Scoliosis can feel so incredibly isolating. Personally I had been diagnosed (and fused!) for almost a decade before I made another friend who had scoliosis. Thankfully, there are incredible resources out there now that are easily accessible, thanks to the internet. Even in my small corner of the internet, I’ve met a great number of trailblazers who are changing the game for fellow scoliosis warriors. Caroline is writing a book with the hard-earned lessons she’s learned along the way. I reached out to ask if she’d be willing to share a snippet of her story and the contents of her book.

Check out Caroline’s story about her book:

“An otherwise healthy teenager, I developed chronic neck and shoulder pain in middle school that constantly derailed family vacations. No doctor, massage therapist, or physical therapist could tell us why this was happening, so they continued to treat the area while prescribing painkillers and heating pads. My X-rays looked fine, so what more could there be to look into? Two years later, while under the care of a family doctor and weekly visits to a chiropractor, Scoliosis was discovered at home by my parents. The local children's hospital swiftly popped my aggressive curves into a brace. A week after my high school graduation at 17 years old I was fused down to L4. And then.... nothing.

"Try some yoga, swimming, and physio if you want." That's it? "But it still hurts. But I still look different. But how am I supposed to care for my back in the long run? The general physios never look at my spine, and both their exercises and yoga classes don't consider scoliosis. Worst of all, none of it is helping. Some doctors even shrug me off when I say it hurts because 'most scoliosis is painless.'" 

As far as I knew, that's how it was going to be forever - how scary and lonely! Lacking guidance and medical support, I went on with my twenties hiding it, working around it, thinking I was the only person like "this" while letting it control a portion of my life. 

Finally, I decided enough was enough. Time to stop being mad and time to start being inquisitive! I took to the internet and found the most amazing community of Scoliosis Warriors. I also found a whole set of practitioners and options for movement and therapy with scoliosis in mind - although it took some digging to unearth anything past "bracing and surgery." Connecting with other people who have gone through trauma, know what chronic pain is, or simply can relate to having a curvy spine is uplifting. Finding exercises and scoliosis-specific physiotherapy like Schroth where you are taught to move and live well in your own unique body is also empowering. And yet, none of these emotional or physical supports had ever been shared with me (nor countless other Warriors) by my care teams over the years. 

What if every "Scoli" was given access to guidance and support from the onset?

 With all of that in mind, I decided to create such a resource for all Scoliosis Warriors. Tangled in the Curves - Real Life with Idiopathic Scoliosis provides first-hand relatable experiences of life with scoliosis, with and without corrective surgery, through an honest and supportive voice. Combined with my own experiences and quest for scoli-information, I interviewed Warriors and medical professionals around the planet to give the best full-picture of this complicated saga. It covers the full physical and emotional scoliosis journey from diagnosis to adult daily care. For those tackling surgery it details what to expect the day-of and post-op with tons of tips to prepare for recovery (shared by numerous Fusioneer Warriors!)

Tips, feelings, stories, information, pains, challenges and opportunities we face with scoliosis... You're sure to find something in these pages that will untangle a portion of your curvy journey.”

Follow Caroline on Instagram and visit her website at Tangled In The Curves for your very own copy of the book!