r/scoliosisfitness

It all started by noticing small things in my adolescence, like noticing one limb is longer than the other, one shoulder is higher than the other, collarbones are not positioned symmetrically, etc.

Parents dismissed it and didn't take it seriously. It became progressively worse with time without the medical intervention needed in early years. While in uni, I took myself to the doctor and at 22yrs old, I got diagnosed with mild dorsolumbar scoliosis (cobb angle 10, 11). The doctor was very dismissive as well and told me it’s normal, it won’t progress anymore since the growth is complete, and to just hit the gym and go swimming, prescribed me pain meds and muscle relaxants as needed, and didn’t even refer me to physical therapy even though my main concern at the time was pain not body image (he told me scoliosis doesn’t cause pain ofc and I knew it was bs). I took those xray reports as my guide, and on and off, went to physical therapy (aligned with Schroth Method), gym (would stop due to the pain), and calisthenics (which I had to pause for some time during physical therapy apparently). Due to some circumstances, I was unable to do any of that for 7 months, and I started developing extreme pain, muscle tension, and headaches. Today, I finally went to a different doctor, and I asked for new imaging. To my shock, the cobb angles came at 31 degrees, both dorsal and lumbar! So i was almost scoliosis free into moderate scoliosis in 5 years, and the man issue is that my rib rotation and pelvic tilt is much much worse than before, and I can see it everyday at the mirror, and it destroys me! At this point, I don’t know what to do, I lost my trust in medical professionals and their guidance, I now have surgery on the table, and I got to go to other docs to get more medical opinions before I decide something big like this but I lost all trust in them… I have been trying to search for gym coaches/fitness trainers that specialize in helping scoliosis patients, but I can’t find any in my city or even the whole country. I am truly disappointed and idk what to do… I attached how my scoliosis looks and xray imaging.

Is there anyone here with thoracic scoliosis who is currently doing strength training? I’m wondering if you’ve experienced similar problems during fitness training.

Honestly, I’ve run into so many issues while training that I’ve started doubting myself, and sometimes even feeling like life is pointless, like I’m somehow “broken” compared to normal people.

My thoracic scoliosis is around 40 degrees. If I don’t train, it actually doesn’t affect my daily life that much, which is why I’ve always felt surgery probably isn’t worth it. My curve is mainly in the upper thoracic region, especially around the shoulder blade area.

The biggest issue during training is that my scapula constantly feels like it wants to move back into the “correct position,” but because my spine is curved, it feels like there’s no proper groove or structure for the scapula to sit against anymore, so it keeps winging or sticking out.

I also have a very noticeable rib hump on the convex side, especially from the side view.

I can’t properly raise both arms overhead without my lower back automatically compensating. I suspect it’s because my thoracic spine can’t extend normally.

When I do pushups, my shoulders roll forward. It feels like the rib hump limits the space for my scapula to move, almost like my shoulder blades can’t properly retract toward the spine anymore.

As I kept training, I slowly realized that it’s not just my shoulders — my pelvis and thoracic spine both have restrictions in flexion, extension, and rotation, and even my hip mobility is different from side to side.

I’ve already tried many thoracic mobility and scapular mobility exercises, like cat-cow stretches and wall angels. I actually can’t even do wall angels properly because one side simply cannot touch the wall at all. But even after doing these exercises for a while, I honestly feel like the improvement has been very small.

At the same time, I follow some people on Instagram and YouTube who have much more severe scoliosis than I do, even 80–90 degree curves, yet they can still do pullups, dips, and all kinds of calisthenics movements without much issue.

That’s why I still believe things can improve if the training approach is correct, but right now I honestly have no idea what the right direction is.

Sometimes I wonder if I should just give up strength training entirely and stick to things like swimming, cycling, running, or ball sports instead.

But honestly, I really admire people who can train normally and build a great physique.

I feel like lumbar scoliosis probably has less impact, but thoracic scoliosis affects upper body function much more seriously. My scapular movement feels very abnormal, and even my neck has some curvature.

Has anyone experienced similar issues? What kinds of exercises or approaches actually helped you improve enough to train normally again?

Photo is reversed, so my left arm appears on the right side of the photo. I did use AI on this but just to remove identifiable tattoos.

I have been working on my pull ups for ages. It seems like the main issue is that my left shoulder locks up if I do a dead hang and I can’t pull myself out of it. Additionally if I do a pull up, my left shoulder blade rotates up and back.

I have an appointment for PT but due to the healthcare system, my appointment isn’t for a few months. Has anybody had this issue and can you recommend any exercises to improve it? Or is it just a permanent issue due to the imbalance in my ribs? My shoulders have always been a little uneven. It’s mild scoliosis, curves to the right.