I am almost 23 years old and have had scoliosis in my lower back since birth, it's an S curve. I have a short right leg, about 3 inches. I read a comment on another from a girl in a similar situation. It was so encouraging to know I'm not alone :) I had an infection in my right hip as a newborn (I was premature.) The infection spread down my right leg and caused it to slow the growth of my right foot. It is a size and half or so smaller then my left foot. I am not sure whether the infection was due to the scoliosis or not. As a result my hip and a couple toes on my right foot needed to be removed. I am able to walk easier though with the help of a 3 inch lift on my right shoes. I have not had surgery for my scoliosis. I was told that it would be a last resort, when pain is unbearable. Doctors are afraid I will be unable to walk after the surgery since aligning my spine and pelvic bone would make my right leg even shorter.. without a right hip leg-lengthening procedures have never been an option. Sorry this has gotten so long winded! I forget the exact degree of my curve, it is severe though. I went to my orthopedic doctor about 2 years ago and then he said my curve had not progressed any. I have Lordosis (sp) also, where my spine curves inward like a C, but like a backward C, that's the best way I can describe it. This is what causes me most lower back pain :( I say all this to ask if you can provide any information on how this might affect a pregnancy. My fiance and I would love to have children of our own down the road. We're afraid of the risks to my health as well as the baby's. I remember being told I could have children one day, but I was very young. Since then my mother who was a nurse has said I would need complete bed rest while carrying the baby and that I could die if I tried giving birth or I could be paralyzed! Is that true? I definitely need to see my doctor and know for sure. Could I give birth without a c-section? What other risks might there be? Is it possible to pass scoliosis to my children? Thanks for reading and for your help :) God bless.
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Hi SarahH87
Thanks for your question! And it was not long-winded at all, you gave us great information!
People with scoliosis have children all the time but it does have it's challenges.
According to some studies, women with scoliosis were no more affected by their condition (in pregnancy) than women without scoliosis - nor did they see an increase in curvature due to pregnancy.
You can read about one study here (in basic English, fortunately, not a lot of medical jargon) :
http://www.scoliosis.org/resources/medicalupdates/scoliosisandpregnancy.php
But this isn't always the case, of course. One of your main issues (including the risk of further curving of your spine) is back pain. Most pregnant women suffer some form of back pain so for you, this pain may be quite severe.
As for as c-sections go, there is no reason (right off the bat) to believe a section is mandatory for scoliosis moms. Many can give birth naturally although, as you can imagine, the use of an epidural is more complicated and may not always be possible due to your spine curvature. And if a c-section IS necessary, don't worry to much - the important part is bringing your baby into the world safely.
With regard to passing this condition to your children, that is a valid concern. People with scoliosis are more likely to have children with it too, than people without scoliosis.
On a optimistic note, I have a relative with scoliosis from birth and did the whole body cast when she was a young teen (7 months in a full body cast, I believe) and she has gone on to have four children! And one of them also has scoliosis, elected to have the full body cast and is now in great shape and enjoying college life!
For more information, head to the National Scoliosis Society here: www.scoliosis.org and check out EmpowHer's Scoliosis page. It's full of information, short videos, articles and questions on the subject and I think it'll help you a lot! : http://www.empowher.com/condition/scoliosis
Sarah, has this information helped you?
May 29, 2010 - 5:34amThis Comment
Hi Sarah
Many women have successful pregnancies with scoliosis as Susan stated. We have had previous discussion on that topic here on the site: http://www.empowher.com/community/ask/does-lumbar-scoliosis-affect-pregn....
I think the most important things to do are to see your ortho and your ob/gyne and talk to them about pregnancy in your specific situation with your history and see what they say. They will have dealt with this many times before and will be able to ease your worries as well as help you plan for a safe and successful pregnancy. The main problem you will probably have to deal with is pain, because pregnancy is going to put a lot of stress on your lower back and pelvis. But you can plan ahead for how to deal with it.
Beware of anyone online saying say can magically reverse your scoliosis. If that were true, none of us would have it. If you have further questions or concerns please do not hesitate to write again.
Good luck to you.
August 27, 2010 - 6:52amI am also undergoing treatment for scoliosis. I am 15 and when the doctors told me that i had to have surgery I began my search for another alternative. Thats when we found (name removed). At first I was skeptical but after seeing the results firsthand it is amazing. Even the orthopedist can't explain it. Best of Luck with your scoliosis. I will say a prayer for you.
(Comments edited and provider name removed by EmpowHER Moderator.)
September 3, 2010 - 3:43amThanks for your comment, Kera. Treatment of adolescent scoliosis is completely different than treatment for adult scoliosis. But thank you for sharing your experience. Because you are still growing, bracing and other treatments work during adolescence, but once you are an adult and no longer growing, they do not. So it's a little different in that way.
Thanks again for sharing.
September 3, 2010 - 7:46amCary, My Doctor has a sixty year old woman that came in to her office 3 years ago with an 80 degree curve. Today she is at 40 degrees. And Before I was told about surgery i wore a brace for a year and got WORSE in the brace. Today studies show that with growth scoliosis curves do get worse. But these curves are absolutely fixable. Maybe not 100% but this program has a 100% success rate. Which is MUCH more than we can say for the surgery that has a higher failure rate.
September 3, 2010 - 2:38pmGee, for 15 years old you know an awful lot about the other patients in the practice. NO treatment has a 100% success rate. I'm glad it has worked for you, but misrepresenting this and other treatments is not helpful to the women who come to this site looking for accurate sources of medical information.
Thank you for your comments.
September 11, 2010 - 7:25ami am 22 years of age my first pregnacy went well i went ten days over my due date and it all went well but the pregnancy did cause my scoliosis to surface as it made the curve worse i am now on my second pregnancy 3 years on and im in agony with my back i cant sleep properly i cant sit or stand with out being in alot of pain and im finding im trapping nerves alot easier this time round i wouldnt be without my babies but i dont plan on having anymorre as i dont think i could cope with the next amount of pain
October 20, 2010 - 4:10amThanks for you post, Anon.
You're pain sounds terrible and trapped nerves can be unbearable. Do you have long to go? Do you have family support? I know you have another child but please try to take it as easy as you can and I wish you a very speedy pregnancy,
October 20, 2010 - 11:36amOur best,
~Susan
yes cary i do know alot about my treatment in chiropractic care. Do you even have scoliosis? If you do i'm sure your doctor has told you lots of great facts about his $200,000 surgery. ever researched those facts? They lie. So many doctors will look you in the eyes and lie to you to get your money. If you don't have scoliosis maybe you should stick to a topic that you can actually relate to. So i'm sure you'll go and report this comment just like you have all of my other comments that were NOT made to you but to the person who actually asked the question. But thats okay because I know that i might be 16 but i'm obviously more mature than you! GET A LIFE!
October 21, 2010 - 4:48pmActually I worked with orthopaedic surgeons and helped treat patients with scoliosis who had very successful surgeries if they required surgery. As I said, it's great that your treatment works for you, but one treatment does not help everyone and it does not help to demonize treatments that help many people all over the world.
Thank you for sharing.
October 22, 2010 - 6:11am