THIS IS PART OF THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SCOLIOSIS
Becky Greulich is a shining example of scoliosis recovery. After spinal fusion surgery, scoliosis no longer holds her back from the activities she loves.
Read on to hear Becky’s story and how she’s inspiring other young people with her book about spinal surgery and scoliosis recovery.
What is scoliosis?
Now 18-year-old Becky received a scoliosis diagnosis in 2011 when she was just 10 years old. Initially, she was treated with bracing, hoping that her spinal curve would not worsen as she grew. However, even with treatment, Becky found some difficulty in leading a normal life as a child.
Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine. Most cases are mild; however, as some children develop or adults age, spine deformity can continue to get more severe.
“Scoliosis stopped me from being able to take swimming in school and participate in gym class because the brace prevented me from being able to do stretches,” Becky says.
After about four years of bracing, her scoliosis continued to worsen, and she found out she would need to have spine surgery after all.
Based on a recommendation from a friend, Becky’s parents Mike and Linda Greulich made an appointment with Dr. David Schwartz, a spine surgeon at OrthoIndy.
Learn more about OrthoIndy spine treatments
Scoliosis treatment plan
“As a parent, my husband Mike and I didn’t know what to expect. The years of bracing were hard on us all, with all the adjustments that had to be made, both with the brace and how it affected our lives,” Linda says.
“It was difficult to see Becky give up swimming and other things she loved that made her a normal kid because of her scoliosis.”
Upon meeting Becky and her parents and analyzing Becky’s X-rays, Dr. Schwartz confirmed she would need surgery.
“The months before surgery were difficult, as we didn’t want our daughter to have to go through major back surgery. We put our trust in God and Dr. Schwartz and knew everything would be fine. We are so thankful to have found Dr. Schwartz and his staff who were very helpful, knowledgeable and professional. They calmed our fears about the surgery.”
Before long, Becky was headed in for Dr. Schwartz to perform a posterior spinal fusion surgery to correct her scoliosis.
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Scoliosis recovery after surgery
After a long scoliosis recovery process and a lot of hard work, Becky is free from scoliosis pain and doesn’t let anything hold her back from being active. She will graduate from high school in the spring and plans to enter the workforce immediately.
“My experience with OrthoIndy and Dr. Schwartz was a great one,” Becky says. “Dr. Schwartz was very helpful and answered all of our questions. All of the nurses were very friendly and helpful as well.”
In fact, Becky decided to write a book about her experience titled, My Scoliosis Story: One Girl’s Journey from Diagnosis to Spinal Fusion Surgery. Her 40-page book is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon and other retail book outlets.
She wrote about her journey with scoliosis so other kids growing up with the condition could feel less alone and have more confidence. She wanted to help them understand what to expect during their treatment and work hard during the scoliosis recovery process.
“Becky is an inspiring young woman with unlimited potential,” Dr. Schwartz says. “The fact that she has used her experience to help other young girls says something about her.”
Get the Ultimate Guide to Scoliosis Treatment
Whether you’re just beginning to research scoliosis or have already made the decision to have scoliosis back surgery, our comprehensive guide gives you answers to common questions about scoliosis and examples of real patient success stories.
