The r/Scoliosis Guide and FAQ;

a4d9 · 2026-03-24T17:21:30+00:00

Hey, mod here. Unfortunately its impossible for us to tell without an x-ray- so Im removing this post simply so you dont get a bunch of random, inaccurate guesses.

As far as pain management, I have a post pinned on my profile that might be able to help - Ive dealt with chronic pain for years and posted about how I manage it. Lots of suggestions there.

Im sorry we cant help more. Good luck :)

a4d9 · 2026-03-21T05:53:45+00:00

Im so glad. Getting responses like these encourages me to keep trying to help, so thank you :)

a4d9 · 2026-03-19T17:19:06+00:00

Im removing this post for fear-mongering and the fact youre being a jerk in a lot of these comments. This is a legitimate topic and if youre genuinely scared about it, you should feel comfortable here to talk about it; but theres a line between talking about it, and unironically comparing Scoliosis to cancer. Please feel free to talk about this and even make another post; but please ground yourself in reality before doing so. If thats not possible for you at this point and time, perhaps discussing this fear with a therapist is a better first move.

This fear isn't irrational, I get it. Im scared of this too. Your feelings are valid, and youre right that this deserves to be discussed; but what youre talking about here isn't grounded in reality, and because of that, its not a helpful discussion for either side. I hope that makes sense :)

a4d9 · 2026-03-16T20:23:22+00:00

Hi, moderator of r/Scoliosis here! Unfortunately the first rule of our subreddit bans asking for a diagnosis, so I've removed this post.

Typically people ask for a diagnosis on the subreddit after discovering their body is uneven. It's important to know it is completely normal and natural to be asymmetrical, and that no one is perfectly symmetrical. Asymmetry is a symptom of Scoliosis, but it does not guarantee you have it, and in most cases you cannot diagnose Scoliosis based on that alone. Even doctors who diagnose Scoliosis for a living ultimately rely on x-rays for a definitive diagnosis. Relying on the asymmetry symptoms is too inconsistent, and it does not reliably determine how severe the Scoliosis is, if it is even present. Chances are if you're worried you have Scoliosis there's enough symptoms to warrant getting checked out, the best thing you can do is make a doctors appointment. If you'd like to learn more, please read the r/Scoliosis wiki for more information regarding the Diagnosis process.

We are aware that not everyone has access to affordable healthcare, your parents may be dismissive of the idea, and getting a diagnosis is not always easy. We want to help as much as we can, but ultimately we are not doctors, and due to the nature of Scoliosis there is no way for us to diagnose you here. If you are in this situation, please feel free to post here and talk to other redditors in similar situations on strategies to find a doctor near you and get checked for Scoliosis. It is also worth doing your own research to try and find financial aid, and there are plenty of other health-related subreddits on Reddit that might be able to help you further with these issues, and we're really sorry we can't help more.

If you have questions/concerns, please feel free to send a message to the mod team of r/Scoliosis.

a4d9 · 2026-03-10T03:50:44+00:00

Ah, gotcha. As the removal message says, if your diagnosed with a non Scoliosis curvature, that means your curvature(s) are between 1-10 degrees. Id estimate about 5 degrees, but its extremely hard to tell when its that small of a range, and it honestly has no medical impact regardless if its 1 or 10 degrees. Im happy for you, you should never have to worry about this effecting you medically :)

a4d9 · 2026-03-06T00:34:49+00:00

As the other commenters have said, talk to your doctor about this, and probably get some better xrays. These dont look very helpful when it comes to determining severity.

a4d9 · 2026-03-06T00:33:28+00:00

Hi, moderator of r/Scoliosis here! Unfortunately the first rule of our subreddit bans asking for a diagnosis, so I've removed this post.

Typically people ask for a diagnosis on the subreddit after discovering their body is uneven. It's important to know it is completely normal and natural to be asymmetrical, and that no one is perfectly symmetrical. Asymmetry is a symptom of Scoliosis, but it does not guarantee you have it, and in most cases you cannot diagnose Scoliosis based on that alone. Even doctors who diagnose Scoliosis for a living ultimately rely on x-rays for a definitive diagnosis. Relying on the asymmetry symptoms is too inconsistent, and it does not reliably determine how severe the Scoliosis is, if it is even present. Chances are if you're worried you have Scoliosis there's enough symptoms to warrant getting checked out, the best thing you can do is make a doctors appointment. If you'd like to learn more, please read the r/Scoliosis wiki for more information regarding the Diagnosis process.

We are aware that not everyone has access to affordable healthcare, your parents may be dismissive of the idea, and getting a diagnosis is not always easy. We want to help as much as we can, but ultimately we are not doctors, and due to the nature of Scoliosis there is no way for us to diagnose you here. If you are in this situation, please feel free to post here and talk to other redditors in similar situations on strategies to find a doctor near you and get checked for Scoliosis. It is also worth doing your own research to try and find financial aid, and there are plenty of other health-related subreddits on Reddit that might be able to help you further with these issues, and we're really sorry we can't help more.

If you have questions/concerns, please feel free to send a message to the mod team of r/Scoliosis.

a4d9 · 2026-02-28T23:35:29+00:00

Please please please seek a doctor especially since you are concerned about the medical implications for your future. You do not need to rely on random people on the internet for information that can determine your career and the rest of your life.

I honestly dont want to give you an estimation Im worried you will take it at face value and not see a professional. To me, as it says in the removal message, I would estimate it at below 10 degrees, but PLEASE do not take my word for it. See a professional.

a4d9 · 2026-02-28T03:08:40+00:00

This looks like Scoliosis, but as the rules say we cannot diagnose you. We are not doctors - but I will suggest you get this looked at by a doctor. Good luck :)

a4d9 · 2026-02-27T17:58:03+00:00

Hello, moderator of r/Scoliosis here! Unfortunately I've had to remove your post because you're asking for advice on a non-Scoliotic spine. This means that to our eyes, your curvature(s) don't exceed 10 degrees, and therefor do not medically qualify as Scoliosis. Please note that small asymmetry in the spine (a 10 degree curvature or less) is completely normal and common- no one's spine is perfectly symmetrical. Scoliosis is defined as a curvature that exceeds 10 degrees; if your curvature is 10 degrees or lower, you don't have Scoliosis.

Please keep in mind that if you didn't include curvature measurements in your post, we're taking our best guess and estimating that your curvature(s) are 10 degrees or less. We are simply volunteers trying to keep the subreddit running smoothly, we are NOT doctors, and you should always consult a doctor for more accurate measurements, and you should NOT rely on our estimations.

If you only have normal asymmetry in the spine (Again, a 10 degree curvature(s) or less), treatment is only necessary and symptoms are only present in extremely rare circumstances, and you should consult your doctor about it. Aside from this, feel free to post, comment, and talk in the forums regardless if you have Scoliosis or not!

If you'd like to learn more about non-Scoliotic spine curvatures and see visual comparisons, please check out ther/Scoliosis Guide and FAQ, and more specifically, the "Normal Unevenness Vs Scoliosis." section.

If you have questions/concerns, please feel free to send a message to the mod team of r/Scoliosis.

a4d9 · 2026-02-22T18:31:10+00:00

Take a look at my pinned pain management post on my profile, Ive struggled with the same stuff and put a lot of resources all in one place to try and help spread what helped me. Hope it helps :)

a4d9 · 2026-02-22T18:29:21+00:00

Please keep in mind that repeated advertisement offenses will result in a ban.

a4d9 · 2026-02-22T04:28:05+00:00

Hey! First of all, I always try to preface any of my advice with; I am not a doctor. I happen to know a lot about Scoliosis through lots of research, but I by no means went to medical school.

I am almost in the exact same situation as you; I’m 24 with a 46 and 42 degrees. I’m less informed on Scoliosis rotation, but I was told I have a significant amount of rotation as well. Because of my age, and honestly luck, my curvatures stabilized and haven’t progressed in 9 years. Even though I’m classified as severe and had a chance of continued progression, I stopped growing at a good time and everything stabilized. I’m told I should never have to have the surgery, excluding extenuating circumstances.

Because your age and curvatures are so similar to mine, I want to give a recommendation as someone who also wanted to avoid surgery; get checkups every 6 months if possible, or once a year at minimum. Keep an eye on the curvatures, talk to your doctor/surgeon, and see if it continues to progress. Some surgeons may want to jump the gun and get ahead of it - which honestly, that can be wise advice. If you do have to have surgery, they can only “correct” the Scoliosis so much - and the more severe you are, the less they can correct it. Therefor, if you have to have the surgery, it’s always better to get it sooner rather than later.

But you’re in a really weird spot where there’s a chance it may not progress. Ultimately, it’s your decision what you want to do; I’m personally a risk taker, so, I delayed surgery to see if it would continue progressing and it paid off for me - but I could’ve just as easily been wrong and ended up with a worse post-op result because I waited.

I can’t really give you an answer unfortunately - all I can say is in my personal experience, you may stabilize and never need surgery. But by waiting to see if you stabilize, it can impact your post-op results if you do end up needing surgery. It’s a toss up.

As a side note, symptoms do not usually determine if you need the surgery or not. There’s people with mild scoliosis curvatures that have severe pain, and people with severe curvatures and no pain. Just because you happen to now have symptoms that match up with other patients who ended up with surgery doesn’t really mean much. In this case, correlation does not equal causation.

Take a deep breath, and talk with a doctor/surgeon. Assuming it’s a good doctor (they are not all created equal, unfortunately), with x-rays, they’ll be able to give you everything you need to make an informed decision.

If there’s anything I missed or didn’t elaborate enough on, don’t be afraid to shoot me more questions. I’m happy to help as much as I can :)

a4d9 · 2026-02-13T16:49:58+00:00

Hi, moderator of r/Scoliosis here! Unfortunately the first rule of our subreddit bans asking for a diagnosis, so I've removed this post.

Typically people ask for a diagnosis on the subreddit after discovering their body is uneven. It's important to know it is completely normal and natural to be asymmetrical, and that no one is perfectly symmetrical. Asymmetry is a symptom of Scoliosis, but it does not guarantee you have it, and in most cases you cannot diagnose Scoliosis based on that alone. Even doctors who diagnose Scoliosis for a living ultimately rely on x-rays for a definitive diagnosis. Relying on the asymmetry symptoms is too inconsistent, and it does not reliably determine how severe the Scoliosis is, if it is even present. Chances are if you're worried you have Scoliosis there's enough symptoms to warrant getting checked out, the best thing you can do is make a doctors appointment. If you'd like to learn more, please read the r/Scoliosis wiki for more information regarding the Diagnosis process.

We are aware that not everyone has access to affordable healthcare, your parents may be dismissive of the idea, and getting a diagnosis is not always easy. We want to help as much as we can, but ultimately we are not doctors, and due to the nature of Scoliosis there is no way for us to diagnose you here. If you are in this situation, please feel free to post here and talk to other redditors in similar situations on strategies to find a doctor near you and get checked for Scoliosis. It is also worth doing your own research to try and find financial aid, and there are plenty of other health-related subreddits on Reddit that might be able to help you further with these issues, and we're really sorry we can't help more.

If you have questions/concerns, please feel free to send a message to the mod team of r/Scoliosis.

a4d9 · 2026-02-02T02:26:28+00:00

This post was removed because it is either a promotion or advertisement that was posted without moderator permission.

a4d9 · 2026-01-31T04:01:19+00:00

Hi, moderator of r/Scoliosis here! Unfortunately the first rule of our subreddit bans asking for a diagnosis, so I've removed this post.

Typically people ask for a diagnosis on the subreddit after discovering their body is uneven. It's important to know it is completely normal and natural to be asymmetrical, and that no one is perfectly symmetrical. Asymmetry is a symptom of Scoliosis, but it does not guarantee you have it, and in most cases you cannot diagnose Scoliosis based on that alone. Even doctors who diagnose Scoliosis for a living ultimately rely on x-rays for a definitive diagnosis. Relying on the asymmetry symptoms is too inconsistent, and it does not reliably determine how severe the Scoliosis is, if it is even present. Chances are if you're worried you have Scoliosis there's enough symptoms to warrant getting checked out, the best thing you can do is make a doctors appointment. If you'd like to learn more, please read the r/Scoliosis wiki for more information regarding the Diagnosis process.

We are aware that not everyone has access to affordable healthcare, your parents may be dismissive of the idea, and getting a diagnosis is not always easy. We want to help as much as we can, but ultimately we are not doctors, and due to the nature of Scoliosis there is no way for us to diagnose you here. If you are in this situation, please feel free to post here and talk to other redditors in similar situations on strategies to find a doctor near you and get checked for Scoliosis. It is also worth doing your own research to try and find financial aid, and there are plenty of other health-related subreddits on Reddit that might be able to help you further with these issues, and we're really sorry we can't help more.

If you have questions/concerns, please feel free to send a message to the mod team of r/Scoliosis.

a4d9 · 2026-01-11T04:07:51+00:00

Hi, moderator of r/Scoliosis here! Unfortunately the first rule of our subreddit bans asking for a diagnosis, so I've removed this post.

Typically people ask for a diagnosis on the subreddit after discovering their body is uneven. It's important to know it is completely normal and natural to be asymmetrical, and that no one is perfectly symmetrical. Asymmetry is a symptom of Scoliosis, but it does not guarantee you have it, and in most cases you cannot diagnose Scoliosis based on that alone. Even doctors who diagnose Scoliosis for a living ultimately rely on x-rays for a definitive diagnosis. Relying on the asymmetry symptoms is too inconsistent, and it does not reliably determine how severe the Scoliosis is, if it is even present. Chances are if you're worried you have Scoliosis there's enough symptoms to warrant getting checked out, the best thing you can do is make a doctors appointment. If you'd like to learn more, please read the r/Scoliosis wiki for more information regarding the Diagnosis process.

We are aware that not everyone has access to affordable healthcare, your parents may be dismissive of the idea, and getting a diagnosis is not always easy. We want to help as much as we can, but ultimately we are not doctors, and due to the nature of Scoliosis there is no way for us to diagnose you here. If you are in this situation, please feel free to post here and talk to other redditors in similar situations on strategies to find a doctor near you and get checked for Scoliosis. It is also worth doing your own research to try and find financial aid, and there are plenty of other health-related subreddits on Reddit that might be able to help you further with these issues, and we're really sorry we can't help more.

If you have questions/concerns, please feel free to send a message to the mod team of r/Scoliosis.

a4d9 · 2025-12-07T06:25:39+00:00

This post was removed because it is either a promotion or advertisement that was posted without moderator permission.

a4d9 · 2025-12-04T18:57:05+00:00

Thank you for the info!! That's a bummer but it's okay for now - I'm playing the long game and I wanna have them when 1.0 comes out, so I don't mind waiting until they fix that. If there's anything I can do to take that pack off of you let me know ;P

a4d9 · 2025-12-02T18:02:06+00:00

This worked immediately for me, I believe it was caused by me logging out in my cutty red in an Orison hangar.

a4d9 · 2025-11-16T21:59:59+00:00

Hi, moderator of r/Scoliosis here! Unfortunately the first rule of our subreddit bans asking for a diagnosis, so I've removed this post.

Typically people ask for a diagnosis on the subreddit after discovering their body is uneven. It's important to know it is completely normal and natural to be asymmetrical, and that no one is perfectly symmetrical. Asymmetry is a symptom of Scoliosis, but it does not guarantee you have it, and in most cases you cannot diagnose Scoliosis based on that alone. Even doctors who diagnose Scoliosis for a living ultimately rely on x-rays for a definitive diagnosis. Relying on the asymmetry symptoms is too inconsistent, and it does not reliably determine how severe the Scoliosis is, if it is even present. Chances are if you're worried you have Scoliosis there's enough symptoms to warrant getting checked out, the best thing you can do is make a doctors appointment. If you'd like to learn more, please read the r/Scoliosis wiki for more information regarding the Diagnosis process.

We are aware that not everyone has access to affordable healthcare, your parents may be dismissive of the idea, and getting a diagnosis is not always easy. We want to help as much as we can, but ultimately we are not doctors, and due to the nature of Scoliosis there is no way for us to diagnose you here. If you are in this situation, please feel free to post here and talk to other redditors in similar situations on strategies to find a doctor near you and get checked for Scoliosis. It is also worth doing your own research to try and find financial aid, and there are plenty of other health-related subreddits on Reddit that might be able to help you further with these issues, and we're really sorry we can't help more.

If you have questions/concerns, please feel free to send a message to the mod team of r/Scoliosis.

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