Scoliosis: Life, Support & Friends

On Saturday 31st March our How To Look Good Twisted Facebook group met in Manchester, Piccadilly for the second meeting of our twisties. It was all rather hectic, I started my journey with my friend James Fooks from Spain on Thursday 29th March. I was very anxious, nervous and excited for many reasons really, the main one being Chris was not beside me for support which I have always leant on heavily, and if it wasn't for him (who sadly died 11 April 2011) the group would never have been formed. Secondly, I was about to meet one of the moderators; Laurie Knutowski Skusevich , who had left the previous day to start her journey from the USA across the pond to the UK. I was extremely touched by the reason Laurie decided to join us and travel 4,000 miles! Laurie had told me that one night on her way home from work she had paid particular attention to the moon and Chris came into her thoughts. She had never been to the UK before and felt that due to the sudden death of Chris she...

There are many women out there who have concerns about getting pregnant when they have Scoliosis so I wanted to share my thoughts on this along with the thoughts of Dr Anita K Simmonds to help those who are worrying about pregnancy and scoliosis. Idiopathic scoliosis is fairly common in young females What are the risks of Pregnancy? In most cases there are very few risks You should ask yourself the following questions, however. What are the health risks of pregnancy to a mother with scoliosis? Will the baby inherit scoliosis? (25% chance of passing the baby Scoliosis) What are the risks to the baby? Are there likely to be any obstetric problems during the pregnancy or birth related to scoliosis? Is the pregnancy likely to produce a progression in the spinal curve of the mother? Am I fused, can the fusion cope with the strain? Idiopathic Scoliosis By this stage the developement of the lungs and heart is complete, and, apart from a mild degree of restricted lung capacity, individuals wit...

There is more than one type of curvature that can occur in people with Scoliosis, more often than not we think of a curved spine when we hear someone has Scoliosis. If you are diagnosed with scoliosis, your doctor will use x-rays to determine how great the curve in your spine is, and to determine what type of curve you have, you may also be given the Adam's Forward Bend Test which is another way of your Dr determining Scoliosis. If the normal rounding of your back is too great, then you have a condition known as kyphosis. The term kyphosis means that there is a “hyper” or excessive forward curvature in your thoracic spine. Your thoracic spine is the part of your spine that is located in your chest and connects to your ribs. The normal degrees range from 30 to 40 average. In scoliosis, the spine column is also different in the basic mechanics. If the curve in your lower back is too great, then you have a condition known as lordosis and many people who had surgery in the early 80...