Stop Those Curves!

What can you do to prevent surgery?

If you know that you or someone else has scoliosis, the first thing you can do is watch it closely. Get a doctor who will take x-rays every few months.

Have good posture. Although research shows that posture doesn't affect scoliosis, it affects a lot of things like kyphosis (humpback), and others. Plus, it looks better. But that's just my opinion. And I wouldn't feel as tall if everyone around me sat up straight.

If that's not enough, and you have to wear a brace, well... wear the brace. It sounds simple, and it might be for some people, but it's a lot easier said than done for others. I actually understand both sides. For the first few years, I didn't have a problem wearing my brace faithfully. But the last few years were different. There were several factors like my pinched nerve, not being able to wear a lot of my clothes, discomfort, the heat, etc. Unfortunately, I would sometimes let those things discourage me from wearing it like I should have. Think long-range. You might be able to save yourself a lot of pain, money, and who knows what else, just by wearing your brace.

No matter how hard you try to stop those curves, there will always be "brace failures". I'm one of them. And now I'm a spinal fusion survivor!