You are not alone with your scoliosis.
Have you ever noticed that things pop up and grab your attention just when you need them? That day your dog sitter canceled and you happen to meet a dog walker in the neighborhood the very same day who is looking for more work? Or when you are wondering how to get a tree planted and a friend you haven’t seen in a while just happens to call? There’s a lot of synchronicity in life. It’s common to the point of predictable. Therefore, most likely not happenstance but a refined web of community, comfort, and cooperation — the 3C’s. I guess that can only mean one thing — that when you need something, it will be there for you. So, yes, for scoliosis, the 3C’s are also working for you. You want to build this 3C community carefully and deliberately. Here are some suggestions.
Your medical doctor.
This is the first person you want to get to know. If you have a fear of going to see an
Medical team
orthopedic or neurosurgeon, you are not alone, but let’s have a reality check on this fear. I tell my clients — I’ve never heard of anyone walking into a doctor’s office and walking out with a fused spine. You aren’t going to the office for some sort of Insta-Surgery; you are going because you are gathering data. These doctors have spent over a decade in school to learn about the spine and how it works. Then they’ve spent even more time honing their art with patients over the decades of their practice. These are good people who know a lot of stuff! Learn from them and put that information in your data file. They can also help you find an orthotist and a Scolio-Pilates Practitioner.
Your orthotist.
Your medical doctor may recommend a brace for you. For children, bracing can encourage the spine towards a straighter position and for adults, bracing may provide just the right amount of support that you need.
Your Scolio-Pilates Practitioner.
There’s a big difference between doing exercises that are meant for back pain and exercises
that are scoliosis-specific. As you know, scoliosis creates some very graceful bends and turns in our spines. They are beautiful, it’s true. But sometimes that beauty hurts. So to ease our graceful spines, the art of scoliosis-specific exercise is necessary. We can’t just strengthen our abdominals and gluteals like you might for regular back pain. First we have to make some changes to bring our entire body back to a more elongated position where the muscles are allowed to work more symmetrically. Then we can strengthen from there — it’s scoliosis-specific.
A Friend.
There has never been a time in our lives when friendship is more important than in this past year of the pandemic. We’ve lost friends and we’ve gained friends. We’ve pulled together and will continue to pull together for the 3C’s– comfort, cooperation, and community. Remember when all the articles started coming out last year that said it’s okay to tell people that the pandemic really sucks for you? That it’s okay to share that misery? And that you also need to be there for your friends and ask the right questions so they can talk about their own feelings as well? You need to do the same thing for your scoliosis. You need to be very forthcoming with your close friends. You need to tell them what questions to ask so you don’t feel like you are always burying your feelings. In turn, you’ll be there for them when they are also needing to share.
Mother Nature.
As I am writing this, my dog is sleeping (loudly) on the floor at my side. Tulips are starting to
drink up the water in the vase in front of me and by this evening their leaves and petals will start to reach for the sides of the room. There’s an azalea blooming outside my window and the red leaf maple is showing off as the sun pushes through its leaves, making them almost fluorescent. There’s a bright red cardinal making his little finch-y noises while pecking the ground looking for any leftover sunflower seeds. I am not overstating it when I say how completely dazed I am every day by the intricacies and infinite possibilities in nature. In the sun, I can feel the light passing through me like a jubilee of warm rays. It’s the 3C’s all wrapped up in one. It’s the infinitely, inexplicable, Mother Nature Magic.
So, no, you are absolutely not alone. I never want you to feel that way — begin to build your team. Begin by look outside yourself and also, by just looking outside. — Karena