Caroline’s Story

I am in my late 40s and have a curved spine due to a congenital spinal tumour that was not diagnosed and removed until I was 6. The tumour caused my spine to curve in infancy, and the curves worsened a lot when I was a teen. I now have hyper-lordosis, kyphosis and 2 scoliosis curves, so I’m a very wonky donkey! I never had surgery to straighten my spine, despite my curves being quite severe. I do remember discussing my options (which would have been major surgery to attach Harrington rods to straighten my spine) with an orthopaedic surgeon, when I was 16. He decided that the risks outweighed the benefits and I remember being terrified of the idea of more surgery, so at the time I was happy not to proceed with it. However, I have had pain on an almost daily basis for most of my life, as well as the confidence issues that a curvy spine brings.

A few years ago, I read about the SpineCor brace and knew immediately and instinctively that this was something worth trying. When you can’t stand up straight and you have muscles that feel fatigued and achy every day because they can’t keep you in line, the idea of something that will hold you in a corrected posture, tailor made to redress your spinal curves, literally sounds like a piece of heaven! I experienced relief from pain within a few days of wearing the brace and 7 years later, I still wear it for a few hours every day. The brace keeps my shoulders back, holds in my stomach, helps me to stand straighter, certainly reduces pain and my x-rays show that my curves are not progressing. Being made from a thin fabric, the brace it is not easy to see underneath clothes. I now feel a lot more confident with my improved posture and wear tighter fitting tops. The pain relief it brings is a game changer, and when I do get pain, it’s usually because I haven’t been wearing the brace for enough hours. The brace does have a few drawbacks: it can be seen if I wear a wide neck top, it can get very hot in the summer and it starts to feel very tight after lots of hours of wear.

Overall, the benefits of the Spinecor brace far outweigh the drawbacks. For a condition such as scoliosis, where the main form of treatment is major surgery which carries significant risk, this is a much needed life changing alternative.

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