My “back” story

As a physical therapist of 6 years, I know that everyone has their own unique story. I love hearing and connecting with others, and I know that having someone who sympathizes always helps. Here is my story, I hope you can relate!

The early years

When I was a young child, my mom helped put me to sleep by rubbing my back. At the age of 4 or 5, my mom noticed that my spine was curving. She took me to the doctor who agreed that I had scoliosis, and the rest is history. From there I saw all sorts of specialists, including orthopedists and neurologists who searched for the underlying cause of my scoliosis.

At age 6, I underwent an MRI of my brain and spine, which at the time was revolutionary for such a young child. I only remember the technician giving me some medicine to help calm me. When I woke up, I was soooo hungry. My mom and I cleaned out the vending machines to fill me up. I also remember the radiology technician gave me a Barbie doll 🙂 I was very happy.

The MRI showed that I had Chiari Malformation. This was causing a cyst in my spinal cord, or syringomyelia. Or in normal people terms – my brain was too big and was putting too much pressure on my back to make my spine curve. They believed this was causing the scoliosis, and wanted to monitor it as I aged. Within a year, the doctor scheduled me for brain surgery due to the sharp progression of my curve.

Four Surgeries in 7 years

Brain Surgery

At age 7, I had a Chiari Malformation Decompression performed at the Cleveland Clinic, by a world-class surgeon, who happened to be our neighbor. He told my mom that he could perform the surgery in his garage with his eyes closed. I don’t know if that helped assuage my mom’s fears or worsened them. Either way, the surgery was a success, and the doctor was able to fix the Chiari Malformation. I also have an awesome scar at the base of my skull, and now am considered a “zipperhead”.

My doctors hoped that fixing this problem would slow the progression of my scoliosis. However, my curve continued to progress at an aggressive pace. The doctors had me fitted with a back brace to slow the progression of my curve. So at age 8, I acquired an exoskeleton! I loved telling my friends and their siblings that I was actually a robot, and then showing them my plastic and metal stomach. Swim practice became my favorite time because it meant I could remove the brace for an hour or so. I was always the best at red rover during recess too 🙂

Scoliosis Fusion Surgeries

By the time I was 10, despite all conservative measures, including my trusty brace, my curve had not stopped progressing. Even though I was still growing, my doctors decided I needed to have a spinal fusion. My thoracic curve was up in the 60-65 degree range, and they needed to stop the progression, before it became debilitating. I underwent a spinal fusion, of my lower thoracic and lumbar spine. In this surgery they fused my growth plates as well as inserted two Harrington rods and plenty of hardware to get it as straight as possible. They did not fuse my upper thoracic spine, in the hope that straightening the bottom would stop the progression of the top.

Unfortunately, the plan to doctor’s came up with did not work. My upper curve continued to progress rapidly and within two years I needed another fusion to straighten my upper spine. And then two years after that, I needed a third fusion to fuse higher up the thoracic spine. When all was said and done I was fused from T2-L2. I still have a moderate curve, it was unable to be completely straightened. I also developed hyperkyphosis post fusion, which is the vertebrae that weren’t fused started curving forward at a high rate.

My last surgery happened my freshman year of high school. I missed a few days, but was back in school quickly. I got right back into academics, orchestra, and joined the golf team the next year. Even though there were things my doctor told me to avoid – running, jumping, contact sports – I was a normal kid, going through normal high school stuff.

Life after fusion with scoliosis

After high school, I headed to Brigham Young University for college, and started working on a biochemistry degree. My back held up pretty well until my junior year when I started having low back pain. I followed up with an orthopedist, who checked my scoliosis and spinal fusions and said that my back looked fine and sent me on my way. He suggested I try physical therapy, so I did. Sadly, the PT I saw didn’t have many suggestions for me.

A year later I was on a service trip for my church, and my back pain returned. I went to see a new physical therapist, and this time, she felt confident she could help me. While I don’t remember exactly what she taught me, I do remember she impressed me with her knowledge and ability to help me feel better. She was well versed in Chiari Malformation and scoliosis, and It was at this point that I decided that maybe I should consider physical therapy as a career.

When looking into it more, I found that I loved physical therapy! I love being able to connect with and help people, and I love being able to build relationships. I don’t always have the answers that people need right away, but I enjoy researching and trying new ideas with patients that may help them.

My junior year at BYU, I met my awesome husband, Alan, and we were married a year later. We moved to Atlanta, where I attended Emory University for my doctoral program in physical therapy. About a year after my graduation, we welcomed our daughter into the family, and she is now strong-willed, sassy, creative, and loving. Our son was born a few years after and he is curious, fearless, and never stops moving. I am expecting our third child in the next few months, and we are excited to keep our family moving and growing!

<3 Hannah