In this serial blog, Martha’s Healing Journey, Martha Carter talks about her personal journey, beginning with her diagnosis of scoliosis at age 13, all the way through her Harrington rod removal, along with sharing her past and ongoing in-depth explorations and discoveries with many different healing modalities and health practitioners.
We encourage you to start with Part 1.
Part 33 of Martha’s Healing Journey
When our bodies are relaxed and open, we are ready to absorb other new sensations, discoveries ,and experiences. And to do this in a place like Mexico adds to the richness of the experience as we find ourselves interacting with the people, culture, language, food, music, and astounding nature of the area.
Read MorePart 32 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Thanks to the many online connections throughout this past year, including hosting a monthly Fusion Support Group, I have had the incredible opportunity to talk about scoliosis more than usual, and with a larger and growing community from around the world than ever before.
So, to bring in this New Year, I thought I would share some of my new insights and lessons right here... in point form, and in no particular order!
Read MoreI'm 28 and had my spinal fusion 12 years ago, never really exercised, and I am sick of feeling stiff; I just don't know where to begin, what is safe - just machines like treadmills and bikes, or just yoga moves and weights? Can anyone guide me in the right direction?
Read MorePart 30 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Throughout this blog, I have been writing about my healing journey, starting with the removal of my Harrington rods in 1995 when I was 35 years old — until today, where I am quickly approaching 60. Eek!
In some ways, I feel in better shape now than I was back then. That is because, regardless of the increasing wrinkles, extra flab, and age spots, I am much more mindful and aware about all aspects of my ‘soma'—my entire physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual being—than I have ever been before. Part of this has to do with life experience, but most of it is due to my constant search for different ways to be comfortable with my mostly uncomfortable fusion.
Yoga for Scoliosis, and yoga in general, has helped me tremendously, but I continue to find new layers of the ‘healing onion’ to explore.
Read MorePart 20 of Martha’s Healing Journey
In my last blog about pain, I addressed how, for most people with scoliosis, pain is a constant companion. And although it may seem obvious that a compressed spine that curves and twists the body into a crooked position will cause some discomfort, it is not quite that simple.
In fact, it is well documented that a person's response to pain is heavily influenced by many individual traits, as well as the particular psychological, emotional and social factors affecting their life.
Read MorePart 19 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Have you ever noticed that pain can be LOUD?
There have been a few times in my life when I have experienced such crazy ‘loud’ pain that I could not even think, or be, or feel anything -- except that pain
Part 18 of Martha’s Healing Journey
How the spine relates to all other joints.
Over the years, as I have worked on finding comfort and mobility in my fused spine, I have definitely felt things improve for the better.
Unfortunately, one day about 13 years ago, while moving a box up some stairs, I felt my left knee pop, and that incident was - unbeknownst to me at the time - the beginning of a new healing journey.
Part 16 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Scoliosis is a really confounding condition! The more I try to explain it, the more I realize that it is full of contradictions.
Nobody knows why it happens, or who will get it. Given that every scoliosis is unique, the effects can be so different for each person, which of course makes it difficult to compare notes.
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