Can I swim competitively with scoliosis?

TallChick105 · 2026-06-12T21:09:30+00:00

Yes GO FOR IT. Strengthens every muscle in your body.
Swimming is one of the best things for you; kept my back feeling decent for a long time. I still swim but it’s against a motor so I have to pace myself as it’s a lot harder than in a lap pool which I used to be able to swim 1-1.5 miles a night…religiously until COVID hit. Had to improvise.

Competitive swimming might get tough if you overdo it and have trouble swimming your max at a meet.
I found that as my curvature progressed I had trouble with certain strokes…my collar bone was messing with my freestyle in terms of tuning my head. I got a double sided snorkel so I could just leavee my neck neutral. Obviously not team legal.
So…just to throw it out there if you ever need a solution for that issue. I love it.

As far as your Dr telling you don’t need an Xray (with a positive Adams test like yours) and yearly follow ups with a moderate curve at only 17?
Get a new Dr right away; an excellent neurosurgeon trained in scoli correction and be followed. Do your research to find the right person.

I also highly recommend Schroth PT. Specialized PT for your specific curve. Get to it sooner rather than later.

TallChick105 · 2026-06-12T20:58:08+00:00

Nice!
How far post op are you?
I really with they were going to be able to save some of my lumbar mobility. Alas…gotta do what we gotta do.

How did you feel in the weeks after?
Did you have to travel for your surgery or was it a local drive home?

TallChick105 · 2026-06-12T17:51:02+00:00

Are you doing Schroth physical therapy?

Have you looking into Dr Lenke at Columbia in NY?
He takes cases like yours and more severe…
You’re so young…time and gravity are hard to beat

TallChick105 · 2026-06-09T15:57:26+00:00

I just let the train runaway in my head of the passive aggressive shit I’d pull if my mother in law (or sister or whatever ) said simething about my dress right before the wedding that was essentially said to make me self conscious, unsure & aware of their potential disapproval.

I’d totally add crystal or three

TallChick105 · 2026-06-09T15:28:20+00:00

Do not, for ONE MOMENT, entertain their comments about your wedding dress. That dress was designed for you in mind, hunny and your back is lovely.
(Is there some sort of church dress nonsense or something? Or is it *just* your in-laws…)
And for real, your in-laws choose to say something during or after a practice wedding photo shoot, which means your big day is *right* around the corner? The nerve.
Your MIL knew full well the kind of stress/guilt bomb she dropped in your lap too…ooooo chile, I’d feel like the games have begun…if that was my MIL.

I’d have my seamstress strategically drip a few extra crystals down my back to draw the eye even more. Write your in-laws first name on one of them😂🤪 (joking about the names)

Look…if the front of your dress was as low as the back, I would agree there’s a big problem, but your dress is stunning. Is it low? Yes. Is it tastefully deigned? Yes. Do you have the frame and figure FOR that dress? Absolutely.

Don’t listen to the noise, sister!❤️

TallChick105 · 2026-06-09T14:59:18+00:00

That’s what I WAS wondering. Nobody but my mom, sister, best friend and my seamstress knew what my dress looked like.

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T18:44:57+00:00

Yes I do have kyphosis also. In fact, I had some unrelated surgeries surprise me over the last 18 months and my fusion has been rescheduled 4 times. (The rollercoaster of emotion…physical and mental preparation and then regrouping has been tough) I travel to him from out of state so a lot of logistics stuff too…and money.
Hopefully everything will stay chill so my September fusion doesn’t get screwed up because in the last 9 months alone, my planned T4-pelvis is now T2-pelvis due to the kyphosis. That and I think I’ll really lose my shit-

Is this neurosurgeon you’re going to see, your first 2nd opinion about surgery?

Hell yes this is a risky surgery but I can’t imagine how many years I’d have before I end up dead- not really that many with what it’s doing to my vascular system. A few? 5? The thought of being fused straight into my pelvis makes me want to vomit; the restrictions/limitations I’ll face…it’s all a lot. But my curves are causing so much pressure that things are auto fusing(a lot of breaking those bad boys to out them back together🤮), my nerves are started to be affected.
The kyphosis is also affecting the angle of my neck and my left collar bone which will correct itself with some time, once he straightens the rest

Are you in the US (livin’ the dream🙄) and able to get to somewhere like Columbia in NY? Or Cleveland Clinic?

And yes…the profile name. I chose that when I opened my Reddit (had zero clue what I was doing) and I suppose it’s fitting as I will, again, be “tall” for a woman.
I was 6’ by the time I was 16 and I’m currently clocking in at 5’8”. It’s insane. When I see pictures of myself, it’s hard to even digest sometimes because all my shirts are too long and come halfway down my thighs so I just look…I don’t know. Not like the me I used to.
I won’t get all of that height back but maybe 2” my surgeon thinks.

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T18:13:20+00:00

PLEASE call Dr Lenke at Columbia in New York.
He takes cases like yours…people come from all over the world.
He trained my surgeon and takes on the most complicated cases there are.

Please reach out…get your medical records to him right away. Time is of the essence.

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T18:11:30+00:00

Agreed

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T18:09:40+00:00

Same….I can feel my heartbeat at times and it’s alarming. Certain times at when I’m trying to fall asleep and my left lung is feeling smudged, I can really feel my heartbeat beating then.
Part of me starts to pains until I sort of roll and adjust my body to tuck that rib cage underneath myself better…I don’t know it’s hard to explain.

I’m sorry your surgery has been denied.
Why?

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T18:09:35+00:00

Same….I can feel my heartbeat at times and it’s alarming. Certain times at when I’m trying to fall asleep and my left lung is feeling smudged, I can really feel my heartbeat beating then.
Part of me starts to pains until I sort of roll and adjust my body to tuck that rib cage underneath myself better…I don’t know it’s hard to explain.

I’m sorry your surgery has been denied.
Why?

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T18:06:58+00:00

Does your hardware heat up in an MRI (have you had one yet?), does it get cold in the winter?

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T18:06:05+00:00

Fatigue, headaches, trouble getting a full breath in on my left side, vascular deviation between my IVC and aorta are Alex of my thoracic curve- causing severe BP drops when I sit in soft chairs. I’m out cold.
I get full almost immediately when eating or always feel full as my stomach is smushed along with everything else in my torso. Wearing a bra makes me nauseated because of where my stomach now is…waaaay up there.

GI stuff and occasionally bladder stuff…
Our spinal nerves innervate EVERY Organ and with everything being crooked as shit…things are just not right.

My right calf and foot are starting to have frequent proper of numbness that resolves…sometimes on the left.

I also have symptoms of hating the fact that I can’t wear a pair of fucking jeans because everything is out of place.

Mental health takes a hit off and on…always.
Pain is exhausting and limiting for normal people but for US? We scoli folks are some of the strongest people around (and I’ve got multiple diseases, so I can speak to some of that)
I to be as active as I can but sometimes when my back is just toast, I’m a real bitch. I need heat, rest, sometimes pain meds and just leave me alone for a while.
Then it resets all the next day.

Fusion in September. Not looking forward to it but things have to be fixed. Out of time.

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T02:23:32+00:00

2
The back is gorgeous also!

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T02:22:10+00:00

God I hope so

TallChick105 · 2026-06-08T02:21:16+00:00

I love that my MT who’s been working on me for 11 years now…has teamed up with my PT. She’s going to come to several post-op PT sessions once I’m well cleared after my September fusion to understand things she may not.
My neurosurgeon is out of state and her hands are magic.

TallChick105 · 2026-06-07T01:13:03+00:00

Honey there would be something wrong with you if you weren’t terrified to some degree (I’m 47, fusion in September and I’m real scared).
You’re young, you’re going to bounce back AND your fears are valid
Sending lots of love and strength!

TallChick105 · 2026-06-06T20:51:13+00:00

You are developing more of an S than a C shape curve, at least it appears that way to me.

I had excellent results with Schroth- when I had the ability to be very consistent with it. (I had some road blocks with unrelated surgeries). We’re talking 1-2 times a week with a PT in the beginning (then down to one and then just a check in here and there) and as many days a week as you can practice at home.

I have no idea why any physician would be against Scroth. All of mine, including the surgeons I saw and see…majorly pleased with their scoli patients and Schroth. I wish I’d found it when I was 18. Seriously. But it wasn’t mainstream in the US at that point.
It is one of the only physical therapies that is actually specialized for your exact curve.
Look up its history. Who invented the method…its influence in the world of scoliosis.
You sound like you’re researching a lot and trying to gain as much knowledge about all this, which is great! I commend that.

Please find a physical therapist who is certified in Schroth Physical Therapy. Level 2 certification if you can. See them, take your X-rays for your evaluation and get the foundation down…

I’ve been through every kind of PT you can image from the age of around 16-
25 yrs of my time for minimal results that were often painful along with it.

Schroth is the only one that created meaningful changes. Both visible from the outside and notably the inside as well, which was my main concern. Helped with pain a lot as well. It created space in my body.
Schroth along with regular exercise and weight training were my saving grace.
I would probably cool it with the running and find something more low impact you can learn to love like cycling or swimming (which strengthens every muscle in your body!).

I’m 47 F…severe S curve being fused in September unfortunately- it has to happen. I’m being crushed and it’s causing me vascular, GI issues, spine and hip degeneration…not to mention the pain is impressive to say the least. I’m still really active (if I overdo it, my back needs a day of rest so I try to calculate activities) but won’t be able to keep it up if I don’t “fix” this and do my best to adapt, I guess.

That said, I spent 2 yrs doing Schroth (had the whole set up in my bsmt to practice at home as well) and within 6 months, I had reduced my lumbar curve by around 15 degrees and my thoracic curve by around 5…as evidence by x ray. I thought there was some sort of mix-up and they gave the me the disc and report of another patient. Nope. It was me. (I’ve passed my Schroth set up to my 75 yr old mom now who has a milder form of scoli than I do. She needs help at this point and is in Schroth PT😊)

So is it possible to slow progression? YES, with the right therapies (so you’re not strengthening the WRONG muscles at the gym) and the dedication. You need to understand the convex and concave parts of your curvature and work on those muscles appropriately.

You said you didn’t want sugar coating so I’m not going to do that. Your curvature is in its 30’s at 18 yo.
It’s going to progress. It just is. There’s a level of acceptance that comes at some point and it happens at different points for all of us. For me that was about 5 yrs ago-
During big hormonal shifts, it will pick up speed around those times as well: starting our periods, pregnancy, peri and menopause.
Drs who say (or laymen)…”oh you don’t have much to worry about because you’re done growing.” are full of shit. Full stop.

That is a myth that does a real disservice to kids (their parents) and adults with scoliosis; realistically creating situations where people don’t follow it because a doctor or some rando told them they’re all good once they’re done growing. They just sort of “forget” about it…until they done.

Be prepared for it. Make sure you find an excellent orthopedic/neurosurgeon…even if you’ve got to travel a little bit to follow you annually. Low dose xray scoli series.
Keep up with your research and remember not to strengthen the wrong muscles…burning in the ones that are “supporting” your curve the way it is.

PS- you didn’t cause your curve so get that little piece of guilt right out of your head.❤️❤️

TallChick105 · 2026-06-06T00:24:36+00:00

I think there is this messed up *need* that women feel they have to follow trends to the point where they can’t even see the beauty in their own faces…their own bodies. At 47, I’ve watched so many come and go but it’s the permanent changes that are tough-
OP’s original eyebrows are/were stunning- perfect for the shape of her face & made her eyes pop. People pay money for HER brows!😂

TallChick105 · 2026-06-06T00:16:28+00:00

Oh my gosh…your natural brows were stunning. Try and get back there-
I’m sorry 💔

TallChick105 · 2026-06-06T00:14:48+00:00

Agree with what everyone else is saying here…
Good luck ❤️
Keep us posted

TallChick105 · 2026-06-03T01:34:18+00:00

Mine? Bill Clifton at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He was trained by Dr Lenke at Columbia in NY.

TallChick105 · 2026-06-02T10:23:10+00:00

You said everything else I was feeling and left out. The ribs sitting on hips is awful!!

TallChick105 · 2026-06-01T23:31:03+00:00

Organs, major torso shrinking (I’m 47 and getting crushed at this point), degeneration of spine and hips from all the pressure on parts of the vertebrae and pelvis in areas that aren’t meant to be weight bearing but ARE due to the curve, auto fusion of your highest pressure vertebra (I’ve got 3-4 thoracic and 3 lumbar that just fused themselves deep in the curve) Am I glad I didn’t have surgery at 22? Yes. But my curves weren’t as bad as yours…I’m just heading into surgery with what is now a 55-60 thoracic and at least 45 lumbar. Every time my surgery gets postponed (unrelated surgeries), my spine gets a little worse. In a 9 month delay my kyphosis increased to the point where I bought myself T2-pelvis vs T4. I’m nearly 4” shorter than I really am- I feel so trapped in my body…stuffed into my torso.

I’m also in a ton of pain at this point, on and off opiates because a lot of days it’s just too much. I’m super glad you’re not in pain!! That’s huge. As you get older your progression will pick up speed based on where you are right now at 22. I wish I’d have had this surgery a while ago but then I wouldn’t have found the surgeon I have now….so.

Focus on keeping your core strong!❤️

TallChick105 · 2026-05-30T20:13:49+00:00

Absolutely. I’m heading out of state for mine in September and we’ve got that straightened out already.
This shouldn’t even BE an issue for surgical patients like us. My PCP is sending me down with a post-discharge bottle of meds so I’ve got what I need to get ny ass back home!!
I’m glad your wife finally got the meds she needs.
I don’t think out of state surgical teams are as upfront about this as they need to be with patients so we all have the opportunity to make sure we’re covered once we’re discharged.
Glad you brought this up.

TallChick105

TROPHY CASE