Happy New Year - 2014!

A bit late now I guess but Happy New Year! 

I wanted to write a bit of an update on me and how my back is doing now I'm 3 1/2 years post op. 

Flexibility wise my back is the best it's been since surgery and bending to pick things up off the floor, rolling over in bed and things like that no longer seem to be an issue for me, which if you'd told me that at around 3 months post op I'd never have believed you! It seems that I can now bend quite normally and I notice my metalwork less and less now despite being fused to L3, which is encouraging. 

The only annoyance for me now is my shoulder, which I still get quite a bit of pain and discomfort in, partly because I have a winged scapula and the shoulder blade is not in the correct place. I'm not sure if this is down to my residual thoracic curve or as a side effect of the surgery or a bit of both. I went to the doctor mid last year about pain in my shoulder and lower back (which is not as bad, only if I'm on my feet alot) and she prescribed me Naproxen and referred me to the physio again. 

I started taking the Naproxen for a while but found it didn't really do anything so, for now, I don't take any painkillers as 1. I don't like taking them and 2. I haven't really found a painkiller that does the job and doesn't have any horrible side effects. 

The physio I saw late last year was quite useful, she basically said the reason I get pain in my back and after I've been to the gym for example, is that as I have the metalwork in there, my muscles have essentially become "lazy" and some of them aren't working as they should as they rely on the metalwork to do the work for them. So if I go to the gym for example, I end up using more muscles than I should do to over compensate for the ones that are being a bit lazy, which gives me more pain and achyness the next day.  I suppose it makes sense and I never thought of it like that. She showed me some simple exercises to do to "activate" some of my muscles again which I found very useful, although I must admit I didn't have the time to do them as religiously as I should have done.

As it was an NHS phsyio, they can only see me for 6 weeks at a time and then discharge me even although I'll never be "cured." I think this time it was worthwhile going though, although no doubt I'll be back again at some point! I think there should be a different system for people with long term conditions, as we need really need long term physio and support rather than continuously having to go back, see a new physio each time and be discharged again.

She did recommend a pilates DVD for people with long term back pain, so my plan now is to try that and see how I get on. It's so hard to know what the best exercises are when you have spinal fusion as you want to keep your muscles strong but you don't want to do damage or make any pain you have any worse.  I wanted to start going to the pilates classes at my gym but I just know I won't be able to do half of the moves and will just end up feeling embarrased.

Anyway, I'll update how I get on with the DVD, hopefully it will be of benefit to me!

1 year 8 months post op - You can't see the view if you don't climb the mountain...

In the early stages of my recovery from scoliosis surgery, this was one of my favourite quotes. It was a quote that really helped me get through the really tough days as it made me realise that one day, I would look back and realise how far I'd come and how strong I was.

Well this weekend I actually climbed a mountain, Mount Snowdon that is, the highest mountain in Wales at 3560 ft above sea level!

I went with some people from work and at first I wasn't sure if I should go, because of my back as I thought it would be too hard for me but thought it would be a good challenge and didn't want to let me back stop me.

When we got there I realised it wouldn't be easy as there were huuge rocks to clamber over, massive steps, rough terrain and very steep climbs. It wasn't a walk in the park!

When we got about half way up there were also bits I actually had to physically scramble up by using my hands - which is not easy when you can't bend but amazingly I managed and I got ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP!!! 

There were some members of our group that didn't even make it up so I was really proud of myself and happy that I managed it. 

It felt like such a huge achievement to climb a mountain after all I've been through with my back and it's proof at how far you can come after this surgery if you really put your mind to it. 

 

 I've been going to the gym alot and I found the climb relatively easy fitness wise, which I'm also really proud of.  

 The only thing I didn't like was that the rocks were really slippy, there were some very steep drops and loose rocks and I was soo scared of slipping - this was much worse coming down. 

There is a train that goes up and down and I think if I did it again I'd get the train down as I think it's too dangerous walking/climbing down.

 My back started hurting as I reached the summit but felt ok after a well deserved sit down in the cafe at the top! Bearing in mind we'd been walking/climbing 3 hours uphill and 3 hours down I think my back coped pretty well overall.

Now im in pain from doing it but amazingly it's not my back but my legs that are killing me today! 

It just goes to show that if you keep going and stay positive, even if it doesn't feel like it in the early stages of recovery, there's a wonderful view from the top! (As long as it's not foggy...)

Me up the mountain

A Momentous Occasion...1 year 6 months post op

Last night I got into bed but then I realised I needed to turn the light off, so I sat up. 

Then I realised. I can sit up! I can actually sit straight up from lying down!! Without even thinking about it!!

This may not sound like much but for me this is a big deal.

I'm now 1 year 6 months post op and it's only really over the past couple of months or so that I'm starting to notice improvements like this. 

I'd say I've pretty much felt the same between the 1 year post op mark and 1 year 5 months or so and I was worried that I wouldn't improve much more.  That this would be it now. The best I'd ever get.

This to me though is proof that I am still improving. Proof how long this recovery actually is.

I can't help but think that all my hard work at the gym is also paying off. For the past few months I've been working really hard, going 3 times a week and focussing on core muscle work.

Last week my fitness instructor asked me to do the "Plank," which is basically lying face down on a mat, resting on your forearms and pushing off the floor so you're resting on your toes and elbows only. 

I was a bit reluctant at first as I haven't really done any exercises on the floor since surgery and I was worried about hurting my back. It was awkward getting down that low and getting back up but he was impressed with how long I could hold the exercise, he said I can hold it longer than most people he sees so my core exercises must be working! 

I'm now doing this exercise when I go to the gym, but resting on a pilates ball rather than the floor so I don't need to get down that low.

I have really noticed that my lower back pain has improved since I started all these core exercises and I'm so happy that I can now do things like sitting up in bed, like I used to before surgery, without log rolling out.

Honestly, I thought I would never do this again. I thought that maybe the rods restricted me from being able to sit up without rolling on my side but it must be weak muscles and now I'm regaining strength in my back muscles things like this are getting so much easier.

Yes, it's always in the back of my mind that what if I'm doing damage to my back/fusion/metal going to the gym all the time? This thought sometimes takes over and I'm scared to try new things but I'm getting to the point slowly where I'm realising that my back is stronger than I think.

I actually feel like I'm getting my old life back, after all this time.

Woohoo!!!

Physio this week - Gym Ball Exercises for Scoliosis

Scoliosis Exercises - Post Surgery 

This week I saw my physio and she gave me some exercises to use on my gym ball. 

I bought a gym ball a few weeks ago as I've been getting alot of lower back pain after walking or sitting and my lower back generally feels very weak. 

I think because I have three discs that aren't fused at the bottom of my spine they're really feeling the pressure!! 

I feel a bit sorry for them actually, suddenly having to do all the work...

My physio thinks that doing the simple exercises she has given me on a gym  ball will really help to strengthen my 'core muscles' which will help support my lower back and help my pain. 

A six pack would also be a nice benefit hehe..

If anyone is interested, some of the exercises I have been given are:

• Just sitting on the gym ball and maintaining good posture - this sounds simple but your core muscles have to work really hard just to keep your balance! 


• You can do this whilst watching TV, or even sit on the gym ball instead of a chair when you're at your computer - even half an hour a day sitting on it can make a huge difference!


• Sitting on the gym ball and raising one leg outwards and replacing - this is incredibly difficult for me and I can hardly balance! Just shows how weak my muscles are really...:/


• Sitting on the gym ball and raising one knee up and replacing.


• Sitting on the gym ball and lifting one arm above my head.


• Standing, holding the gym ball in front on me and lifting the gym ball above my head, without arching my back.

These exercises may sound incredibly simple but they are quite difficult for me, which just shows how weak my core muscles really are!  

 

Once I've mastered the basics I can then move on to more advanced exercises.   

 

Remember, you should always check with your physio/doctor before attempting new exercises when you have a spinal fusion. 

 

The gym ball I bought for example, came with a DVD but the exercises on it are way too advanced for me so you have to be careful!! I've also noticed there are a lot of gym ball exercises available online but there's no way I could do them just yet. 

 

Also, I'm just over a year post scoliosis surgery now so I'm ok now to do these type of exercises, you should check with your surgeon if you are under a year post op before you attempt any new exercises.  

 

How to choose the right size gym ball...

It's important that you have the correct size gym ball for your height.

       When sitting on the gym ball your legs should be parrallel to the floor.

Many are 65cm but my physio advised me that a 55cm one would be more suitable for my height (5ft 5). 

Apparantly if you have the wrong size your muscles may not benefit the same, as you'll be sat in the wrong position - so bear this in mind! 

 

Generally speaking:

If you are 5ft 5 or under - 55cm gym ball. 

If you are over 5ft 5 - 65cm ball.

If you are over 6ft - 75cm.

However this is just a guide - it's better to get a bigger size and not inflate it fully than getting one that's too small.

Where to buy a Gym Ball...

If anyone is interested, this is the gym ball I use (below) it comes in 55cm, 65cm and 75cm and is from Reebok. It comes with a dvd but I wouldn't attempt any of the exercises on the DVD unless you are at least a year post op and feel comfortable with them. If it hurts - don't do it!

This gym ball is great quality and value for money and I would highly recommend anyone suffering with low back pain to try using a gym ball - it's a great and low impact way to strengthen those core muscles!

 

        55cm               65cm                 75cm