Re: Re: rods removed

[Guest guest]

Hi Andy,I am a Registered Craniosacral therapist and a Chiropractor (in Boulder), and this doesn't make any sense to me. What we are working with in CS work is the movement of the Cerebral Spinal Fluid, which is not blocked by your rods or by fusion. You might try a different style of massage therapy, and do the stretching and strengthening as well. I think it would be a BIG decision, and most likely a mistake, to remove the rods. Just my 2 cents. RuckerOn Apr 29, 2011, at 6:09 PM, andrastanton@... wrote:Hi ,Welcome back.I'm in a similar situation as you. My cranio-sacral massage therapist says that with my rods in place, my muscles cannot be adequately massaged so that a day after he's worked on me, they go back to the way they were - tight and hard. He's suggesting that I have the rods removed and religiously commit to a program of strengthening and stretching to combat spinal curving and twisting. I talked with friends with scoliosis, and three orthopedic surgeons, and they made several good points in favor of keeping my rods in place:1. Even if the rods are removed, my bones are still fused. Therefore, my spinal muscles still won't be able to bend or move much or any more than they can now. So exercise can't 'get to' them.2. All the factors that created my curvatures are still in play. My body still wants to curve and twist. The rods are supporting the fusion, which is my defense against curving and twisting. Without the rods, my fusion will be more vulnerable to breaking - because my muscles are still pulling at it. If I can't get to the muscles with exercise, there's a good chance the fusion will break down. At least that's the theory and the worry. No one really knows.3. Of course any time anyone goes under anesthesia there's a chance something could go wrong. And removing the rods might not be a simple matter. In my case, I've developed a lot of scar tissue, which a surgeon may or may not be able to cut out, but even if he/she could, it's one of many complications he/she might encounter. With complications, there are more chances for injury.4. Finally, If I were to have my rods out for the strict purpose of more efficacious (hypothetically) massage, I'd be the first (most probably!) person to do it and I don't relish the idea of being a guinea pig again. That's not to say I want someone else to do it. Maybe if someone else had to have her rods removed due to pain or infection or allergy, then it would make more sense to go through with rod removal because it would be less elective surgery and more necessary for quality of life.Right now I'm in chronic intermittent pain for which I take a 1/4 tab of Percocet once or twice a day. I can't do much exercising because it gets my scar tissue pain going and that can take me out of my life for days at a time. So I use a treadmill and am considering returning to warm-water pool exercise. I have an appointment with an Iyengar (rehab) yoga instructor in two weeks, but I tried some of Elise Browning's program and it killed me. I envy you that you got to work with Ellen. I met her (by email) in 2004 and offered to help her write a book about her program - but she didn't feel ready. I think she's the only yoga instructor who specializes in fused spine patients. I'd love to work with her some day!Best of luck to you, ! Please let me/us know what you decide to do.Andy StantonBoulder CO