MY PHOTOS
at my worst and best
exactly 3 years apart
My Story
July 11, 2000 I was on an
operating table, cut open head-to-toe, having 7 vertebrae fused together to correct
idiopathic scoliosis. July 12, 2003 I was on a stage at a
bodybuilding/fitness show competing in my first figure competition.
Diagnosed with
scoliosis at age 12, I endured 2 years of unsuccessful electro-stimulation treatment on my
back muscles. Fortunately, I never had to wear
the ugly Milwaukee brace commonly used to
treat scoliosis in teens. I was under the care
of my orthopedic surgeon for 3 years, from the time of diagnosis until my hips and wrist
bones fused- a sign that growth has stopped and the curvature stabilized. Although the curvature of my spine was quite
severe, it stabilized and I avoided spinal fusion to correct it. The next 10 years, I finished high school and
college and began working full-time.
I spent the year 1999
in unbearable back pain, visiting doctors, urgent care, physical therapists, orthopedic
surgeons, until finally the decision was made to have the spinal fusion procedure
(regularly performed on severe scoliosis patients in their early teen years). At age 25, I had seven vertebrae fused with 2
Harrington rods and a bone graft from my hip. I spent 8 days in a Children’s hospital
and the surgery went off without a hitch. A
month later I was back to work. Two months
later I was back in the gym. Six months later
I had resumed all of my normal activities- except my 5 mile a day running habit. At 1 year post-surgery, I finally felt 100%.
My recovery was
relatively uneventful. There were no
post-surgical complications or infections. Since
I was strong and in great physical condition at the time of surgery, I was able to bounce
back rather rapidly.
Read about my fitness
competition journey...
See my fitness
competition photos...
©2004 KRISTI LARSEN. All
Rights Reserved. page last updated:
03.04.08
