My Sister's Back Surgery
When I was 14, my younger sister, who was 12 at the time, had surgery on her spine to treat her scoliosis. For those unfamiliar with scoliosis, it is "a sideways curvature of the spine"(Mayo Clinic., 2017). Most cases of scoliosis are mild, and only need to be monitored by a physician annually. My sister was not one of these cases. She had Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, which is a type of scoliosis that develops during puberty. According to Scoliosis Association (2015), Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis "results in the spine curving sideways and twisting at the same time. This twisting can pull the ribcage out of position, often leading to a hump on one side of the ribs.". My sister's back was severally curved, almost …show more content…
One definition is that quality of life is "‘a broad-ranging concept affected in a complex way by the person’s physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships and their relationship to the salient features in their environment"(Ogden, J., 2017). Another definition is that quality of life is "‘physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, role limitations due to emotional problems, mental health, energy/vitality, pain and general health perception."(Ogden, J., 2017).I'll will be looking at my sister's ability to function physically, her physical limitations, and her emotional and mental health to see how her quality of life was …show more content…
She was frequently in pain due to her spine. She could not breathe well because her lung was being crushed. I remember her once telling me"I can't catch my breath". After her surgery, once the pain of surgery wore off, she was functioning quite well. Her lung, within two months after surgery, had gained 15% of its original size back. Now, at 16, her lung has completely returned to its normal size. She no longer suffers from back pain.

My sister, due to her scoliosis, could not perform some things that were to physically hard. She could not play sports, take martial arts, or run, all things she enjoyed doing. Her body would have been in great physical pain. Now, after her surgery, she has no limitations to what she can do physically. She has started playing basketball, is taking a martial arts class, and training for her first 5k. She is still somewhat physically restricted because she may not be able to have children naturally.

Due to her being physically restricted and in pain, my sister was suffering emotionally and mentally. She felt "left-out" watching my brothers and I doing something she could not do. She was depressed because she could not do what she wanted. After her surgery, she is still dealing with emotional problems. She might not be as restricted as before, which makes her happier. However, the fact she might not be able to have children bothers