I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 13. I still remember looking down at the doctor’s reddish brown patent leather shoes as he told me the news that I would have to wear a brace for the better part of my teenage years. I dissolved into a puddle of tears. He told my father to calm me down and left the room. The brace, it turned out, did nothing for me but ruin any chances of getting a date. At age 17, I went in for spinal fusion and had a Herrington rod put in my thoracic spine. Flash forward, age 28, I discover Pilates. At the end of my certification, which involved almost 2 years of doing Pilates for hours every day, my scoliosis had dramatically improved. I didn’t take any kind of measurements so I cannot give you numbers, but I can say that the rib cage that protrudes on the left front and right back of my body went down about an inch on each side. The lifted right shoulder became less lifted and I gained so much mobility in the rest of my spine that it makes up for the fused vertebrae. Most people who watch me do Pilates have no idea that there is a rod there. If all that change could happen in my late 20s, imagine what Pilates could have accomplished while I was still growing. I truly believe if I had discovered it earlier I could have avoided the brace and the surgery. Lately some insurance companies are starting to recognize the medical benefits of Pilates and I have had the pleasure of working with a handful of clients who were referred by a doctor and were able to have a large percentage of the session covered by insurance, but this is still rare. I am not saying that Pilates can cure scoliosis, but clearly it has powerful benefits and could perhaps in some cases, control scoliosis to the point where surgery is no longer necessary. So I am taking this opportunity to advocate that the medical community continues to analyze these benefits and consider Pilates a viable option for scoliosis management.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Pilates for Scoliosis management
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Hello Anthea, Congrats on unveiling your new blog! Well done! I, too, have scoliosis and have had success with Pilates. Have you seen my book, Pilates for Fragile Backs (2006; New Harbinger Pub)? Unfortunately, by the time I found Pilates I'd had an extensive re-fusion (from my tailbone to between my shoulder blades) and there was no hope of correcting any of my curvatures with Pilates. But it was tremendously helpful especially in terms of stretching cramped muscles. There is one thing you should keep in mind, Anthea. If you really did have a Harrington Rod, you should be aware of the fact that this is an old and no longer used rod system and you might have to deal with some problems in the future. For example, Harrington rods tend to break (from metal fatigue) if they are used in your low back. That means your fusion could fail. Also, if it was used in your low back, you might develop Flat Back Syndrome, which requires additional and often extensive surgery. Are you sure you have a Harrington Rod? I hope you got that info wrong. If not, in another ten years you might be facing more surgery. I hope not. If you'd like more info, please contact me.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Andy Stanton
HI Andy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. The rod is my thoracic spine, not in the low back so I hope I am in the clear. It has been over 20 years with no problems so far. As I said in my post, if I had it to do again I would have tried another avenue but it's in there now so let's hope for the best!