While scrolling through the many Scoliosis facebook sites that I follow, I was drawn to this case study, named “Results of chiropractic scoliosis rehabilitation treatment at two years post-skeletal maturity in idential female twins,” Dovorany, B., et al. As I have mentioned in numerous other articles, research of non-surgical treatment for Scoliosis is difficult to come by, so I try to read what I can. What really drew me so much to this article was not just that they were able to compare the success of two identical twins at two years post skeletal maturity (which is the length of time recommended by the Scoliosis Research Society), but it was the amount of correction they were able to achieve that really made me pause! Also intriguing is that the identical twins both had Scoliosis, but that their curves were different in degree and configuration – another nod to the baffling nature of Scoliosis curve progression.
I hear time and time again from Scoliosis patients that their Doctors do not recognize that any correction can be attained from non-surgical, exercised based programs. Part of that disbelief is due to a lack of proper evidence and studies. This is one case study where both patients showed a significant improvement and were both able to pull their curves back enough to prevent surgery. And, one was at 47 degrees, which is getting right to that “point of no return” for surgery. The article also contains some really good photos of what is done in some of these programs, as well as the regimen that someone can expect from a program such as the ScoliSmart boot camp program.
Lastly, I just really want to give credit to these girls for their hard work (and to their parents). Going through such a regimen is NOT easy, is NOT for people who don’t want to WORK at success. I know that when my daughter was doing a similar regimen years ago, she really had to make the commitment to success – it took work and dedication. As I pointed out today to a classroom full of Entrepreneurship students that I am teaching, it is one thing to think you have a goal, to think you want something, but the ACTING, that is the tough part – but, the most critical part. So, kudos to these girls for their hard work!
Month: April 2015
Tempestuous 2 Months
Well, it’s been 2 months since I’ve written! I can’t believe it. I apologize that I have been such a slacker. In reality, my life has been far from that of a slacker. It’s been 2 months of ups and downs, chaos, disappointment, and then success. It’s been what I like to call a big “faith builder”. But, now that things are settling down to a mild roar, I have decided to go back to making blogging a priority, so please bare with me. I want to start researching and reading and posting helpful news about Scoliosis, once again. Along with continuing our story, of course. So, I will begin with an update and a few more details on the past couple months.
First, there was the flood. No, I am not going back to biblical references here – I am referring to a literal flood, in my place of business that I was renting. Since that morning when I walked in the office to my boot going “squish” under me, things have been on a roller coaster. I won’t go into all the details, but we did decide that the best move would be to pick up and move EVERYTHING that I had been so relieved to move OUT of my house 8 months earlier BACK home until I could figure out our next move. So, the day after the flood, we gathered our friends and moved several truck loads of my business supplies and equipment and machines home in 2 feet of snow and 10 degree temps. After that, my house looked like an episode of The Hoarders TV show, but we were beginning to dry out and pick ourselves back up. As I struggled to get the business back up and running (which we managed to start shipping product again within a week), there were several deaths of friends and family members that occurred. And, I got really sick. Hmmm…wonder why? But, now, 2 months after rearranging my entire house, family and business dynamic, we are going stronger than ever. I am still trying to figure out our next move – literally and figuratively – for the business, but I have confidence that bigger and better things are in store soon. And, in the meantime, I have a great team of people working with me to deliver great products, and a house big enough to allow us to do it, so what more could I ask for? My family has rolled with it in our usual way – I mean, when you are used to constant change, it’s easier to deal with stuff like this when it happens. And, I can say, that it’s nice to feel settled again, but that I won’t be settled much longer. If we keep pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones – out of “settled” territory, we can keep growing. The last 2 months I’ve just kept the mantra that “God has a plan” and that he wants me to keep going. And, I’ve tried to live as if better things are on the horizon.
I want to urge each of you to live as if this time of tumult is just temporary – that even though you may be overwhelmed with a new diagnosis, dealing with daily therapy, brace wearing, recovery from surgery – whatever you are going through – remember that God is good, He has a plan, and that He will give you the strength to handle whatever comes in your path. We never ASK or WANT these trials and tribulations, but we can definitely learn from them and become better as a result of them.
