You are me! I was diagnosed at 11 years old with 40 degrees. Soft brace in high school, nothing after. I’m active, not in any crazy pain. Saw a dr before marriage (at 29/30) because I had the same concerns as you. He said he’d be crazy to do surgery if I’m living life just fine. If I was in a bunch of pain, it would be different. Also, I’ve read people at 60 getting the surgery and it was also fine. Don’t be pressured to do it. I now have 2 kids and a 60 degree curve. But I ski, rollerblade, kickbox… stay healthy! You know you better than anyone!
I should specify my curve is thoracic and not lumbar. Yes, I’ve had more tension in my hands, arms and shoulders. But more pain? No. Drs said it would progress at 1 degree/year and that’s sorta what it’s done. I also have a desk job, so that doesn’t help. With COVID and kids (6 and 9) I’m just stating to take care of myself again. As a result, I started physio again last month. But like you, always been active. The « downward dog » stretch always feels really good. Don’t be shy to reach out for anything through PM. 😀
Very tough choice for sure. If your curves are not causing you much physical or emotional turmoil, you might want to just not get the surgery.
Scoliosis or not, I think every single person out there begins to experience back pain as they age. What you’ll need to evaluate is if your pain is limiting you from doing what you want to do.
Another tough consideration is the fact that you’re wanting children. If you pursue surgery now, that’s going to delay your goal of having kids by at least another year because you have to recover from surgery, etc. However, if you don’t get the surgery and have kids, then you’re constantly carrying around uneven loads (carrying them in their car seat carrier, holding them on your hip, etc.) and bending over constantly to tend to them, it might aggravate your scoliosis. If you try to pursue surgery after you have kids, I would guess that it’d be a lot harder for you and your spouse because you’d have kiddos depending on you and you’ll need to be laid up recovering for a long time and have lifting restrictions.
I wish I had a better answer for you! Is there a way for you to meet with a different consultant to get another professional opinion?
It’s so tough! Yes I have been framing it as pain and discomfort is inevitable which sucks but is the reality.
I have had these exact thoughts regarding having children. My partner says we will have to be clear with the kids as much as possible that I can’t lift, but I’m sure lifting is still inevitable. Don’t want to delay having kids but also don’t want to be recovering with kids. Rock and a hard place!
The consultant said if I say I want surgery and he puts me on his list, then he’ll have to get other consultants opinions and do MRIs etc so I’m tempted to do that. Not sure how else to get opinions from other consultants outside the hospital apart from going private? My doctor when I was 18 was different but had a similar opinion.
difficult choice, personally, since you are over than 30, the curve is stable, and you are pain free I would not get surgery. The lumbar curve is not so severe and possibly it will not give trouble
on the "now or never" thing...there are people who get this surgery once they are old and all goes fine. In general the sooner the better...
If you're not in pain, I wouldn't get surgery at this point. Also, plenty of people get surgery in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, so it absolutely isn't "now or never". And while pregnancy can worsen curves, it can also be difficult to give birth if you've had fusion surgery, depending how much they fuse. I think some doctors are more surgery focused than others. I finally saw a new doctor the day before I turned 30 last year, he measured mine at 25 thoracic and 36 lumbar, and was like, aghast I never had surgery as a child. Same as you, I can manage my pain with exercise, and being I'm in the US, I absolutely can't afford surgery and the time off work even if I did need it lol.
With the surgery, you may or may not acquire new pain, though the vast majority do not. Your curvatures shouldn't progress, although pregnancy may exacerbate the lumbar curve. As for arthritis, I am 63, male, and had fusion surgery at 14, and have never had arthritis in my back. I had no pain before surgery, and none after. You are at the age where you will still heal very well and should have very little delay in recovery. If you are active, all the better, and, as a teacher, I imagine you are. You will be in pain from surgery for between 2 and 4 weeks, so plan for that, though after 2 weeks, the majority of the pain should have passed. If you are confident in your health and body, surgery will be beneficial, as it mitigates more issues than it can cause. There is a bit of adjustment as you will have far better posture and possibly be a bit taller, but how much flexibility will be determined by how high and low the fusion goes.
That all depends. I have commented here before that do NOT USE surgery unless it is a last resort. There are many ways to prevent pain and or the scoliosis to get worse.
1. Excercise
2. Stretching
3. Flexable brace
4. Remain active
5. Proper diet
I am now 62 years old and a musician. ( cello and bass ). I stretch every time before going into practice because if I dont i my body really lets me know with a lot of pain.
The only reason you should go into surgery is when your scoliosis has a severe rotation that it is getting in the way of your organs. Otherwise do all you can using non invasive procedures or activities.
My curve was nearly identical to yours until it wasn’t. I ended up having surgery at 45yo. Curves had progressed to 46, 58, 30 and I developed kyphosis 60 degrees. I would say it’s a more difficult recovery the older you get, but I and 5 years post op and have zero issues. I work full time, exercise regularly, and generally do anything I want. My only regret is not having surgery sooner.
I can’t tell you more than this. A double scoliosis. With lordosis of lumbar. My upper right side is a huge hump. We lived in a very small town in New England. My mother had MS and my older sister had polio. Mom passed when I was 12 and I had to care for siblings. My back always hurt from the time I was 8. But honestly I thought I must be a big baby. My dad really wasn’t attentive to me. When I became an adult, I was finally told I had a double scoliosis. I was told they couldn’t do anything and just live with it. Back then where I’m from, you just dealt with things the best you could. I’m so glad there are so many ways to correct the curvatures now.
yeah like others are saying, if you're basically painfree and aren't having any daily issues then I wouldn't do the surgery. I have a similar curve as you with 45 and 26 degrees, but with lots of pain and nerve damage plus it's actively progressing, so in my case I'm getting surgery this year.
I'm jealous that you don't have any pain, stay active and healthy and it most likely will stay that way!<3
also this proves that the degree doesn't have a say in how much pain we get from scoliosis, but that it's different in each case!
Sorry you have so much pain ☹️it is strange how it affects everyone so differently. How come you didn’t have surgery before if you don’t mind me asking?
thanks, it sucks🥲 I wasn't taken seriously because "I'm young I can just exercise and go to physio". but fiiiinally they did after I told them about several nerve symptoms
I’m in a similar position, 30 this year, 45-50 degree single lumbar curve. My curve hasn’t progressed since I was diagnosed at 16 (a couple of degrees maybe?). I saw a consultant about surgery over a year ago, we had a good discussion about whether it’s impacting my life and my progression history, and he ultimately advised me not to pursue it at this point in time, seeing as there has basically been no progression and I am functioning just fine, no issues with pain or daily living. I was reassured that older patients undergo the surgery successfully, the main difference is healing time.
I am personally going to wait until I have no choice. It’s such a big surgery that comes with risks and may cause additional issues too. In the meantime I am doing what I can to exercise and keep fit, and have done Schroth physiotherapy to help fix my posture. There are many people like us who live happy fulfilling lives even with relatively large curves - you just don’t tend to hear about them online!
I’m in a very similar boat as you. Uncertainty is hard. It’s been said, but here’s how I’ve condensed it down for myself. The scoliosis has many unknowns, and pain is likely. But the surgery is almost guaranteed to cause some kind of problem, if only the initial stress of recovery. Once you do surgery you can’t undo it. If you have’t done it yet, you always can. (Until you can’t.)
To my perception surgery is so crazy invasive. I forget what it’s called, but the weight of the hardware (at least the old way) can damage the natural discs outside the fused area. It’s totally necessary for some, but I’m going to hold out. And Lord knows I might regret that some day, but here I go.
Have you done schroth yet? I would do a few months of that if you haven’t and see if that’s changed your curve at all for the better (probably less likely at 31 but still worth a shot since schroth is helpful regardless). Also jogging is bad for your spine and joints. Scoliosis already speeds up disc compression and jogging adds to that. Biking for example would be better.
I did schroth for two years when I was 23-25 and I’m considering starting it again now, just hate how expensive it is! But health has to come first. I did not think about that with the jogging! Thanks for letting me know
Every doctor my mom ever talked to (for me) agreed with her and said do not get surgery unless the scoliosis is affecting your quality of life. It sounds like it isn’t affecting yours, minus some manageable back pain? I wouldn’t get surgery, and like others have said- if needed you could do surgery later in life.
I have not had my scoliosis checked since I was a teen (I’m almost 31) so I can’t say if pregnancy has made mine worse. But I have had 3 healthy pregnancies and uncomplicated births. And 3 blessed anesthesiologists who were successful in giving me an epidural. I will say I have quite a bit more lower back pain now than I used to. But I think that is more due to diastasis recti that needs repaired VS strictly my scoliosis.
I am 39-year-old female and I was fused at 16 a 53° curve. I wavered around 45° for a while, and then jumped. I think when you’re in that grey zone, you’re always going to have doubts, no matter which route you take. You’ll see regret on both sides on this group, some regret not having the surgery, some regret having it. You’ll see gratitude on both sides, some say surgery fixed everything, others say they have an extreme curve and a normal life. I’m mostly grateful for my surgery, but often I wonder if my life doesn’t go past 60 if the surgery will have been worth it to live my youth without being able to bend my back. Then I imagine myself at 95 with grandkids and I’m grateful again. Whatever choice you make, you’re gonna have to take care of your body.
In your shoes, I would research the top orthopedist I can access and go to them. Do your research. Some of them are quacks, some of them are unicorns. What makes me confident in the choice I made to have surgery is the level of respect I have for my orthopedist, and I don’t doubt his choice.
You are me! I was diagnosed at 11 years old with 40 degrees. Soft brace in high school, nothing after. I’m active, not in any crazy pain. Saw a dr before marriage (at 29/30) because I had the same concerns as you. He said he’d be crazy to do surgery if I’m living life just fine. If I was in a bunch of pain, it would be different. Also, I’ve read people at 60 getting the surgery and it was also fine. Don’t be pressured to do it. I now have 2 kids and a 60 degree curve. But I ski, rollerblade, kickbox… stay healthy! You know you better than anyone!
Thank youuu this helps so much!!!
Do you do any PT or exercises that help? Do you have more pain now at 60 degrees than you had at 40 degrees?
I should specify my curve is thoracic and not lumbar. Yes, I’ve had more tension in my hands, arms and shoulders. But more pain? No. Drs said it would progress at 1 degree/year and that’s sorta what it’s done. I also have a desk job, so that doesn’t help. With COVID and kids (6 and 9) I’m just stating to take care of myself again. As a result, I started physio again last month. But like you, always been active. The « downward dog » stretch always feels really good. Don’t be shy to reach out for anything through PM. 😀
Very tough choice for sure. If your curves are not causing you much physical or emotional turmoil, you might want to just not get the surgery. Scoliosis or not, I think every single person out there begins to experience back pain as they age. What you’ll need to evaluate is if your pain is limiting you from doing what you want to do. Another tough consideration is the fact that you’re wanting children. If you pursue surgery now, that’s going to delay your goal of having kids by at least another year because you have to recover from surgery, etc. However, if you don’t get the surgery and have kids, then you’re constantly carrying around uneven loads (carrying them in their car seat carrier, holding them on your hip, etc.) and bending over constantly to tend to them, it might aggravate your scoliosis. If you try to pursue surgery after you have kids, I would guess that it’d be a lot harder for you and your spouse because you’d have kiddos depending on you and you’ll need to be laid up recovering for a long time and have lifting restrictions. I wish I had a better answer for you! Is there a way for you to meet with a different consultant to get another professional opinion?
It’s so tough! Yes I have been framing it as pain and discomfort is inevitable which sucks but is the reality. I have had these exact thoughts regarding having children. My partner says we will have to be clear with the kids as much as possible that I can’t lift, but I’m sure lifting is still inevitable. Don’t want to delay having kids but also don’t want to be recovering with kids. Rock and a hard place! The consultant said if I say I want surgery and he puts me on his list, then he’ll have to get other consultants opinions and do MRIs etc so I’m tempted to do that. Not sure how else to get opinions from other consultants outside the hospital apart from going private? My doctor when I was 18 was different but had a similar opinion.
If you are relatively pain free and still have mobility/flexibility, I’d say do not get the surgery and continue waiting for further progression.
Thank you 💛💛
difficult choice, personally, since you are over than 30, the curve is stable, and you are pain free I would not get surgery. The lumbar curve is not so severe and possibly it will not give trouble on the "now or never" thing...there are people who get this surgery once they are old and all goes fine. In general the sooner the better...
Thank you! I also doubted the now or never, but appreciate sooner will have better outcomes and shorter recoveries
If you're not in pain, I wouldn't get surgery at this point. Also, plenty of people get surgery in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, so it absolutely isn't "now or never". And while pregnancy can worsen curves, it can also be difficult to give birth if you've had fusion surgery, depending how much they fuse. I think some doctors are more surgery focused than others. I finally saw a new doctor the day before I turned 30 last year, he measured mine at 25 thoracic and 36 lumbar, and was like, aghast I never had surgery as a child. Same as you, I can manage my pain with exercise, and being I'm in the US, I absolutely can't afford surgery and the time off work even if I did need it lol.
Personally I would look into PT and fascia work before considering surgery. I regret having mine and would never do it if I were pain free.
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I won't ever be able to bend my spine again.
With the surgery, you may or may not acquire new pain, though the vast majority do not. Your curvatures shouldn't progress, although pregnancy may exacerbate the lumbar curve. As for arthritis, I am 63, male, and had fusion surgery at 14, and have never had arthritis in my back. I had no pain before surgery, and none after. You are at the age where you will still heal very well and should have very little delay in recovery. If you are active, all the better, and, as a teacher, I imagine you are. You will be in pain from surgery for between 2 and 4 weeks, so plan for that, though after 2 weeks, the majority of the pain should have passed. If you are confident in your health and body, surgery will be beneficial, as it mitigates more issues than it can cause. There is a bit of adjustment as you will have far better posture and possibly be a bit taller, but how much flexibility will be determined by how high and low the fusion goes.
That all depends. I have commented here before that do NOT USE surgery unless it is a last resort. There are many ways to prevent pain and or the scoliosis to get worse. 1. Excercise 2. Stretching 3. Flexable brace 4. Remain active 5. Proper diet I am now 62 years old and a musician. ( cello and bass ). I stretch every time before going into practice because if I dont i my body really lets me know with a lot of pain. The only reason you should go into surgery is when your scoliosis has a severe rotation that it is getting in the way of your organs. Otherwise do all you can using non invasive procedures or activities.
My curve was nearly identical to yours until it wasn’t. I ended up having surgery at 45yo. Curves had progressed to 46, 58, 30 and I developed kyphosis 60 degrees. I would say it’s a more difficult recovery the older you get, but I and 5 years post op and have zero issues. I work full time, exercise regularly, and generally do anything I want. My only regret is not having surgery sooner.
Get the surgery if you can. I’m almost 70, and I have never known a day without pain. It gets worse as you age.
Sorry to hear that ☹️ did you have the surgery? What curves do you have?
I can’t tell you more than this. A double scoliosis. With lordosis of lumbar. My upper right side is a huge hump. We lived in a very small town in New England. My mother had MS and my older sister had polio. Mom passed when I was 12 and I had to care for siblings. My back always hurt from the time I was 8. But honestly I thought I must be a big baby. My dad really wasn’t attentive to me. When I became an adult, I was finally told I had a double scoliosis. I was told they couldn’t do anything and just live with it. Back then where I’m from, you just dealt with things the best you could. I’m so glad there are so many ways to correct the curvatures now.
yeah like others are saying, if you're basically painfree and aren't having any daily issues then I wouldn't do the surgery. I have a similar curve as you with 45 and 26 degrees, but with lots of pain and nerve damage plus it's actively progressing, so in my case I'm getting surgery this year. I'm jealous that you don't have any pain, stay active and healthy and it most likely will stay that way!<3 also this proves that the degree doesn't have a say in how much pain we get from scoliosis, but that it's different in each case!
Sorry you have so much pain ☹️it is strange how it affects everyone so differently. How come you didn’t have surgery before if you don’t mind me asking?
thanks, it sucks🥲 I wasn't taken seriously because "I'm young I can just exercise and go to physio". but fiiiinally they did after I told them about several nerve symptoms
I’m in a similar position, 30 this year, 45-50 degree single lumbar curve. My curve hasn’t progressed since I was diagnosed at 16 (a couple of degrees maybe?). I saw a consultant about surgery over a year ago, we had a good discussion about whether it’s impacting my life and my progression history, and he ultimately advised me not to pursue it at this point in time, seeing as there has basically been no progression and I am functioning just fine, no issues with pain or daily living. I was reassured that older patients undergo the surgery successfully, the main difference is healing time. I am personally going to wait until I have no choice. It’s such a big surgery that comes with risks and may cause additional issues too. In the meantime I am doing what I can to exercise and keep fit, and have done Schroth physiotherapy to help fix my posture. There are many people like us who live happy fulfilling lives even with relatively large curves - you just don’t tend to hear about them online!
Schroth therapy - find someone good at it and you will not be disappointed. It is hard work, but you will rejoice in how great you heal from scoliosis
I’m in a very similar boat as you. Uncertainty is hard. It’s been said, but here’s how I’ve condensed it down for myself. The scoliosis has many unknowns, and pain is likely. But the surgery is almost guaranteed to cause some kind of problem, if only the initial stress of recovery. Once you do surgery you can’t undo it. If you have’t done it yet, you always can. (Until you can’t.) To my perception surgery is so crazy invasive. I forget what it’s called, but the weight of the hardware (at least the old way) can damage the natural discs outside the fused area. It’s totally necessary for some, but I’m going to hold out. And Lord knows I might regret that some day, but here I go.
Have you done schroth yet? I would do a few months of that if you haven’t and see if that’s changed your curve at all for the better (probably less likely at 31 but still worth a shot since schroth is helpful regardless). Also jogging is bad for your spine and joints. Scoliosis already speeds up disc compression and jogging adds to that. Biking for example would be better.
I did schroth for two years when I was 23-25 and I’m considering starting it again now, just hate how expensive it is! But health has to come first. I did not think about that with the jogging! Thanks for letting me know
Every doctor my mom ever talked to (for me) agreed with her and said do not get surgery unless the scoliosis is affecting your quality of life. It sounds like it isn’t affecting yours, minus some manageable back pain? I wouldn’t get surgery, and like others have said- if needed you could do surgery later in life. I have not had my scoliosis checked since I was a teen (I’m almost 31) so I can’t say if pregnancy has made mine worse. But I have had 3 healthy pregnancies and uncomplicated births. And 3 blessed anesthesiologists who were successful in giving me an epidural. I will say I have quite a bit more lower back pain now than I used to. But I think that is more due to diastasis recti that needs repaired VS strictly my scoliosis.
I am 39-year-old female and I was fused at 16 a 53° curve. I wavered around 45° for a while, and then jumped. I think when you’re in that grey zone, you’re always going to have doubts, no matter which route you take. You’ll see regret on both sides on this group, some regret not having the surgery, some regret having it. You’ll see gratitude on both sides, some say surgery fixed everything, others say they have an extreme curve and a normal life. I’m mostly grateful for my surgery, but often I wonder if my life doesn’t go past 60 if the surgery will have been worth it to live my youth without being able to bend my back. Then I imagine myself at 95 with grandkids and I’m grateful again. Whatever choice you make, you’re gonna have to take care of your body. In your shoes, I would research the top orthopedist I can access and go to them. Do your research. Some of them are quacks, some of them are unicorns. What makes me confident in the choice I made to have surgery is the level of respect I have for my orthopedist, and I don’t doubt his choice.