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Personal Experience with Scoliosis Brace

Scoliosis Brace is used to treat Scoliosis. In this the brace has to be worn round the clock. The feeling is quite restraining and the patient cannot bend down freely.

Scoliosis is defined as unusual curving of the spine. Along with curving the spine it also puts physical pressure on the patient’s body. The organs that get affected are heart, lungs, nerves and also the joints. Chronic pain is experienced in many parts of the body.

My mother observed a curve in my spine when I was a child. I was taken to a doctor, who, after examining X-rays plates, found that I had scoliosis at 29 degrees. He suggested immediate treatment without which the condition would have had worsened and would need surgery.

My treatment started when I was 9 and I had to wear a large piece of plastic mold around my body 24/7. It was emotionally quite challenging for me. The brace ran from just below my shoulder till the tailbone. All my friends however were extremely supportive and they never laughed at me and were curious and wanted to try it on! They even tried to put on my brace and were surprised to find it to be so hard. However, wearing such a brace in a hot place like Florida was not very pleasant always.

At the age of 11 we moved to New York. So, again I had to make new friends and also had to introduce them to my Scoliosis brace. Luckily, my new friends were as supportive as the old ones. Over the time, the brace had to be changed to fit with my growing height, like the new shells for the crabs!

But, during last summer my curve increased and reached 41 degrees due to my growth spurt. The doctor warned that if it increased by 5 more degrees, I would have to go for a surgery.

I am still managing my condition with brace and my brace has taught me to be independent and confident. I can talk about my condition to everyone without any hesitation or stigma. It is my best friend but my toughest enemy as well. But Scoliosis is just a part of me and in no way it either defines or limits my ambitions or dreams. I am bent but not broken!