Has anyone ever experienced aching in their arms? Just curious if it could be fusion-related?
I read questions all the time asking whether or not a physical issue is fusion-related. For example, folks often ask questions about whether fusion causes issues like indigestion and acid reflux; a sore neck and tight shoulders; headaches, tight jaws, tender joints, etc—not to mention emotional issues, particularly anxiety and depression!
Have any of you tried an Inversion table? Does it help relieve fusion pain?
Inversion tables can work, but I much prefer to do inversions with a yoga wall as it takes up less space and offers much more variation than a table.
Read MoreFollowing our 21-Day TWiSTED Transformation in November 2020, Martha Carter and TOPS associates Kathryn Kusyszyn and Sandra Razieli answered some of our participants questions about their scoliosis.
Read More“It takes 21 days to make or break a habit.”
REALLY? I’ve heard this phrase used many times in my life. Amusing that it comes from a 1960s self-help book by a cosmetic surgeon! Quite a few years have passed since then and more research shows that at the minimum, 21 days in a row of ‘something’ allows for the creation of new neural pathways. These are composed of neurons, connected by dendrites, which are created in the brain based on habits and behaviors. As we participate in new activities, our brains are being trained to create new pathways (habits) which start to be developed in 21 days. The longer you continually practice, the more neural pathways. Thank you, Doctor Google!!
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"Never give up. With hard work, patience and persistence, great rewards will come.” I have always kept these words close to my heart, especially when I was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis at age eleven.
Read MoreFollowing spinal fusion, most people are unsure about what exercises are safe for them. In fact, it is common for many to feel fearful about any and all movement, not to mention regular day-to-day activities. This is a completely normal reaction, as our previously twisted yet flexible spines become suddenly much straighter, and much less flexible. This change affects the entire body, mind and soul!
Read MoreBringing the element of writing into the workshop enabled us to think about fusions metaphorically: how, for instance, do we integrate mind and body in a way that feels holistic? When writing our own stories, how do we incorporate memory in a way that fuses what we remember with what we can no longer recall? Participants wrote their own stories using workshop prompts and shared these stories with each other.
Read MoreMartha Carter has launched the FIRST of 11 videos that will bring her '10+1 Simple Exercises for Scoliosis and Fusions' to life. Each week, we will be adding a new exercise video to do at home.
Read MoreThis is a memoir written by the author in her sixties, looking back on life, mainly her difficult childhood. She is clear that her memories are imbued with emotional energy, and how she views her past changes during the course of the book. Linda draws a portrait with words of her experience growing up Polish and Catholic in a small America town. Scoliosis plays a minor part in the story.
Read MoreAs soon as I started reading Patricia Horvath’s book, All the Difference, I could not put it down. It almost felt like I was reading my own scoliosis story! Another teenage girl, just like I was, reminiscing about her own version of the same, tortuous, early version of the Harrington Rod surgery I had to go through. I could hardly believe it!
It was both wonderful and startling to read her words and realize they could have been mine. Of course many details were different...
Welcome to "Back Stories", our TOPS Guest Blog Series. In our third guest blog, Ahava Shira, a professional facilitator, masterful at guiding each person to express themselves in their own way, in their own time, with their own words, shares her story and how she utilizes writing as a form of healing and teaches others to do the same.
Read MoreIntroducing "Back Stories", our TOPS Guest Blog Series. In our second guest blog, Deborah Wolk, a Yoga for Scoliosis specialist based in New York City, details the incredible experience shared by all in attendance at her Yoga, Scoliosis and the Organic Body retreat for TOPS on Salt Spring Island, BC, this past July, 2018.
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INTRODUCTION
We live in a time when the earth is stressed: fires blaze along the West Coast, resources are dwindling, and the ocean and its inhabitants are diseased by plastic. The state of our planet raises questions. How does our own condition reflect this?
Read MoreRecently, Martha Carter caught up with Kristen Fay Gorman by phone to find out about her latest scoliosis research findings (nine years after Martha's original visit to Kristen's lab to see the guppies with scoliosis!). The result is a fascinating look at the questions, quandries, explorations, and discoveries that Kristen and her team have been working with most recently in the area of scoliosis research. While there may be no known cause or cure for scoliosis yet - there is definitely hope!
Click Read More to hear the audio file of their conversation.
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Introducing "Back Stories", our TOPS Guest Blog Series. Our first guest blog is this incredible raw and moving story by Cindy Heidel from Florida, USA.
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I was born, a stick with a head on it. People loved to point out how skinny I was. By thirteen, I knew I was abnormally tall, flat chested, and had two buck teeth that could open a soda bottle. Some brat in the neighborhood nicknamed me Fang. But I also knew that something was wrong with me.
In 2009, TOPS director Martha Carter and filmmaker Clancy Dennehy visited the Simon Fraser University Scoliosis Research Centre in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. They spoke with genetic researchers Felix Breden and Kristen Fay Gorman about their work with the 'curveback' guppy, with the goal of uncovering the many mysteries about scoliosis.
Read MoreA recent study claims performing a single yoga pose for 90 seconds for at least 3 days a week could reduce spine curvature in patients with scoliosis in as little as 3 months.
Read MoreThe future of scoliosis outreach and awareness is in the hands of our teens – check out this inspirational story about a young girl who worked to create scoliosis support in her own community.
Read MoreIt can be hard to keep the facts straight – especially as there is still so much testing and study to be done on non-medical treatments for scoliosis. Here’s a quick breakdown of need-to-know scoliosis basics, including causes, effects and treatments for scoliosis.
Read MoreCan't keep all the brace options straight? Take a look at this review of different back braces currently on the market and make an informed choice.
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Short and sweet answers to everything you've been wondering about yoga and scoliosis.
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