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Hi There
I have scoliosis, it is relatively mild (no brace or op or anything but lots of back pain) but have started to get v v v sore back and some other symptoms. Was wondering do any of you have scoliosis? Have you found preg makes it a lot worse pain wise? What has helped you? Any advice SO appreciated!
Hi Pregpan - what a great topic to bring up.. i have scoliosis also, but was told i needed a rod in my back when i was a teenager. This year my back has been playing up and when we found out i was pg, i went and saw my Doctor, who told me that later pregnancy will probably exaggerate the scoliosis and i would definately need to consider having the operation done after my pregnancy! I'm very scared about having this procedure done, as i have heard so many night mare stories.
I'm sure if you only have mild scoliosis, you probably won't have to resort to this.. but i am guessing that extra weight will exaggerate your scoliosis also and will get quite painful down the track.. fingers crossed i hope not for your sake! ;)
Thanks Catherine, I was also 'threatened' with an op when i was a teenager and to be honest i prob should have had a brace but i was too vain...
It is v painful now (at nearly 20 wks) and I am so scared how bad it may get.
I am seeing my OB today so I will ask her what may help and I will come and let you know.
I have only ever had physio for it but was thinking osteo or something may help with pain relief in preg. i think it is made worse that i have Anterior placenta so the baby is back on my back more... GREAT!
Aww.. I hope it doesn't get too bad for you though and definately hope you can find some relief! Would love to know if you do find anything new :)
hi girls
i have kyphoscoliosis which means my spine is curved 73 degrees but is also twisting towards my right hand side. i live with pain all day everyday and had spinal surgery when i was 15. i was meant to have the rod my my nerves shut off so it has been fused. all i know is when i am pregnant my pain is actually relieved!!!
if it does get too much have a panadol and sit in a nice warm bath or put a chair in the shower and have a nice hot shower. i then have a heat pack on the sore spot and if im extremely lucky DH will gently massage the sore area.
my chiropractor says she has pregnant women in all the time to help relieve all that strain on their back from carrying bubs and some of the girls from BB swear by acupuncture
good luck!!!
Hi, i too have scoliosis (mild) and have always really had a dull pain that i just lived with -no big deal. Until now! week 22 and oh the pain! my pain is in my hips and lower back, getting to the point of old women status eg. taking awhile to get off chair and into my car etc. I know that yogo is sposed to help and i have been recommended swimming and belly dancing! I walk everynight i find this has strenghthend my back and stretches it out - if i don't walk i feel i get alot stiffer! I mentioned scoliosis to my doctor/midwife they didn't seem very concerned? i guess you take it as it comes?
P.S If you can treat yourself to a message - feels great even if for one day! :D and i think we all deserve it!
well i came back from the OB, she referred me to a physio who specialises in preg women as she said she coud see how much pain i am in (getting in and out of chair etc) and it isnt exactly going to get better. I'll see how that goes... a massage is a good idea, I have been getting good ones from DH may ask for a few more!!! I also swim and exercise quite a bit, I used to do Bikram yoga which helped a lot, have not found a good preg yoga place here but I will have another look.
Will let you know if i hear anything more...
Fantastic info ladies! Thanks for starting the post Pregpan!
Sonya - can you give me more info on the rod? I have friends that had it done when we were still in school - and she had so much pain years on even with the rod.. it really scared me out of the op when i was told i needed to book in, but i just avoided it...
Pregpan, did you check these ones out here ?
i was meant to have the rod, but apparently there was a 1% chance of paralysis and twice (in the same op) the tried to put in a rod but my nerves reacted as if my legs were paralysed, that is why the fusion.
a school friend had the rod and she only wore a neck brace for recovery. i had 3 casts over 6 months that went from under my ears and chin all the way down to over my hips. there was a hole cut in the abdominal area to give my tummy room for when i ate etc (but they always cut it too high) it was like a heavy (6kgs) hot, itchy stinky turtleneck jumper and very unpleasant.
i had pain, but the most memorable thing was the itchy scar down the centre of my back and for about 2 years after it felt weird, like a pulling sensation along the whole scar.
i think personally the rod would have been a better (but unfortunately not viable) scenario and would have had a quicker recovery time as you are not waiting for everything to knit together. i also had a collapsed lung and my heart stopped briefly. i woke up in Intensive Care and then went to the HDU (high dependancy unit) for 5 days. quite scary for a 16 year old!
but unfortunately thats the sad side of scoliosis. if i had to do it again, i wouldnt hesitate, i just wish it had been found earlier. i was 16 before it was diagnosed. I will always take my kids to specialists for checks as my school nurse checked me every year for 4 years, but because they were checking all the girls they paid little attention. funny how they didnt notice kypho scoliosis of 73 degrees but 6 months later my gp knows it as soon as i walk in for a checkup.
anyway sorry about the vent. as scary as it is hun, have the op. maybe check what different options are available these days. my bad luck is now the bone is degenerating into osteoarthritis, but im so used to pain i will justtake it in my stride.
To study the effect of pregnancy on idiopathic scoliosis, ten patients were followed through nineteen pregnancies. Three patients lost 2, 6, and 18 degrees of correction during their initial pregnancies, but the curves remained the same or improved with later pregnancies. The curves of the remaining seven patients, which had stabilized before conception, did not progress. The stability of the scoliosis was not related to the age of the patient. Stable scoliotic curves did not progress with pregnancy in patients in the second decade of life, while unstable scolioses progressed in patients as old as the third decade. The amount that the curve increased was not associated with the initial size of the curve. We hope that our experience will aid orthopaedists in counseling their patients regarding the effect of pregnancy on the magnitude of scoliosis.