“Scoliosis is not a painful condition.”
Websites, doctors, friends, everyone, they all tell me this false little quip. In reality, scoliosis is a painful condition.
I’ve spent weeks in constant pain. The aching in my back seems unrelenting. I’ve sent email after email, text after text of “I’m sorry, I won’t be there today. I’m having a severe pain day.” So how could a “painless” condition be so painful?
A study performed in 2015 cited that nearly half of scoliosis patients reported back pain. Here’s the problem: 80 percent of those patients did not have a pain management treatment plan.
Telling those in pain that they should not be in pain is terribly damaging. First, it prevents people from getting the medical attention they deserve. Second, discounting pain is also psychologically unhealthy. The truth is, many people who have been diagnosed with scoliosis are struggling in silence.
This attitude towards scoliosis has got to change. The only way that we can receive treatment is if this issue is brought to the light.
So, I say to the doctors: Scoliosis pain is real. Patients who are in chronic pain should be guaranteed adequate treatment. Pain relief is an essential piece in the field of medicine.
To the friends: Support the person you know with scoliotic pain. What they are feeling is legitimate. Believe them. Remind them that they are strong.
To everyone from afar: Respect people who are in pain. Be lenient to the needs of others. Remember, every single person is valuable.
Finally, to the scoliosis patient: The pain you are facing, the ridicule you may hear, the days when you can’t get out of bed – they are not in vain. You will overcome this pain. In the meantime, take care of yourself. You are worth the world.
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