u/snailforbrains

December 2024 (2nd pic) VS September 2026 (1st pic). Still trying to get my shoulders aligned with the wrists, progress is a bit slow because I don’t have enough time to stretch and I have scoliosis lol.

I’ve posted on this sub before but routine has stayed the same!
Routines: 1x a week/whenever I feel like it, I cycle through Dani Winks’ recorded workshops (Upper Back Clinic, Beginning dropbacks and Beginning contortion bridges). Highly recommend!

edit: if you pm me i will block you, some of yall are disgusting

Hey everyone, bit of a rant post because this feels like a safe space to do so. I'm looking to see if anybody might be in a similar situation as me.

I'm F22, I was diagnosed with scoliosis at 13. S curve, 14 degrees to the right thorax and 22 degrees to the left lumbar.

I was followed from the ages of 13 to 19 yearly with x rays at Schriners Hospital in Montreal. Every year, it was the same speech: no progression, no need to brace you. I was seen once by a doctor, the following appointments was just a nurse telling me to keep doing ab exercises and that nothing was new. Boom, got booted out of there at 19 as I was no longer a child, no follow ups recommended. Was told it wouldn't progress.

This year, I started having more back pains than usual. I'm a medical student, and during surgical exercises I would get awful back pains. In my head, my scoliosis was still mild, so I kept working out and stretching. I was super into flexibility training, especially back flexibility, so I sought out my medical records from that hospital and X rays, because I was looking to get coaching and wanted to tailor my workouts to my spine.

Well as it turns out, I ate literal shit at that hospital, because my 2024 X ray report said I was at 28 degrees and 38 degrees! Which is pretty close to severe, compared to the mild I was told I had my entire adolescence (and that I still believed... lol.)

I was gobsmacked to say the least, and literally had to go abroad this summer to see a specialist (because the canadian healthcare system, despite being free, is straight up shit). Lo and behold, I found out that my spine could still progress according to the surgeon, and that surgery is still a possibility for me. I retook x rays there that were better, so I'm more so at 35 degrees than 38, but still.

Now I am grateful; I don't experience chronic pain on the daily. I workout, have started Schroth, and am generally in good shape. But I hate, HATE, this feeling of uncertainty regarding surgery and I feel fucking lied to. Both that specialist and my Schroth PT have expressed that bracing could have been an option for me, and that they were shocked that the hospital didn't try it.

I guess I'm making this post to see if anyone is my age with the same situation; what have specialists told you? I'm so grateful I dug around this subreddit and fought to have my medical records, I've learned so much from everyone here. I am terrified of spinal fusion so I've even started weightlifting to help my spine along with Schroth.

Thank you so much in advance. I've added some photos of my bridge and other aerial/ flexibility shenanigans; I love it so so much and I cannot imagine a world where I am not pursuing these hobbies. I feel like I am mourning a life and healthier spine I could've had, had I been guided better when I was younger 🥺 Nobody close to me has scoliosis, so they don't understand how I feel currently.