Saya 42 penderita scoliosis parah (50 dan 35 derajat), beberapa tergelincir cakram (multiple slip disc) pada tulang leher saya (C3-C6) dan daerah lumbal (L3-L5), hypokyphosis dan tulang belakang degeneratif. Saya sudah dirujuk dan disarankan untuk operasi fusi tulang belakang namun karena kurangnya dana dan tulang degeneratif saya harus menunda rencana tersebut.
Selama bertahun-tahun saya sudah mencari pengobatan non bedah untuk scoliosis saya. Dengan pilihan pengobatan terbatas di Filipina saya tidak punya pilihan selain mendapatkan manajemen konservatif melalui terapi fisik.
Saya menjalani perawatan melalui program skoliosis dari PEAK Physiotherapy and Scoliosis Wellness Center Davao Filipina sejak September 2015. Program ini membantu tulang belakang saya fleksibel, juga, membangun pusat otot pada bagian belakang menjadi lebih kuat. Jadi, ketika SPINECOR® brace dipasang pada 17 Januari 2016 kurva saya biasa mendapat dikoreksi dari 50º ke 38º. Di usia saya, saya tidak mengharapkan koreksi lagi tapi setidaknya menghentikan perkembangan lebih lanjut.
Brace SPINECOR® ini sangat tidak terlalu kelihatan ketika digunakan dan dikenakan dengan nyaman. Saya masih bisa melakukan kegiatan sehari-hari saya dan memakainya di bawah pakaian saya tanpa orang menyadari saya sedang mengenakan brace SPINECOR® ini. Pada bulan pertama, saya memakai setiap hari selama 8-10 jam dengan 2 hari tidak menggunakan brace. Pada bulan saya kedua, saya memakainya setiap hari pada 6-8 jam saja. Bahkan tanpa brace pada otot saya tampaknya telah kembali dilatih untuk tetap mengikuti koreksi postur saya.
Setelah 8 minggu saya telah mulai bebas dari rasa sakit. Saya tidak lagi meminum pengurang rasa sakit (pain killer) saya. Saya juga telah tumbuh lebih tinggi. Tinggi badan saya sebelumnya 5’3 “karena skoliosis parah saya menyusut menjadi 5 ‘tapi setelah memakai brace SPINECOR® saya sekarang 5’2″!
Saya senang dengan transformasi saya – lebih tinggi , tegak dan bebas dari rasa sakit . Saya selalu mempunyai harapan yang besar khususnya ketika bangun di pagi hari ketika saya akan merasa punuk saya yang luar biasa yang tadinya sangat menonjol perlahan lahan menghilang, bahkan sekarang sudah tidak terlihat lagi. Saya bersyukur dan tidak bisa mengucapkannya dengan kata-kata . Saya sangat terinspirasi untuk berbagi pengalaman ini sungguh luar biasa.
” Sebelum memakai SpineCor, saya sering mengalami sakit kepala sebelah atau migraine dikarenakan scoliosis yang semakin parah. Sebelum pakai SpineCor, saya memakai Brace Boston selama 1 tahun. Waktu memakai Brace Boston memang badan tegak, tapi kelelahan yang teramat sering, dan pegal-pegal, susah tidur pula karena nyeri yang terus menerus. Sekarang memakai SpineCor, tidur saya makin membaik, tidak migraine lagi..Harapan saya setelah pakai SpineCor, tubuh tidak terlalu miring atau bungkuk, dan tidak nyeri lagi…Thanks BackUp, Thanks SpineCor. ”
” Sebelum pake SpineCor, rasanya badan tiap hari pegel, leher sakit, dll. Kepala juga suka pusing. Semenjak pake SpineCor rasanya badan jadi lebih segar dan lebih nyaman, rasa sakit juga berkurang banyak. Scoliosis pun akhirnya bias sembuh dan menjadi lebih mendingan daripada sebelumnya. ”
” Before I were SpineCor, I had headaches quite frequent. After SpineCor I do not have headaches anymore. My X-Ray after 6 month of using SpineCor showed a lot of improvement. SpineCor does not restrain me from my daily activities. I can wear it underneath my clothes and still move freely with it. No one notices when I wear SpineCor st school and when I go out, so I don’t have to feelself conscious wearing it out. ”
” I’m writing this testimony on behalf of my father..
My father was diagnosed by the doctor with HNP in his neck and lower back.
My father is almost 70 years old. He was unable to walk because of the pain on his legs and the headache that he had. So he was in wheel chair. He was not happy and not being himself. My father was using SpineCor Bracing, having Decompression Therapy (DT), Chiropractic and Physiotherapy. It has been 2 months of therapy until now. He is now can walk without wheel chair, the neck and lower back pain has reduced about 70%. He is more energic and happier now. I’m so glad to see him like now. Thanks to Dr. Fong and BackUp staff. ”
– Cynthia –
For 12 years of my elementary and high school experience, my school held a medical and dental check-up each year, but none of the tests screened for spinal or posture problems.
Scoliosis in its mild or early stages is not noticeable especially when there is lack of scoliosis awareness and early screening detection, thus I was unaware of my own condition until it had reached borderline severe. I was experiencing back pain and strain in my lower back, and so I had an x-ray, expecting a simple case of muscle stiffness—but instead, the doctor told us that I have a case of moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with a curvature of 35º, and that when it reaches 40º I will have to undergo spine surgery.
Fearing an invasive operation at such an early age of 14, my parents searched for and brought me to various hospitals, doctors and therapists every weekend over the course of January 2015 to January 2016.
We first consulted Dr. M. of The Medical City Satellite Clinic in Antipolo for an x-ray, followed by Dr. S., a specialist in rehabilitation and exercise in Apex Diagnostics who in turn referred me to a brace-maker who made me a Yamamoto hard brace for Php16,000. I then went to Dr. J. in Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City who referred me to Dr. I. for spine surgery.
Opposed to the idea of surgery, my family and I sought advice from neurologist Dr. Cuanang who referred us to Dr. A. of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. Her clinic was open for consultation from 9 PM onwards, and for several times I stayed in St. Luke’s until 1 AM in the waiting area of the x-ray department. She told us that there was no guarantee that my Yamamoto brace could stop my lumbar curvature from progressing, so she referred us to a German brace-maker in Pasig who made me a Cheneau hard brace for Php36,000.
Seeking more opinions and treatments, we consulted Dr. S. of Medical City. He told us that no amount of exercise or bracing could correct my curvature, and that we would have no choice but to opt for surgery which costs approximately 1-3 million pesos and has its disadvantages.
Opposed to the idea still, my parents brought me to Dr. V., a naturopathic and spine therapy consultant. We visited his clinic two times, and I underwent two four-hour sessions of spinotherapy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture and other modalities.
I also underwent therapy sessions with three chiropractors in two different clinics in Greenhills and Makati, as well as physical therapy sessions, swimming therapy (freestyle and backstroke) and Dorn therapy in Antipolo City.
Unsettled by the various opinions and treatments provided to us, we nearly chose to fly abroad to find a more secure, non-invasive solution. Coincidentally, my mother and I discovered a community called Scoliosis Philippines online, and attended seminars held by the organization until we met the founder of Scoliosis Philippines and attended SpineCor seminars where we met Dr. Anthony Fong—who had just flown to the Philippines, Hong Kong and Thailand, certified from the United Kingdom.
SpineCor was one of the two treatments my parents had been eyeing abroad, so they did not think twice about having me braced for the third time for $5,000 (approximately Php250,000) for an 18-month long treatment.
Dr. Fong had only recently introduced SpineCor to the Philippines last January 2016, and I am the first Filipino adolescent to be under SpineCor’s care and to wear the SpineCor soft brace. After six months of wearing the brace, my moderate curvature of 25º in the thoracic area became mild, and my curvature of 40º in the lumbar area decreased to 36º. My lumbar curve and rotation of the spine is still under adjustment for a year.
Before when I wore Yamamoto brace outside my clothes people asked what happened to me. When I wore Cheneau hard brace inside my clothes I had to choose which clothes to wear. But with SpineCor soft brace I can wear anything, I feel more comfortable and confident. I am thankful that I am straighter now and free from spine surgery.
I definitely recommend SpineCor for Scoliosis patients.
“Loving my SpineCor brace! It’s
soft so it let’s me move freely especially when im working out.
Also keeping me straight and
secure in every activity i do.
BIG thanks to
Dr. Anthony Fong”
“I was 17 when I discovered the existence of a Mild C-curve dextroscoliosis. I didn’t do anything. 4 years later, the orthopedic doctor told me that my bones are matured and that a brace can no longer correct it, that I just exercise and that there won’t be any worry of severity of the curve. Life went on until in my late 20s, and my chest x-ray already showed an S-curve, and a prominent rib hump on my left part of my back was rearing its ugly head. I felt misled, and now I have a double curve. While my workouts continued, and years passed without me monitoring my curve, my yoga teacher one day noticed that my rib hump was getting bigger. Also, I was having excruciating pains on my lower left back–and I can’t sit on a seat without a back support. Worse, I found it painful to step into and alight from vehicles. That was the last straw. I hit upon Facebook posts about Scoliosis in the Philippines, until I’ve hit upon the SpineCor Brace. It looked so different from the atrocious hard braces, and I never entertained the thought of surgery. For around a year I was reading about the brace and watched videos about it. Its existence gave me some hope. I finally took the first step to inquire about it, meeting the nicest people behind the SpineCor Ph distributorship. Dr. Fong became my official bracer and oriented me about my case. I was cynical, but when you’re desperate, you’ll resort to different options to help yourself. Wearing the brace for more than a week was a challenge. It was like a hungry python around your torso ready to eat you up. Your body was used to a certain posture for a long time, and you feel it fighting back the brace. SpineCor is soft and discreet. While it is constrictive, it is not restrictive. I remained mobile wearing it, I even had dancing classes with it on. I got used to it. So, what can an innocent-looking soft brace do? My pics will speak for themselves. 1st bracing, June 25, 2017: 41° upper, 57° lower. 2nd bracing: August 10, 2017: upper, 29°, lower, 43°. This is just barely 2 months. I was merely promised pain management, but as an extra bonus, I’m getting a lesser hump. SpineCor gives hope after all for twisted spines.”