Ouch My Back Hurts! by Raven Leverett

Durant has a plethora of talented athletes. Unfortunately, many of these athletes suffer from a health condition called scoliosis.  A person has scoliosis when the spine has abnormal curves with a rotational deformity, meaning that the spine turns on its axis like a corkscrew.

For junior Yvette Cruz, scoliosis is no match for her passion of running track. An accomplished athlete, Cruz has ran three years for Durant and one year in middle school with her chronically aching back. Cruz has had scoliosis since seventh grade. She describes the condition as “pinched nerves and tight muscles. When you are running it feels like you woke up wrong one morning; it is painful, and it hurts worse the more I run.”

Even though she has scoliosis, Cruz has had no surgeries and her doctor has not advised that she refrain from running. In fact, her parents are supportive of her running track, despite the pain, and believe in her. Even still, her mother is extremely cautious of her condition.

Other people who encourage Cruz to run through the pain are her teammates. “I would never let them down” she said. “It feels good even after all the pain in the race to have a good finish and be out there with my team.” Alongside Cruz on the sprint team, junior Stephanie Saiz faces the same challenges with scoliosis as well.Saiz has known Cruz for two years, though they have only ran together half that time. Since they both have scoliosis they stretch together which is crucial for them in order for them to avoid an injury.

Cruz and Saiz are more than just teammates; they are friends. “When we hang out we do stuff like go to the beach and the mall. Typical stuff. Sometimes we hang out at her house and listen to music or dance,” said Saiz. Saiz, like Cruz, has never has surgeries because her condition is not that severe. “I do not need surgery unless the degree of curve reaches about 30 or 40 degrees. My curve is 16 degrees the last time I checked,” she said.That does not mean it is not painful though. “I get back pain and sometimes I can sort of feel myself lean to one side more than the other when I sit up straight,” she said.

Durant soccer players suffer from scoliosis as well. Marissa Skindel, senior, has been playing soccer for 11 years. Skindel found out she has scoliosis when she was in sixth grade and had to wear a back brace throughout her seventh grade year. “It was embarrassing, I had to wear baggy clothes, and people always made fun of me for it. The brace was molded to my body though I had to wear a body sock underneath it,” she said.Having scoliosis is encouraged by doctors. “ The doctor recommended playing sports even when I wore the brace,” said Skindel. “On a scale of one to ten scoliosis effects me zero playing soccer,” Skindel said.