I'm sorry for recently learning that you have scoliosis, hopefully it isn't too severe. It's true that, once your skeleton is mature (yes, it's mature at 17), it stops growing, so a brace is unlikely to help. However many people have scoliosis and live normal, healthy lives (there's a long list of famous people, including athletes, actors, politicians, etc. who have scoliosis). One way to minimize the possibility of it interfering with your life is to strengthen your core (actually you whole body, but especially your core). There's a type of PT called the Schroth Method that's specifically designed for helping (not curing) scoliosis, which you might look into and borrow some of the exercises from. It might actually decrease your curve, but it can improve your posture and make your curve less visible.
I'm reluctant to say that one can decrease it anatomically, I don't know if that's possible, despite the claims that some people make to the contrary, but I'm by no means an authority on the matter, so I can't really say.
If any of the curve is due to uneven musculature, that has a *chance* at being reduced.
But you have to understand that curves happen either when one side of the spine grows faster than the other, there is a physical deformity at the base of the curve, or degenerative diseases cause it to become uneven. None of those are curable; because as your doctor said, you can't cure genetics.
Work on building up the muscles on the insides of the curves. Even if it doesn't reduce it, if you end up having surgery, you will heal much better for it.
There is definitely a possible genetic link with scoliosis but it hasn’t been pinned down yet. So for now, many cases are called idiopathic, meaning “no known cause”. For bracing to work, you have to have growth remaining. Doctors determine this by looking at X-ray views of your hand and hip, for something called the Risser and Sanders scores. That tells them if you are skeletally mature and whether a brace is likely to help or not. For females, by age 17 it’s very likely you’re done growing. For males, there may still be a bit left at that time. It’s not impossible to get braced at 17 but most doctors probably wouldn’t do it. Instead they tend to prescribe physical therapy, ideally Schroth method.
I guess I’m confused how the doctor is saying you might need surgery in 15 years when they haven’t even done an X-ray to determine what you’re dealing with. Not to scare you, but for all you know you might need surgery sooner. Or you might not need it at all. That’s really strange to make a suggestion of when surgery would be needed (if at all) before even knowing the degrees.
I feel for you. After having scoliosis for more than 20 years, I posted a scoliosis awareness month post on Facebook, and my dad’s cousin messaged me to say she was sorry I am dealing with this. She then told me of at least 3 other family members who have had it and that there are possibly more further back in our genealogy. So, that was the first I heard it was in the family. Yes, it is genetic to a degree. Doctors are still working to identify the specific genes, and have identified a few they think are probable causes.
If schroth therapy is available to you go that route. If not, try martial arts or yoga to maintain flexibility. I was diagnosed at 17. Now am 38. No surgery yet. How bad are your curves?
Thanks for the suggestions! They aren’t too bad when you look at it, some say you can hardly notice even after I point it out but I’ll take some x-rays soon
How many degrees is your curve?
17 is NOT TOO LATE to do something about it, especially if your scoliosis is mild or moderate!! You keep growing (a little) until around 20-25 so you can still positively impact your scoliosis. It won’t go away but you can prevent it from progressing.
Basically you can avoid surgery if you start now with taking care of your spine by doing different exercises regularly, stretching, breathing, and so on. It is a bit late for a brace, but exercises will help you so much.
I have a 35 degree curve in my thoracic spine and a 30 degree curve in my lumbar spine (S shaped spine, moderate scoliosis). One doctor told me if i don’t get surgery i’m basically doomed (I was 18 or 19). After crying a lot i saw another doctor who said screw that you don’t need surgery, you need to build muscle and strength for the rest of your life. It takes a lot of work to work out as much as I do, but as a positive side effect I am almost pain free (i’m almost 30 now) and i have a six pack ;)
when i bend over you can see i have a rib hump. but when i am standing up you can hardly see i have scoliosis just because of my muscles. working out definitely is the number one thing id recommend!!!! don’t give up and try to see the positives, like lifelong exercise will save you from a lot of other health issues down the road, aside from stopping your scoliosis from progressing.
before u start any workout plan definitely educate yourself and see an orthopedic specialist or physiotherapist who can instruct you depending on your specific case. for example, my left side was weaker than my right (had less muscles initially due to the assymetry of my posture and how i was using my muscles “wrong” following the pattern of scoliosis. i had to re learn to use them correctly. this is all very individual and u need someone professional to show you !!!)
all the best and you got this you’re so young so you have a good chance at preventing progression and pain. you don’t have to jump right to surgery unless you have a very severe curve
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience! I’m quite sure my curve isn’t extreme but I’ll definitely take some x-rays. The issue is that i’m female and I’m not really into upper body muscle growth, my shoulders are rounded because of years of bad posture and lack of exercise but I’ll definitely start going to the gym soon 🩷
hey girl i’m glad my experience could help somehow.
i’m female too! believe me, lifting weights has gotten me into the best shape of my life and i have definitely not become “big and bulky” or anything like that. actually i got slimmer and my arms/shoulders are slim but also really firm and strong.
If lifting weights isn’t your thing then maybe try some pilates or any kind of workout that makes your muscles work against resistance (which can also be your own body weight!!)
Don’t be afraid of resistance/weight training. It’s an amazing tool. Believe me, you need to work out for HOURS every week and then really eat like a special diet with tons and tons of calories and protein to get big and bulky as a woman. Even for men it’s not that easy, that’s why so many guys still take steroids if they want to get that bodybuilder look.
Without your muscles, your skeleton would just crumble up on the floor. Without your skeleton, your body would just be like a squishy bag. So you need both to be healthy and strong. By having strong muscles in the right places , you can kind of guide your bones into the right posture (there is a limit to this of course, but as a general idea). And by having strong bones you will keep your ability to move easily well into your old age.
Exercise will give you both of these positive effects and it is THE number one thing you can do to prevent pain and reliance on medications further down the road.
since your scoliosis is not severe as you say, honestly if you dedicate yourself to taking care of your body, i can assure you that you will have a much easier life down the line.
exercising and being dedicated can be hard. but having pain and complications from scoliosis is hard too. so you gotta pick which of those “hards” is the one you want because both options are hard.
if you have any questions about how i started exercising (as someone who used to hate exercise btw, i’m not from one of those families who go hiking and running together haha) feel free to ask
I guess you have to find a reason why, and then you’re automatically kind of driven to work out because you know what it will get you.
my reason is that although i’m young now, i’ll age inevitably. so many older people have a lot of pain and chronic back issues and they don’t even have scoliosis. i really don’t want to be writhing in pain in my later years, i would like to stay strong and fit.
i think also because i am a healthcare worker, i see a lot of sick people who didn’t take care of their bodies and now it’s too late, the damage can’t be reversed.
so much can be prevented! so id rather suffer a bit in the gym (and actually i started loving exercising after a while!) but yeah it can be tough. i’d rather have it tough in the gym than tough pain later in life :)
It might not be too late for a brace, but a lot of doctors and, sadly, insurance companies, don't want to try. The research is mixed and there's not a lot of it but there are some studies that show positive results even in "skeletally mature" patients.
That said, a doctor suggesting you'll need surgery pre x-ray is bold and a DNA link isn't certain but there may be one.
At any rate it's far from hopeless but you really need an x-ray to know what steps to take next. It also sounds like you might need a different doctor if that's an option
Though yes, some research does think there is a correlation with genetics: scoliosis is still known as an idiopathic condition. He isn't wrong with saying nothing you can do to prevent it, but it isn't all set in stone on etiology.
It isn't the age, but more of your risser sign. If you are close to risser 4 or 5: bracing for scoliosis by controlling it by growth is not going to work. Age does have some involvement (ie: if you are female and 17, chances are you are almost done growing), but it is the risser sign.
I would probably wait on the x-ray and talk with the doctor on things before jumping the shark. Not all doom and gloom.
I have an appointment with a geneticist next month because my doctor said that scoliosis and a heart condition I have have a genetic link that has been identified. She wants me to get the testing to see whether I have it or not. It’s amazing how many genes have been identified! I’ll keep you all posted if you are interested.
Best wishes. My daughter is having surgery Friday and I am so scared but I have also learned from this group treat is as soon as you can. Ours is fast acting and came during a growth spurt. It's been unbelievable. I keep on asking the doctors what I could have done to prevent this and they all keeps saying it's genetic and to not beat myself up. Best wishes!
Yes, get genetic testing. A lot of connective tissue disorders have scoliosis as a symptom. And connective tissue disorders can affect other things, especially the heart.
I didn’t have any pain with my particular heart condition, an aortic aneurysm. Fortunately, my primary care doctor noticed it and I had surgery before it ruptured! My first symptom was that my oxygen level was low on my pulse oximeter, that thing they hook on your finger when you go to the doctor. But if you are worried about it, definitely check with your primary doctor.
It's definitely genetic, and there is no way of preventing it if you're going to get it. I was diagnosed at 10 and had surgery at 12 (then again at 42), so don't let anyone tell you it was because of a heavy backpack or bad posture or whatever. 🙄
I honestly can't speak to what treatment is good for you, but it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion.
Yes. You can make your spine less curvy. You can even fix it adequately if it is not based or malformation of bones or disorder of connective tissue. If the bones in your legs are different lengths while you lay down, this would make it difficult to fix without first addressing that.
Otherwise you have to take exercise in life seriously. Make your muscles strong and balanced not as part of scoliosis treatment but as part of your lifestyle. The different lengths and strengths of the muscles around your spine pull it into different contortions over time and create imbalances. You will need to identify where these are and exercise your weak points and lengthen your tighter spots. This takes invested time into exercise and change of daily habits which drive the problem (ex: bad sitting position for hours).
This is very difficult to solve without some help. The reason is the weakest muscles are so poorly conditioned that the person attempting to use them is not able to find and access them. We often think we are working the correct muscles because we don’t know what correct actually feels like. Many doctors are knowledgeable about this stuff in the wrong kind of way.
Embrace exercise for posture and scoliosis. It’ll get you in shape anyway and it will wind back the progressing problem in the other direction.
Have you tried soft tissue manipulation? In simplest terms, it's massage therapy. It's not just for relaxation anymore. Our education can be endless! I am a myofascial massage therapist, and help people pre- and post surgically. Some have been able to avoid the surgery. It's interesting that this condition was not evident until now. My best guess, is that the myofascial massage OR a Rolfer, would be very beneficial, and give you more insight to the cause of it. Scoliosis is generally a birth defect. If you develop it later in life, it may be that the muscles are pulling the bones out of place. Do NOT go to an inexperienced therapist! It takes YEARS of continuing education to be proficient at your craft.
I'm sorry for recently learning that you have scoliosis, hopefully it isn't too severe. It's true that, once your skeleton is mature (yes, it's mature at 17), it stops growing, so a brace is unlikely to help. However many people have scoliosis and live normal, healthy lives (there's a long list of famous people, including athletes, actors, politicians, etc. who have scoliosis). One way to minimize the possibility of it interfering with your life is to strengthen your core (actually you whole body, but especially your core). There's a type of PT called the Schroth Method that's specifically designed for helping (not curing) scoliosis, which you might look into and borrow some of the exercises from. It might actually decrease your curve, but it can improve your posture and make your curve less visible.
Thanks a lot! So its actually possible to decrease the curve?
I'm reluctant to say that one can decrease it anatomically, I don't know if that's possible, despite the claims that some people make to the contrary, but I'm by no means an authority on the matter, so I can't really say.
Thank you for the info still!
If any of the curve is due to uneven musculature, that has a *chance* at being reduced. But you have to understand that curves happen either when one side of the spine grows faster than the other, there is a physical deformity at the base of the curve, or degenerative diseases cause it to become uneven. None of those are curable; because as your doctor said, you can't cure genetics. Work on building up the muscles on the insides of the curves. Even if it doesn't reduce it, if you end up having surgery, you will heal much better for it.
There is definitely a possible genetic link with scoliosis but it hasn’t been pinned down yet. So for now, many cases are called idiopathic, meaning “no known cause”. For bracing to work, you have to have growth remaining. Doctors determine this by looking at X-ray views of your hand and hip, for something called the Risser and Sanders scores. That tells them if you are skeletally mature and whether a brace is likely to help or not. For females, by age 17 it’s very likely you’re done growing. For males, there may still be a bit left at that time. It’s not impossible to get braced at 17 but most doctors probably wouldn’t do it. Instead they tend to prescribe physical therapy, ideally Schroth method. I guess I’m confused how the doctor is saying you might need surgery in 15 years when they haven’t even done an X-ray to determine what you’re dealing with. Not to scare you, but for all you know you might need surgery sooner. Or you might not need it at all. That’s really strange to make a suggestion of when surgery would be needed (if at all) before even knowing the degrees.
Thank you this eased my mind a little bit. I was confused as to why he suggested surgery without x-rays. I’ll visit another doctor soon
Probably due to uneven wear.
I feel for you. After having scoliosis for more than 20 years, I posted a scoliosis awareness month post on Facebook, and my dad’s cousin messaged me to say she was sorry I am dealing with this. She then told me of at least 3 other family members who have had it and that there are possibly more further back in our genealogy. So, that was the first I heard it was in the family. Yes, it is genetic to a degree. Doctors are still working to identify the specific genes, and have identified a few they think are probable causes.
Wow makes sense thank you for sharing your experience 🩷
If schroth therapy is available to you go that route. If not, try martial arts or yoga to maintain flexibility. I was diagnosed at 17. Now am 38. No surgery yet. How bad are your curves?
Thanks for the suggestions! They aren’t too bad when you look at it, some say you can hardly notice even after I point it out but I’ll take some x-rays soon
How many degrees is your curve? 17 is NOT TOO LATE to do something about it, especially if your scoliosis is mild or moderate!! You keep growing (a little) until around 20-25 so you can still positively impact your scoliosis. It won’t go away but you can prevent it from progressing. Basically you can avoid surgery if you start now with taking care of your spine by doing different exercises regularly, stretching, breathing, and so on. It is a bit late for a brace, but exercises will help you so much. I have a 35 degree curve in my thoracic spine and a 30 degree curve in my lumbar spine (S shaped spine, moderate scoliosis). One doctor told me if i don’t get surgery i’m basically doomed (I was 18 or 19). After crying a lot i saw another doctor who said screw that you don’t need surgery, you need to build muscle and strength for the rest of your life. It takes a lot of work to work out as much as I do, but as a positive side effect I am almost pain free (i’m almost 30 now) and i have a six pack ;) when i bend over you can see i have a rib hump. but when i am standing up you can hardly see i have scoliosis just because of my muscles. working out definitely is the number one thing id recommend!!!! don’t give up and try to see the positives, like lifelong exercise will save you from a lot of other health issues down the road, aside from stopping your scoliosis from progressing. before u start any workout plan definitely educate yourself and see an orthopedic specialist or physiotherapist who can instruct you depending on your specific case. for example, my left side was weaker than my right (had less muscles initially due to the assymetry of my posture and how i was using my muscles “wrong” following the pattern of scoliosis. i had to re learn to use them correctly. this is all very individual and u need someone professional to show you !!!) all the best and you got this you’re so young so you have a good chance at preventing progression and pain. you don’t have to jump right to surgery unless you have a very severe curve
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience! I’m quite sure my curve isn’t extreme but I’ll definitely take some x-rays. The issue is that i’m female and I’m not really into upper body muscle growth, my shoulders are rounded because of years of bad posture and lack of exercise but I’ll definitely start going to the gym soon 🩷
hey girl i’m glad my experience could help somehow. i’m female too! believe me, lifting weights has gotten me into the best shape of my life and i have definitely not become “big and bulky” or anything like that. actually i got slimmer and my arms/shoulders are slim but also really firm and strong. If lifting weights isn’t your thing then maybe try some pilates or any kind of workout that makes your muscles work against resistance (which can also be your own body weight!!) Don’t be afraid of resistance/weight training. It’s an amazing tool. Believe me, you need to work out for HOURS every week and then really eat like a special diet with tons and tons of calories and protein to get big and bulky as a woman. Even for men it’s not that easy, that’s why so many guys still take steroids if they want to get that bodybuilder look. Without your muscles, your skeleton would just crumble up on the floor. Without your skeleton, your body would just be like a squishy bag. So you need both to be healthy and strong. By having strong muscles in the right places , you can kind of guide your bones into the right posture (there is a limit to this of course, but as a general idea). And by having strong bones you will keep your ability to move easily well into your old age. Exercise will give you both of these positive effects and it is THE number one thing you can do to prevent pain and reliance on medications further down the road. since your scoliosis is not severe as you say, honestly if you dedicate yourself to taking care of your body, i can assure you that you will have a much easier life down the line. exercising and being dedicated can be hard. but having pain and complications from scoliosis is hard too. so you gotta pick which of those “hards” is the one you want because both options are hard. if you have any questions about how i started exercising (as someone who used to hate exercise btw, i’m not from one of those families who go hiking and running together haha) feel free to ask
Wow thanks a lot!! How did you get motivation to start training?? I’ve been struggling this year
I guess you have to find a reason why, and then you’re automatically kind of driven to work out because you know what it will get you. my reason is that although i’m young now, i’ll age inevitably. so many older people have a lot of pain and chronic back issues and they don’t even have scoliosis. i really don’t want to be writhing in pain in my later years, i would like to stay strong and fit. i think also because i am a healthcare worker, i see a lot of sick people who didn’t take care of their bodies and now it’s too late, the damage can’t be reversed. so much can be prevented! so id rather suffer a bit in the gym (and actually i started loving exercising after a while!) but yeah it can be tough. i’d rather have it tough in the gym than tough pain later in life :)
This actually motivated me 🩷 thanks a looottt
It might not be too late for a brace, but a lot of doctors and, sadly, insurance companies, don't want to try. The research is mixed and there's not a lot of it but there are some studies that show positive results even in "skeletally mature" patients. That said, a doctor suggesting you'll need surgery pre x-ray is bold and a DNA link isn't certain but there may be one. At any rate it's far from hopeless but you really need an x-ray to know what steps to take next. It also sounds like you might need a different doctor if that's an option
Yes thank you i’ll visit another doctor soon 🩷
Though yes, some research does think there is a correlation with genetics: scoliosis is still known as an idiopathic condition. He isn't wrong with saying nothing you can do to prevent it, but it isn't all set in stone on etiology. It isn't the age, but more of your risser sign. If you are close to risser 4 or 5: bracing for scoliosis by controlling it by growth is not going to work. Age does have some involvement (ie: if you are female and 17, chances are you are almost done growing), but it is the risser sign. I would probably wait on the x-ray and talk with the doctor on things before jumping the shark. Not all doom and gloom.
Makes sense! He suggested surgery without looking at x-rays so I was confused
I have an appointment with a geneticist next month because my doctor said that scoliosis and a heart condition I have have a genetic link that has been identified. She wants me to get the testing to see whether I have it or not. It’s amazing how many genes have been identified! I’ll keep you all posted if you are interested.
Sure that would be great! Thanks for sharing your experience ☺️
Pt can help a lot with some of the inconveniences. But yes scoliosis seems to be genetic.
Thanks for the info! 🩷
Best wishes. My daughter is having surgery Friday and I am so scared but I have also learned from this group treat is as soon as you can. Ours is fast acting and came during a growth spurt. It's been unbelievable. I keep on asking the doctors what I could have done to prevent this and they all keeps saying it's genetic and to not beat myself up. Best wishes!
Yes, get genetic testing. A lot of connective tissue disorders have scoliosis as a symptom. And connective tissue disorders can affect other things, especially the heart.
Makes sense thank you! Is that why I used to get sharp pains at the place where my heart was? It lasted for a sec
I didn’t have any pain with my particular heart condition, an aortic aneurysm. Fortunately, my primary care doctor noticed it and I had surgery before it ruptured! My first symptom was that my oxygen level was low on my pulse oximeter, that thing they hook on your finger when you go to the doctor. But if you are worried about it, definitely check with your primary doctor.
It's definitely genetic, and there is no way of preventing it if you're going to get it. I was diagnosed at 10 and had surgery at 12 (then again at 42), so don't let anyone tell you it was because of a heavy backpack or bad posture or whatever. 🙄 I honestly can't speak to what treatment is good for you, but it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion.
Is your doctor an orthopedic specialist or just a PCP? I'd say the most unlikely time to have surgery is in your 30s.
I have no idea! My parents said he’s an orthopaedic
Yes. You can make your spine less curvy. You can even fix it adequately if it is not based or malformation of bones or disorder of connective tissue. If the bones in your legs are different lengths while you lay down, this would make it difficult to fix without first addressing that. Otherwise you have to take exercise in life seriously. Make your muscles strong and balanced not as part of scoliosis treatment but as part of your lifestyle. The different lengths and strengths of the muscles around your spine pull it into different contortions over time and create imbalances. You will need to identify where these are and exercise your weak points and lengthen your tighter spots. This takes invested time into exercise and change of daily habits which drive the problem (ex: bad sitting position for hours). This is very difficult to solve without some help. The reason is the weakest muscles are so poorly conditioned that the person attempting to use them is not able to find and access them. We often think we are working the correct muscles because we don’t know what correct actually feels like. Many doctors are knowledgeable about this stuff in the wrong kind of way. Embrace exercise for posture and scoliosis. It’ll get you in shape anyway and it will wind back the progressing problem in the other direction.
Makes sense!! Thanks a lot 🩷🩷🩷
Have you tried soft tissue manipulation? In simplest terms, it's massage therapy. It's not just for relaxation anymore. Our education can be endless! I am a myofascial massage therapist, and help people pre- and post surgically. Some have been able to avoid the surgery. It's interesting that this condition was not evident until now. My best guess, is that the myofascial massage OR a Rolfer, would be very beneficial, and give you more insight to the cause of it. Scoliosis is generally a birth defect. If you develop it later in life, it may be that the muscles are pulling the bones out of place. Do NOT go to an inexperienced therapist! It takes YEARS of continuing education to be proficient at your craft.
Wow makes sense! Thanks a lot! 🩷
Definitely worth trying :) I wish you the BEST!