clean my house oneday that's an exercise in it's self.  It's important to not over do it.

Listening To Your Body
While exercising it is especially important to listen to your body.  If you're in pain... STOP.  If you feel light-headed... STOP.  If you feel you can't catch your breath... STOP.  If you don't feel well... STOP.  At the same time if you feel good keep going.  It's important to stay strong.

Staying strong through exercise will help your muscles support the curvature of your spine.  It will help you stand up straighter and maintain correct alignment (as long as you don't overdo anything or do something you're not supposed to).  It will help you feel good about yourself and help you keep mobility.  You will be less likely to throw yourself out of alignment if you exercise, but you need to listen to your body.  I have learned how to do that and at times it's hard, but I know it's important.  If I'm in pain I have to stop.  It's also important to take it slow and if for some reason I can't exercise for an hour one day than that's fine!  As long as I'm doing something.  It's taken me a long time to get to this point.

Good Exercises for Scoliosis
Low-impact exercises are the best for scoliosis.  They put less pressure on your joints and muscles allowing you to workout without being in pain.  Some of the exercises that I have found that are good for scoliosis are the following:

• walking
• roller-blading
• bike-riding
• eliptical machines
• recumbent exercise bikes (provides excellent support for your back vs. upright bike)
• swimming
• yoga
• stretching (any type is good)

Exercising is one of the most important things you can do for scoliosis.  It will help you stabilize your spine, improve mobility, help you stand straighter, help your muscles support your spine, reduce pain, and best of all make you feel good :)  If you are healthy and in good shape your body will function better.  For me, finding a happy medium has helped my scoliosis tremendously!  I love my spine now, I love that it's different, and on a whole I have a much better outlook on life.  Scoliosis and Exercise... it's all about balance :)

Living With the Curves

My story continues below:

The Atlas Orthogonal technique uses x-rays based on your neck.  Since I have scoliosis a series of x-rays was also done of my back.  It was determined that my Atlas bone was 17mm off of alignment (the most Dr. Greg had seen outside of a textbook!) and that the degrees of my scoliosis were at or around fifty degrees for my thoracic and lumber spine.

I went for my first adjustment.  After, I went for another series of x-rays of my neck to make sure the Atlas bone was in proper alignment.  It was. 

I started to notice differences in my body right away.  The longer I kept adjustment, the better I felt.  I started to regain mobility that I had lost.  I was able to do more things without my back hurting.  I noticed that my hips seemed to have straightened out.  The curve of my spine, when I looked in a mirror, was a lot less noticeable, and on a whole I just felt better.

When I first started treatment I needed to see Dr. Greg more often.  In a way, you had to retrain your Atlas bone back into correct alignment.  As the years have gone on I hold adjustment a lot longer and only need to go once every four to six weeks unless I throw myself out of alignment.

I started exercising again and learning to listen to my body.  I know the signs to look for when I throw myself out of alignment (headache, pain in back, neck feels tight).  As the years have gone on I throw myself less and less out of alignment.  Recently, we did x-rays of my neck to see how out of alignment my Atlas bone now is when I do throw myself out of alignment.  Originally, when I started this treatment six years ago it was 17mm off alignment, now six years later my Atlas bone only goes 2mm off of alignment!

Two years ago we also did another series of x-rays of my spine to see how my scoliosis was doing.  The results were amazing!  My spine had actually straightened a little!  My curves were now in the mid-40’s for my thoracic and lumber spine!  And the results were actually noticeable when I went to my doctor’s office for a physical because for the first time in my life I measured in at 5 feet!

It’s amazing to think how one little bone (the Atlas) can really make a difference throughout your whole body if it is off alignment.  I have seen just how much Atlas Orthogonal treatment can help scoliosis.  Since starting treatment my pain has disappeared, I have grown an inch, my scoliosis has straightened out, my scoliosis is a lot less noticeable, my hips have evened out.  I just feel better on a whole!

And here’s the interesting thing.  Most scoliosis is idiopathic meaning there is no known cause, although it is known to run within families.  I was always told mine was idiopathic, but no one in my family had scoliosis.  While Dr. Greg was reviewing my x-rays he found out something interesting.  He believes I was born with it; that my spine had never formed correctly.  As he explained to me, the first bone that forms of your spinal column is like the building blocks for the rest of the spine.  If something is wrong with that bone, the spine, as it develops, has to adapt.  The first bone of my spinal column was not a perfect square so the rest of my spine could grow straight.  It was deformed and is kind of veering to one side.  It’s hard to describe how it looks, but, when you see it, it makes sense that my spine couldn’t grow straight; it could only curve.

With Dr. Greg’s findings it made me think of something.  I had never crawled as a baby.  Instead, I did this very weird belly flop solely using my elbows and stomach to propel myself across the floor.  There is actually home video of this and I was quite adapt at my way of moving.  I could go pretty fast.  So, I wondered, was it because of how my spine formed that I was never strong enough to crawl?  I asked Dr. Greg and he thinks that might have been the case.

I’m twenty-six now and finally have a treatment to maintain my scoliosis that is non-invasive, painless, and requires no surgery!  I’m still alive (unlike that Orthopedic doctor said), and doing well.  I can breathe with no problems and my scoliosis is not affecting my lungs or heart (I had a stress test done recently and all my organs are functioning perfectly).  Atlas Orthogonal has helped me in ways I never imagined and I only wish more people knew about this amazing treatment.  Surgery is not the only answer.  I’m living proof of that.

It amazes me sometimes how far I've come in my journey with scoliosis and how my determination to find a non-surgical technique led me in the right direction.  My spine now is 100% better than it ever was and I feel good on a whole.  I don't know what the future holds for me on my scoliosis journey, but I do know that I have found an answer.  People need to know there are answers out there besides surgery.  You need to keep faith and hope and keep searching because the answers are out there only waiting to be discovered.  Tune in tomorrow :)

Atlas Orthogonal

Atlas Orthogonal has helped me in so many ways.  I want to keep this entry short to really focus on Atlas Orthogonal and not so much my story.  I want others to fully understand what Atlas Orthogonal is before I continue sharing how this treatment has helped me.

The Atlas Orthogonal technique focuses on the Atlas bone.  The Atlas bone is the first bone between your spine and your skull.  It has been proven that if your Atlas bone is out of alignment, the rest of your body will follow suit.  It is a painless procedure and requires no gross manipulation like regular chiropractic care.  Instead, using precise measurements (which are determined by your x-rays), an instrument is used to slightly tap the Atlas bone back into correct alignment.  You lie on your side on a table and the doctor sets the instrument to your correct measurements.  The instrument is then lowered to where the Atlas bone is.  All you hear is a quick click but you feel nothing.  The instrument sends a gentle pulse to the Atlas bone and moves it back into correct alignment.  You can feel a difference instantly and there is absolutely no pain!  It is even safe for people after surgery.  Atlas Orthogonal helps many types of disorders such as: scoliosis, TMJ, migraines, neck pain, low back pain, ear infections, Fibromyalgia, etc…

After hearing about how Atlas Orthogonal could help me I decided to give it a try.  It sure sounded better than the other treatment my mother and I had looked into.  And, it sounded a lot more scientific and proven.  So, I had the series of x-rays taken.

Atlas Orthogonal is an amazing procedure and I know it's hard to imagine what this procedure is like.  I had never heard about anything like it until fate brought Dr. Greg into my life.  I will be going into greater detail in future entries about how Atlas Orthogonal can help scoliosis and how it has helped me, but like I said I wanted this entry to solely focus on the Atlas Orthogonal technique.  Please visit http://www.atlasorthogonality.com/PatientSite/aboutAO.html to learn more about this awesome technique!  There are Atlas Orthogonal doctors across the US and I urge you to look into this treatment if you have scoliosis or know someone who does.  It will change your/their life.  Please join me tomorrow when I will continue my story on how Atlas Orthogonal has helped my scoliosis.

A New Hope

I believe in fate and I believe that things happen for a reason.  Fate was about to make an appearance in my life and change how I saw, thought, and dealt with my scoliosis on a whole.  My story continues below.

By a stroke of fate a new family moved in next door to me.  Little did I know that this family would change my life forever.  I had heard somehow that the husband of the new family was a chiropractor.  I decided to talk to him.  I mentioned to him about my scoliosis and he told me that he is a specialized chiropractor, an Atlas Orthogonist.  I didn’t know quite what that I meant, but I kept it in mind.

I was still on the fence about the treatment my mother and I had recently gone to see.  Before making up our minds my mother suggested we make an appointment at my neighbor’s office to see if he could do anything for my scoliosis.

My mother and I met with Dr. Greg (my neighbor) at his office.  I told him my story and where I was at with my scoliosis.  I explained to him the problems I have had (pain, injuring myself, muscles feeling weak, etc…).  Dr. Greg asked if I had ever sustained injuries to my spine.  That was an interesting question because I had.

I was always a very active child and was always injuring myself in some shape or form.  I remember one incident as a child where I had been riding in one of those metal red wagons.  I couldn’t have been more than four or five.  My friend was pulling the wagon with me in it along the sidewalk and I guess the sidewalk was uneven.  The wagon tipped over and I fell onto my back.  Another incident occurred during recess in elementary school.  I must have been around seven by this time.  Keep in mind playgrounds at this time didn’t have all the ground padding that we have today.  The playgrounds I played on were metal and wood.  Anyhow, it was my turn to go down the firepole that we had on our school playground.  As I was reaching out for the firepole the bell signaling the end of recess rang and startled me.  Instead of grasping the firepole and sliding down I grasped air, lost my footing, and fell onto the hard ground… on my back!

So the question that Dr. Greg asked about had I ever sustained injury to my back / spine was very interesting.  Could that have something to do with my scoliosis?  Could that have played a part?  The answer surprisingly would be very interesting.

Dr. Greg explained the Atlas Orthogonal technique to me in detail.  He explained how this treatment works and how it might help me.  First though, we needed to do a series of x-rays.
 
When fate brought Dr. Greg into my life, it was like my prayers had been answered.  I wanted to find a non-surgical technique to help my scoliosis and through Atlas Orthogonal I found just what I was looking for and more!  I can't wait to share with you how Atlas Orthogonal has changed my life, but I want my story to be easy to read.  So we will stop here for today, but make sure to stop by tomorrow when I will share more of my story and more about this awesome treatment that actually works!!!  :)

At A Crossroads

Since I knew surgery was not an answer for me, I decided to seek out the alternatives:

I never really liked doctors.  The furthest I could stay away from them the better.  After talking with my mother we decided to try going to a chiropractor.  He did a series of x-rays, analyzed my spine, and said that chiropractic care could help, but to make sure my scoliosis didn’t progress further I could no longer do certain things.

Tennis was out because it was too one-sided.  Anything that would not be beneficial for my back would not be good.  I was allowed to do Yoga because that would help my muscles stay strong.  Throughout High School I was not really able to participate in gym class.  I had to always make sure the exercise I did was something that would benefit my spine.

I still swam, rollerbladed, rode my bike.  I no longer participated in dance classes.  I learned to do Yoga and really enjoyed it.  I learned that I could somewhat control the pain of my scoliosis through exercise.

After I finished High School I found out about a new type of exercise, Pilates.  I thought it would really help my spine.  I started doing Pilates, but unfortunately even though I enjoyed it I started to find that I would actually injure myself during sessions.  I had quite a few occasions where I had to hobble into the chiropractor’s office because my entire spine was black and blue and I could not move!

As the years went on I became disillusioned with traditional chiropractic care.  I wasn’t seeing any improvements with my scoliosis.  It was still progressing.  I was still in pain.  I knew exercise was good, but I didn’t want my scoliosis to keep progressing because in the back of my mind I still heard that orthopedic doctor telling me I would die.

Now I had a computer.  I could do research.  I started looking into scoliosis treatments.  I found a doctor who claimed he could straighten the scoliosis.  My mother and I made an appointment with him.

We went to his office.  He explained how the procedure worked.  I would be strapped into this apparatus that was custom fitted to my body to help straighten my curves.  I would hang in this for hours while somehow it would push my muscles and spine into the correct position.  I would need to come everyday.  And it was expensive.

My mother and I discussed this treatment.  We didn’t think it would really work, but we could try it for a bit.  We were on the fence about it.  I was so desperate.  I was twenty years old.  I wanted a straight spine.  I didn’t want to die.  I didn’t know what to do. 

Again, I found myself at a crossroads.  What should I do?  I will admit there were times I had thought about the surgery:  What if I did it?  Would it be better?  Was that orthopedic doctor right?  Was surgery really the only answer?  Luckily, I never really took that voice in my head too seriously because little did I know an answer was about to come my way and fate was about to step in.  Tune in tomorrow for more of my story :)