We all experience stress in our daily lives, but for people with scoliosis, stressful and upsetting feelings are often intensified.
Today, we’re going to look at the different stresses commonly faced by scoliosis patients to establish why they occur and how we can help our patients to fight them.
Body Image
Scoliosis can have a noticeable effect on the way your body looks. Uneven hips and shoulders are a common symptom and can leave you feeling uncomfortable in your own skin.
Many scoliosis patients are young children or teenagers (this is when idiopathic scoliosis most commonly develops), so patients often feel ‘different’ to their friends and peers. Children can be really cruel and are known to exploit anything that makes other children ‘stand out’, so bullying and teasing can be a real problem.
A lot of people with scoliosis think their curve looks much more dramatic than it actually does! But nonetheless, body image can be a real cause of stress.
How Does Scoliosis Affect Your Body Image? Body Image Research: View Our Infographic
Managing Body Image Stress
If you’re unhappy with the way your scoliosis makes you look, there are steps that you can take. Our exercise-based treatment courses are a great way to develop your confidence while reducing the visibility of your curve.
We use a combination of different methods (including the Schroth Method and the FITS Method) to make your body more symmetrical and to improve your posture and strength. These exercises can be repeated at home and, if practised regularly, can help to reduce body image stress.
When you visit the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, you’ll meet a group of other people with scoliosis, many of whom are also struggling with their body image. Talking to these people who are going through the same thing as you (and may even look very similar to you) can really help you to manage the stress around your body image.
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Surgery Stress
Another stress that people with scoliosis often face is directly related to the fear of surgery. Spinal fusion is a daunting and invasive procedure, and while complications are rare, risks do exist.
Other surgery-related stresses include:
- Missing school and events
- How your surgery scar will look
- Pain and the recovery process
But the stress associated with scoliosis surgery can be avoided. Many of the patients who visit our clinic choose our exercise-based therapy as an alternative to spinal fusion surgery, and they see significant improvements! We have helped scoliosis patients from all over the globe – if you want to hear some of their incredible stories, click the button below.
Scoliosis Patient Stories >
We also work with patients who have recently had spinal fusion surgery to reduce stress and speed up the recovery process. Learn more about this here.
If you have any questions about our treatment plans, or if you need help coping with scoliosis stress – reach out and get in touch! We look forward to hearing from you.
