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Posted By on 28 Nov 2009 12:28 AM
I was scheduled for shoulder surgery on November 2, 2009. The spacing in my shoulder between the ball and socket was only 4mm. It is normally 12-14mm in a healthy shoulder. My orthopedic doctor (who was very nice and professional) was going to "create space" by shaving the underside of the shoulder socket. This is a normal procedure, with the medical community, for addressing narrow spacing in the shoulder joint. I was told this narrowing is not uncommon as one gets older. I am 40. I couldn't help but wonder if my shoulder problems were partially due to my scoliosis, diagnosed in 4th grade by the school nurse and confirmed by a local chiropractor.
I have suspected for a few years now that my scoliosis has been changing because of increased health changes over the past 3-5 years, but have been told by several chiropractors over the past 30 years that my scholiosis curve would not change during adulthood. The health issues I newly developed or had notibly experienced increased symptoms over the past 3-5 years include the shoulder problem above, failed traditional shoulder physical therapy (resulted in more shoulder aggravation for me), increased constipation (chronic since childhood), decreased ability to take a deep breath, unable to lie on side without feeling chest pressure and decreased depth of breaths, mid back going out, increased neck problems, heart palpatations, pain or achiness in wrists or ankle at times, to name a few.
I wanted to believe that surgery should be my last resort and wanted to make sure there wasn't another answer out there somewhere. I went online and researched scoliosis and discovered the Clear Institute, with one office here in St. Cloud, MN. I contacted Dr. Woggon, who confirmed that shoulder problems are common with scoliosis conditions. I made an appointment shortly after and put my surgery on hold.
I have now been treating with Dr. Woggon for 6 weeks. I started with a triple curve with cob angles at 13/14/16, a mild case but bad enough to cause problems. My collar bone was also shifted forward, affecting my shoulders. Dr. Woggon gave me customized exercise plan for my back and also my shoulder to increase the spacing in my shoulder joint. Four weeks into treatment going 3 times per week with customized home exercises twice per day, the cob angles have been reduced to 5/8/4! The spacing in my shoulder has increased also but I must still be careful at this point to not overstress it. The other health issues named above have either disappeared or significantly improved. (I could once again take deep breaths after just the first treatment!) My appointments are now twice per week with Dr. Woggon plus customized exercises twice per day.
I have been very impressed with what the Clear Institute has done for scoliosis patients. The staff is incredible. This journey has required my full and dedicated cooperation for attending all my appointments, doing my exercises twice per day and correctly, and keeping Dr. Woggon informed on how I am doing. Treatment can be quite uncomfortable at times, as any therapy can be, but it most certainly beats surgical recovery. The expectation is to reduce my appointments to once per week with twice daily exercises in another two weeks. After 3 months of treatment, the expectation is that I will be able to only visit Dr Woggon every six months for a check up. I will continue with exercises for the rest of my days, but we should all be exercising the rest of our days anyway to maintain overall health.
If you are contemplating getting help for your own scoliosis or know someone who suffers from it, please contact a Clear Institute for more information. I would rather do exercises every day for the rest of my life and feel good than suffer from the debilitating affects of untreated scoliosis or ineffective medical procedures that only treat the symptoms rather than the source. I wish you well and may God bless you on your new journey to better health. |
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RE: Surgery Averted |
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| Topic Review |  | |
Rachel
Basic Member
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| 28 Nov 2009 06:28 AM |
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I was scheduled for shoulder surgery on November 2, 2009. The spacing in my shoulder between the ball and socket was only 4mm. It is normally 12-14mm in a healthy shoulder. My orthopedic doctor (who was very nice and professional) was going to "create space" by shaving the underside of the shoulder socket. This is a normal procedure, with the medical community, for addressing narrow spacing in the shoulder joint. I was told this narrowing is not uncommon as one gets older. I am 40. I couldn't help but wonder if my shoulder problems were partially due to my scoliosis, diagnosed in 4th grade by the school nurse and confirmed by a local chiropractor.
I have suspected for a few years now that my scoliosis has been changing because of increased health changes over the past 3-5 years, but have been told by several chiropractors over the past 30 years that my scholiosis curve would not change during adulthood. The health issues I newly developed or had notibly experienced increased symptoms over the past 3-5 years include the shoulder problem above, failed traditional shoulder physical therapy (resulted in more shoulder aggravation for me), increased constipation (chronic since childhood), decreased ability to take a deep breath, unable to lie on side without feeling chest pressure and decreased depth of breaths, mid back going out, increased neck problems, heart palpatations, pain or achiness in wrists or ankle at times, to name a few.
I wanted to believe that surgery should be my last resort and wanted to make sure there wasn't another answer out there somewhere. I went online and researched scoliosis and discovered the Clear Institute, with one office here in St. Cloud, MN. I contacted Dr. Woggon, who confirmed that shoulder problems are common with scoliosis conditions. I made an appointment shortly after and put my surgery on hold.
I have now been treating with Dr. Woggon for 6 weeks. I started with a triple curve with cob angles at 13/14/16, a mild case but bad enough to cause problems. My collar bone was also shifted forward, affecting my shoulders. Dr. Woggon gave me customized exercise plan for my back and also my shoulder to increase the spacing in my shoulder joint. Four weeks into treatment going 3 times per week with customized home exercises twice per day, the cob angles have been reduced to 5/8/4! The spacing in my shoulder has increased also but I must still be careful at this point to not overstress it. The other health issues named above have either disappeared or significantly improved. (I could once again take deep breaths after just the first treatment!) My appointments are now twice per week with Dr. Woggon plus customized exercises twice per day.
I have been very impressed with what the Clear Institute has done for scoliosis patients. The staff is incredible. This journey has required my full and dedicated cooperation for attending all my appointments, doing my exercises twice per day and correctly, and keeping Dr. Woggon informed on how I am doing. Treatment can be quite uncomfortable at times, as any therapy can be, but it most certainly beats surgical recovery. The expectation is to reduce my appointments to once per week with twice daily exercises in another two weeks. After 3 months of treatment, the expectation is that I will be able to only visit Dr Woggon every six months for a check up. I will continue with exercises for the rest of my days, but we should all be exercising the rest of our days anyway to maintain overall health.
If you are contemplating getting help for your own scoliosis or know someone who suffers from it, please contact a Clear Institute for more information. I would rather do exercises every day for the rest of my life and feel good than suffer from the debilitating affects of untreated scoliosis or ineffective medical procedures that only treat the symptoms rather than the source. I wish you well and may God bless you on your new journey to better health. |
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