Simple Things To Do For Your Daily Pains

Growing Pains? Daily Pains.

Most people have growing pains. Scoliosis patients have daily pains.

Frankly, I cannot recall the last time I felt utterly pain-free. If you asked me, probably 20-ought years ago during my pre-teen years when the curves were not progressing at an obviously alarming rate.

Fast forward 21 years (since first diagnosed), I have to say that there is indeed pain, some sort of pain, at some spot, or a variety of spots, everyday. Weirdly enough, the pain-spots or pain-areas can be different each day. On Monday it could be my shoulder blades. On Tuesday it could be the upper curve. Wednesday it could be the rib hump that was removed during the first surgery. Thursday it could be my formerly-frozen shoulder with nerve pains all the way down my arm to the tips of my fingers. Friday it could be the coccyx area. Saturday the lower curve. Sunday the formerly-compressed nerve on the lumbar area, pain tingling all the way down the formerly-temporarily-paralyzed left leg.

Some day the pain could be so mild, I can go on all day gym-ing, baking, carting kids left right center, and then to bed humming to myself. Other days the pain makes the body feel a hundred years old, the mind fogs up and only cross words can come out from my mouth so I keep it shut and quiet throughout the door as much as I can.

I am very very sure that most Scoliosis patients with mildly-moderate to severe curves experience this. The good days, and the bad days.

In the support groups I see young girls writing painful words; words of pain, words of loneliness, words of worry. Their words effect me more than I expect sometimes. I suppose only those who go through such pain would really understand the various pains Scoliosis can bring to the human body. Aches, throbs, tingles, shortness of breath, numbness, soreness.. well, to name a few.

The doctor (Dr. M) at Spinal Inc. said something that hit me, made me realize that I had been living my life wrongly all these years.

RIGIDITY EQUALS PAIN.

My friends, this is true, whether you realize it or not. Or whether you want to admit it or not. This does hold true.

I remember winter months in Melbourne, busy with assignments, my whole back tight from a whole day in front of the computer, bent over books and materials. The whole back area was screaming in pain and the agony was vivid as I rolled my shoulder blades to rid of the 'kinks' I felt. A *'kruk kruk' sound like bones cracking and snapping against each other making me wince and wondering how long it can go on this way. (*Credit to Joveen C from the support group for her 'kruk kruk' description)

Rigidity is not good.

So that is the most valuable lesson I'd taken away from Spinal Inc. Daily schedule leaves me with little free time and I have not been to Spinal Inc. for my treatments in months, but amazingly enough, I feel great most days despite the pain. The good days are really good. The bad days are not that bad either anymore. (Alhamdulillah)

Here's the key: the key to manage your daily pain is to keep your back muscles relaxed, not rigid.

Every patient is different, so I am not here to give you specific 'instructions' on how to relax (and strengthen!) your back muscles. But I will share my experience here, hopefully others can find it useful and eventually figure out what works best for yourselves.

Relax AND strengthen the back muscles? Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it. If you're wondering why I think relaxing and strengthening go and it hand, I personally believe it has something to do with blood flow and muscle strength. You see, it is important to move (i.e. exercise!) and get blood flowing to your back area. Once blood starts flowing there, your muscles will feel 'warmed' up and you won't feel so rigid anymore. And eventually, once your muscles are used to being 'exercised', it increases in strength and so everyday you can do a bit more, you can feel a bit better, you can be a bit better and so your strength and quality of life will increase.

Is this even scientifically proven? No, I apologize, I am only speaking out of personal experience.

Exercise saved me from rigidity and pain. Please, give it a chance and maybe it will help you too.

Exercise is such a taboo word, really, people have images of vigorously sweating people in work-out clothes when I mention exercise, no doubt. But what I mean is exercise can be as simple as putting on your slippers, and simply taking a stroll around the block for twenty minutes. Move your hand in motion, heck, wave it gently around if you want to a'la aunties-walking-in-the-park if it makes the blood flow to your back better. Swimming is another misconception too.. swimming doesn't have to mean swimming laps. Float on your back, gently move your arms around like you're a water-angel (like snow-angels, you know? Hehe).. stay in that water and just have fun for twenty minutes.. do this three to four times a week. Just some simple exercises that MOVES the back area.. and you will be amazed at home much better you'll feel in a week or two. And in a few months, you'll feel so much better about yourself that the future will seem somewhat better.. not so much filled with pain anymore!

And when you're working in front of the computer and the back starts feeling tight and rigid, and you feel the pain coming... get up for a while and move around the house. Do stretches. Bake a cake. Cook up a stirfry. Look up the ceilings while you walk around the house to look for cobwebs. Whatever that simply gets you moving that body and those back muscles for at least ten to fifteen minutes.

The trick is to train your back muscles to be relaxed. When it's relaxed, the pain will lessen.

Give it a try, really :)

Down with muscle rigidity!

Swimming with the five year old who can swim even faster than I can. The water's the only place I can hold my babies without feeling strain on my back (due to the water buoyancy).

Swimming For Scoliosis

Note: All opinions are entirely based on personal opinion and experience.

Back when I was 12 years old, in 1991, the doctors in UH (now known as PPUM) told me I should go swimming for my scoliosis. There was no Internet; no google, no facebook, no support group. You take what your doctors tell you as literally Godsend and do as you are told.

Mum had sent me for swimming classes since I was little. But she continued to send me for swimming classes in Bangsar until I was fifteen. A few of my close friends from school came along and we'd have fun in the water for a few hours every week. Nobody else I knew had Scoliosis, so we didn't do anything back-specific. We just swam.

About three weeks ago I had a trial class for Aqua Aerobics at The Club, Bukit Utama (near Bandar Utama). It was nothing short of amazing! The movements really "working" your upper and lower back. And don't get me started on how amazing it felt on the core. It is important to have a strong core. I intend to start regular Aqua Aerobics classes this July. The review and update on this will be for another entry.

For now, lets talk about swimming.

Going for the Aqualogix class (this is what the classes are called) reminded me of how comfortable and relaxed water has always made me feel. So I decided to incorporate swimming into my health ritual. And so my weekly health ritual would be something like this:

- Gym; cardio and strengthening exercises (including weights), three times a week (1.5 to 2.5 hours each time).
- Physiotherapy at Spinal Inc.; twice a week (two hours each time).
- Swimming; twice a week (one to two hours each time).

It has been a few weeks now and swimming has done wonders to the good ol' spine. It has helped me manage my pain better (most days are pain-free now, praise Allah!), and it has helped me strengthen my lung capacity as well. I do cardio a lot at the gym, so I was amazed at how out of breath I got after my first swimming session in years. The breathing technique we use as we swim really helps build up overall stamina, especially where lung capacity is concern.


And the buoyancy of the water! It makes a person with pain feel weightless, free and oh-so-relaxed and graceful :)


So what do you guys think? All scolis should try the water, swim or not! Walking in the water is an exercise too and oh my, what effort it takes! Have you tried walking for significant distances in the water..? The first time I tried it in the Aqualogix class (and that's why Aqua aerobics is suitable even for non-swimmers).. I couldn't believe how out of shape I felt. 


Do you guys have any water-related tips to share? :) 

With my water babies.

Of Little Achievements

This year has been full of unexpected things.

What I mean is.. things that I didn't expect to be able to do as a person with scoliosis (and having had two surgeries already)... have materialised, much thanks to Allah.

You can read about them here.

I ran (more like brisk-walked and half-jogged!) and finished 6 marathons in the past 6 months :)

This week I went for a RPM / spinning class and I am super-excited about it. Never once in my life did I imagine that I'd one day have the ability to be a regular gym-goer.. and to be able to attend exercise classes, just as if I am fully normal. Praise God.

To my scoliosis friends our there who are going through hard times and feeling as if normality is so much out of reach.... please have faith. Have faith in yourself. Have faith in a Higher Being (whatever your religious believe might be, it doesn't matter.. have faith in a higher power..). Have faith, stay strong, and don't give up on the hope that one day normality will be within your grasp and in your life once again.

Trust me. I didn't even think I could walk again. Whatever negative feelings, depression, frustration, helplessness, anger, envy, hopelessness that you may feel... I've felt it too. And sometimes on bad days, the feelings still come knocking on my door.

And to my scoliosis friends who are living the very much sought-after normal life we often hope and pray for..

Let us say thanks and cherish these moments.. one day at a time :)

For who knows what tomorrow holds for us...?

Guilty As Charged

I've been guilty for not blogging often enough. Guilty of not replying to comments and emails soon enough. My deepest apologies for that. Always.

Life's demanding and don't we all know it. Everyone's singing that same song now.

I'm going to be selfish for a minute here and update on my progress.

Since starting the gym and having a trainer who designs the workout programs to fit my curves and needs, I've lost 6 kilos and it feels great. Not specifically because of vanity purposes (heck, who am I kidding, right? A girl's has needs to be vain!), but mainly because I feel lighter and healthier. My spine really does feel stronger.

I am absolutely serious when I say I have never felt this strong in my life.

Strengthening the back muscles have helped tremendously in improving my quality of life. I can now help my son onto the throne, or even into a supermarket trolley (I couldn't do this before because my back would ache badly afterwards). I can now get on my knees to scrub the kitchen floor (although being pampered by good ol' husband is always a good thing to have, LOL). And I can now pray like a normal person with little limitations. Rukuk, sujud, duduk tahiyat awal and akhir.. they're all doable now. This is super awesome to me because I haven't been able to pray this way since I had the implants put in during the first surgery in 2002.

I still take it slow and am always very careful before doing a strenuous activity, but regular exercise and training has given my scoliosis some miraculous progress and improvement.

Okay that's enough of the me-news. Now on to something else.

Physiotherapy.

Lets talk physiotherapy.

Basic Exercises for Scoliosis Patients

As a person with scoliosis, the primary goals of an exercise program for your spine should be to make the muscles of your back, shoulders, and upper back strong and flexible. (Quoted directly from this site) As your back muscles become stronger, your back will feel less tight and more flexible. In many cases, once your back muscles become stronger, your pain might decrease or at least become more manageable.

This site indeed has some good basic exercises for scoliosis patients, aiming to strengthen your back. They even have videos showing how the exercises are done.

Please bear in mind that you should only proceed if the exercises do not cause you discomfort or pain. And if you're worried, do talk to your doctors first. However, I've tried the exercises and found that they're light exercises, aimed to make strengthen your back and make your back feel good. They are not to exercises to 'correct' your curves, but they do make my spine feel more flexible and less taut/tight.

IMPORTANT TIPS for those just starting to exercise:

- Start slow. For instance, start with a 15 minute walk at moderate pace. Then slowly build up as you feel stronger. You could increase to 20 minutes at faster pace, then 30 minutes, and so on.
- When doing weights, start with light weights. I started off with just 1 kilo weights. Build up as you go, but never to the point of feeling pain on the spine.
- "Tingly" or "prickly" sensations around the back muscles when you first start your exercises is normal. But stabbing pain on the spine is NOT normal. Stop immediately if you feel any pain on the spine!

Lastly, I like what this site says about scoliosis and exercise:

"Scoliosis is not related to flexibility issues or lack of strength. Scoliosis does not act as a deterrent to normal physical activity. Children and teenagers with scoliosis can participate in sports and recreational activities. They can even perform normal exercises that help build muscle strength and endurance. They can even train to improve their cardiovascular conditioning like normal people."

The Importance of Strengthening Your Back Muscles

I have so much to share but there is always so little time in a day!

But I've got a piece of good news and new discovery to share with my fellow scoliosis friends. Alright, maybe this discovery is not so new for some of us out there, but it is to me :)

About two months back, I discovered I had some free time in hand while the son is at playschool. So I decided to join the gym and get some serious workouts done.

I've always been a big believer in exercising. As a teenager I didn't really like physical activities because I was teased in school for wearing a bulky body brace, and for being so clumsy and not well-coordinated enough. Things were emotionally hard back then, so I didn't participate in sports much. If I had a regret about scoliosis, that would be it. I let the teasing and my lack of confidence get in the way and I wasted precious years not using vital parts of my body.

It wasn't until I was in college that I started brisk-walking and swimming on a daily basis in an effort to lose weight. I didn't lose weight much, but I was in good shape and felt good about myself. I had my first surgery within months of finishing my degree, and as soon as I could walk, I got my Dad or my then-boyfriend (now my husband) to drive me to Kiara Park so that I could walk. At first I walked so slow that everyone stared and wondered what was the matter with me. And at first it took me nearly 30 minutes to complete one round around the park. But I kept walking, sweating in my singlet and post-surgery body braces, not caring about those stares and whispers. And to this day I am glad I ignored them all!

Six months later I was out of the braces and walking 5 to 7 rounds (I took the big and uphill routes too) every single day. I had lost 15 kilos since the surgery and feeling good about myself.

Throughout my postgraduate studies in Melbourne, walking was my major exercise. A couple of years later when I felt super-strong, I started buying aerobic and strengthening workout videos to do on rainy winter days. I hiked a lot too on weekends and holidays. Hence I maintained my weight until I got pregnant with my son four years after my first surgery.

During my pregnancy I gained 16 kilos but kept active. I tried to workout three times a week throughout the pregnancy. After giving birth, it got hard to stick to an exercise plan. I was working and we were moving house, then the implants got infected and I couldn't walk for half a year. I started walking again when my son was 18 months old. That was when I decided to restart a workout schedule.

I walked at the park 5 days a week, 30 minutes each time. But it wasn't sufficient. My spine, and back muscles still didn't feel strong enough.

So now I've joined the gym. And to make full use of the gym, and to build strength on my back I have a personal trainer to train me twice a week. So every week while my son is at school (he goes to playschool three times a week), I'd be at the gym. Aside from that, I make sure I work out on my own home equipment three times a week. In total, I try to work out 6 days a week, about an hour to 2.5 hours each time.

And lo and behold, I am amazed at the strength that exercise can give us!

By us, I specifically mean us with scoliosis condition.

For the first time in 8 years, I am praying normally (standing up, with abilities to bend and prostrate as I wish). I can lift groceries, I can even lift my son (although I don't make a habit of it), I can bend down to look for things under the bed.. and so much more. My back muscles feel strong and capable of living a very-nearly-normal life. Praise God.

So what is my point here??

The point that I am trying to make is.. don't give up!

When you have scoliosis, some days the pain can drag you down. Some days it doesn't seem as if you will ever be normal or live normally. Some days there are just so many things that you cannot do.

Fight it.

Fight the pain. Exercise.

Go ahead, try it :)

Start with walking. Just walk. Go to the park and walk. Move your arms in silly ways that make you feel good and ignore those evil-starers. And don't stop for 30 minutes.

Stretch when you're done with your walking. Stretch your legs, your arms, your back. Be careful, but stretch. And feel good about your achievement. Because this will be the start of great benefits.

There are specific exercises to do to help strengthen the back muscles. I'm not talking about strengthening the spine or exercising your curves. What I mean is, if you concentrate on strengthening your back muscles (those muscles surrounding your back area), you can minimise discomfort and pain, and you'll also find yourself feeling stronger and better about yourself.

If you're unsure and need help, do talk to your doctors and physiotherapists. Ask them about suitable exercises. If you can find it, find a trainer with experience in aiding scoliosis patients.

In the following weeks I'll take some pictures and talk about the back exercises that I do, for the sole purpose of sharing personal experience and giving an idea of the benefits exercise can give scoliosis patients.

Is there anybody out there who have inspiring stories of fitness or strength-related discoveries to share? We still have much to learn about how exercise can benefit our scoliosis condition!