At the end of primary school, heading into high school my best friend was diagnosed with severe scoliosis of the spine. She will forever be my hero for the way she took it all in her stride, at the beginning of adolescence and with the impending social challenges of that period of your life.

You see, the scoliosis – curvature and twisting – of her spine extended from her high thoracic region through to her lumbosacral area. As a result, she was instructed to wear a Milwaukee Brace, which stretched as a metal support under her chin right down to a plastic splint supporting her pelvis. “Horace” as she promptly named him, was stuck to her like glue. Twenty-three hours a day. The hour of “freedom” consisted of exercise to strengthen her spine. This plan was to avoid steel rods being surgically placed in her spine and was a last resort.
Finding the curve was unexpected and only picked up when her brother noticed a strange lump on her back when she was bending over to jump into the pool. She had no pain to speak of and was a very active kid who played hockey, was in Nippers every weekend and we were always tearing around her neighbourhood on bikes or by foot. Most spinal curvatures in adolescence follow this pattern. It is called Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) and accounts for about 80-85% of spinal curvatures. They can vary in severity, and therefore management, and are of an unknown cause. The curvature can progress quite quickly, while our bodies are growing rapidly during this period of our lives. Left untreated it can create other health concerns as the spine places pressure on lungs and the heart, as well as the secondary changes of the joints and muscles because of the vertebrae changing position. Pain often does not occur until these secondary changes start happening and they start complaining of back ache in the day, or night. Thankfully for my bestie, it was picked up early enough and the brace was successful in stabilising the curve.
Strangely enough, I also developed a scoliosis during adolescence which was a lot milder than my bestie’s. I didn’t realise at all until I started getting constant back ache later in my teen years after walking around for long periods and was woken nightly with pain on my left thorax. I didn’t know this wasn’t normal and tried to stretch and keep fit as best as I could. After I left school, my back pain became often debilitating, especially after starting a new activity or job, or sitting for long hours of study during university days. It was not until towards the end of my Physio degree that it was diagnosed, and I found ways to minimise how it would impact me. This included specific strength exercises, stretches, Pilates and regular hands-on physio to reduce joint stiffness and muscle tightness. I really wish I had known earlier!
So, even though your adolescent housemates may not like you “checking out” their bodies – it never hurts to subtly cast an eye on any changes you think may be unusual, and never ignore any complaints of back pain that persists. If you need a second set of eyes, or someone else they may actually listen to… phone us at Physique.