[proudest_mama]

Hi everyone - it's been a long, long time but now I have a question.

First of all, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2004 when I was 44 years old. At that time, the neuro put me on both Mirapex and Artane. The good news is that I have not had to increase my medications in the 5 1/2 years I've had PD. Those two drugs are keeping my Parkinsons' at bay.

Now the big question comes ...

I was born with severe scoliosis which was not found until I was 13 and had already grown. Up until last year this has not been a problem.


This past year I've had excruciating back pain and have been to at least two orthopedic doctors as well as the local pain clinic. Nothing they did seems to work. Today I went to see a third but he is also an orthopedic surgeon.

The surgeon compared x-rays of my spine from a year ago to today and the difference is remarkable.

I cannot sit up straight and I walk hunched over as well as leaning to my right side. The surgeon said that it's directly related to my Parkinson's and that adult scoliosis never changes that drastically. Surgery ... major surgery ... is recommended.

I am scared out of my wits, not with the surgery so much as the recuperation. I'd have to spend several weeks in the hospital and much more than that in a rehab facility.

My question is if this has happened to anyone else? If it has, I'd love to hear about it.

[marciaj]

My sister has scoliosis. As a child my parents took her to see a doctor and my mom told us kids that there was nothing they could do. My parents didn't have a lot of money so if the doctor did suggest surgery they would not have done it. I believe they thought it wouldn't get worse. Well, it did. It progressively got worse even as an adult. I forget what degree her curve is. It's drastic. She does not have PD but has other health problems. She is 71. I know her lung problem is connected to the scoliosis but don't think the other problems are related.

I wasn't sure if you wanted all cases of scoliosis or just if they also had PD.

[reverett123]

It is time to see a chiropractor. Both PD and the meds tend to pull us out of alignment and that is chiro territory. Minimum recovery problems too.

[proudest_mama]

Thanks for the two replies. I'll look into chiropractors and appreciate the advice.

I'm sorry about your sister, Marcia. Since I'm only 51 I can't continue to live with this spine. I lean right and walk slumped over. Physically I can't stand up straight and I look like an old lady. The surgeon has scheduled me for physical therapy but I tend to think that a chiropractor would be more beneficial.

I'll keep you posted, but I appreciate your responses.

[Judith]

I have scoliosis and osteoporosis--a surefire recipe for back pain when combined with PD.

A problem with scoliosis is that the muscles on the concave side are shorter and tighter than on the convex side, and the muscle rigidity of PD adds even more intense pulling on the spine.

I went to a chiropractor for years and it did help temporarily, but now I fear that he did more harm than good as there's a lot of crunching of bone against bone now. I also have found help from yoga and deep tissue massage, but none of those were helping enough. I couldn't stand for more than 10 minutes without pain. I was having to take NSAIDS and apply heat to my back every morning just to get through the day.

I finally asked my doctor to refer me to physical therapy and it has helped me tremendously, as I have followed through with the recommendations. My therapist helped me figure out an exercise program using one of those large exercise balls and I now do exercises twice a day with the ball as support. My massage therapist says that the muscles on the short side of my back aren't nearly as tight as they were before PT. I am also able to stand up straighter and longer without so much pain. Every day I do stretches and torso twists that help ease the tightness. I no longer rely on NSAIDS.

Don't know if this will help you, because we are all so different, but it might be worth your while - if you have insurance - to seek a referral to physical therapy because a physical therapist can figure out the mechanics of your particular situation and things you can do to alleviate the problem.

Good luck!

Judith