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 12 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Through attending Yoga For Scoliosis with Elise Browning Miller, I came to clearly understand that Yoga could really help me, but it also opened me up to the realization that I didn't know anything about Yoga — in the wider sense. When I first started studying Yoga, I was completely distracted by my own body fears and discomforts.
Read MorePart 11 of Martha’s Healing Journey
When I discovered Elise Browning Miller and her method, Yoga for Scoliosis, I finally felt confident to explore Yoga further. First of all, Elise had scoliosis! So, unlike other Yoga teachers I had worked with, her teaching provided insights that could only come from having personal experience with this condition.
Part 10 of Martha’s Healing Journey
When my back finally started to feel stronger and more mobile, I found myself dreaming about dancing. In that moment between sleep and awake, I would have visions of myself in an extreme arabesque with my an open chest, arched back, and a long, high leg. Sometimes it was à Ia seconde - with my leg lifted to the side. I was never wearing a tutu. I was always either in street clothes or naked. I could feel my spine - free and powerful.
Part 9 of Martha’s Healing Journey
I keep wanting to talk about getting into Yoga for Scoliosis — an eventual and integral part of my scoliosis journey following the removal of my Harrington Roads — but as I write this serial blog, and look back on all that’s happened, other memories get triggered and new understandings appear.
Read MorePart 8 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Ever since my rod removal 21 years ago, I have spent a LOT of time exploring different options for supportive care.
I never expected to go down this road, but exploring the myriad supportive care options out there has become an ongoing educational journey that I continue to find not only self-empowering, but endlessly fascinating.
Read MorePart 7 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Shortly after my Harrington rods were removed, I was talking to a friend about my rehabilitation regime combination of massage and gym training. As a dancer himself, he recognized the obvious benefits of these activities, but he also suggested I consider doing some emotional counselling to support my physical healing.
Read MorePart 6 of Martha’s Healing Journey
The results of my intense massage routine and gym training slowly gave me confidence to try new things in the search for more mobility and pain relief. I thought that by having my Harrington rods removed, everything would be better, immediately. But, as it turned out, I encountered a whole new set of challenges...
Read MorePart 5 of Martha’s Healing Journey
As I mentioned in Part 3 of this serial blog post, after the removal of my Harrington rods, I was eager to experience movement in a new way—without the restriction of metal implants. But because I still felt stiff and had muscle spasms, I decided to work with a massage therapist, Dawn, to help break up the scar tissue that had built up over the years.
Read MorePart 4 of Martha’s Healing Journey
Before I go further in this serial blog post about my journey through Harrington rod removal surgery, the long term effects, and the after care and supportive treatments I discovered, I would like to reiterate to all readers that every person’s surgery experience is unique.
Read MorePart 3 of Martha’s Healing Journey
It was not easy convincing the new surgeon to remove my Harrington rods. He was unsympathetic to most of my initial reasoning — that I didn’t “like” the foreign object in my body; that the rods “felt weird”, and like they were “vibrating”.
Read MorePart 2 of Martha’s Healing Journey
After I made the decision to have my Harrington rods removed, I experienced a huge flood of emotions. I had a flashback to my first surgery. The doctors and my family commenting how “strong” and “brave” I was. How I never cried.
Read MorePart 1 of Martha’s Healing Journey
When I was told that I had scoliosis and needed to have Harrington rod surgery at age 13, I was also told that I wouldn’t be allowed to dance anymore and that I shouldn’t do any rigorous exercise or yoga. It was 1974, and the relatively new surgical procedure was in its early years.
Read More