Hello again, friends. Nice to see you again. This is the first of a series of posts I’ll be working on featuring other inspiring people dealing with scoliosis or kyphosis. Hope you follow along. :)

There’s a misnomer that scoliosis is a “girls’ issue”. When I started working in this space, I started asking the people I worked with what would be helpful to know starting out. Over and over, I heard the boys and men I work with asking for more male perspective.

Cue my first featured guest: Dr. Prateek Shukla. He is a power lifter who was diagnosed with Klippel-Feil Syndrome as a teenager. Click the link to learn more about it, but briefly you can think of it as congenital fusing of your spinal segments which is degenerative. His curve was over 50 degrees in his teens and he heard his share of grim doctor advice. He has consistently crushed his goals, fitness and professional, which is one reason I wanted to amplify his voice. The world needs more examples of strong men with scoliosis overcoming and thriving.

I asked Prateek what he’d share knowing the journey he’s been on; and he was kind enough to give several tips for those of us walking this path:

• Don’t fight your curve. He gives the example of trying to line himself up to be “anatomically straight” during his training and lifting. He points out that trying to force his body into an unnatural position only put unnecessary strain on his joints and muscles.

• Don't forget the importance of mobility, sleep, nutrition and recovery. This is a long game.

• Men can benefit greatly from adding yoga or Pilates to their training routines.

• Have a skilled massage therapist. Having deep tissue work can be incredibly helpful when dealing with chronic pain or recovering from an injury.
  *I’ll add here I completely agree with this statement! The only thing I’d add, from my own experience as well as those of patients I work with: make sure to be specific about your needs and do your research. You may find some massage therapists less experienced with scoliosis could be, well, less than helpful.

My favorite piece of advice? “The diagnosis isn’t the end. It can be scary navigating life with it, but you are not the first person with it, you’re not alone. Reach out to support groups and others like you. Take professional opinions seriously but use your intuition. I wouldn’t be where I am if I gave up lifting weights when the docs told me I’d never be able to walk again”

Read his original blog and connect with Prateek (now Dr. Shukla, actually!) on Instagram at @teek.strong for more inspiration.

Know anyone else I should feature? Drop the name in the comments below!

See you again soon…