By Kristi Hujik
If you’re like me, you probably thought scoliosis was an issue you’re born with or develop as a young child. I had no idea that it could develop later in life and really never thought it would be something I would have to deal with.
I grew up an athlete and like many, put my body through a lot of wear and tear playing sports like soccer and basketball. I never went to chiropractor when I was in college but a lot of my teammates did. In fact, the first back pain I can even remember came between our league playoff games my senior year. My coach sent me to a chiropractor. I got one treatment and was ready to go for the next game. It was at least another 9 years before I got back to a chiropractor and when I did you could see on the X-rays I was developing a reverse curve in my neck. We were treating it but I don’t think I ever really did enough to keep it at bay or try to reverse it. I didn’t like how the stretching exercises felt. That’s probably because I needed them. Then in 2011 I got into a car accident and herniated a disk. It seemed like everything went on a downward spiral from there.
I found a good orthopedic back doctor who was very conservative. We addressed some lower back issues that had developed, and as always with orthos, cortisone was part of the solution. It did help and the lower back issues subsided eventually but after viewing my MRI he informed me that I had a degenerative disk disorder in my back and a mild scoliosis. I will skip ahead and summarize the story…
My neck and back weren’t on a good trajectory.
Last year in April, I developed vertigo. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I’d never had that before and I hope I don’t ever have it again. I woke up, sat up, and the room started going 100 miles an hour in a circle. Think like NASCAR fast. I stumbled getting up but luckily got myself to the bathroom…to throw up. It was a little scary and it ended up in a hospital visit. At that visit they did some tests, a CT scan, and sent me home with anti-nausea medication. I spent months not feeling well with intermittent dizziness and heavy head-like feelings. I went to a vertigo specialist, and an ear nose and throat doctor all to find out my tests showed nothing. Well, I did learn I have really good hearing. Then I started using Dr. Google. My ears would have this popping sensation a lot and if I did this Eustachian tube massage I would feel better. I kept thinking there had to be a connection. I used that as the basis of my search and found literature on upper cervical and atlas issues. I looked at the list of 25 symptoms and I could relate to 23 of them over the last few years. Some of these are neurological in nature and they are brutal. Eye-twitching, ear pain, jaw pain, headaches, even bladder issues. It’s pretty miserable. I self-diagnosed myself.
This led me to finding an upper cervical specialist. They are rare but fortunately, I knew we had one in the neighborhood – Dr. Matthew Roe. By the time I arrived at Dr. Roe’s office the pain in my left trap and left side of my neck was at a fever pitch. To paint a picture, I would sleep with my left shoulder in my left ear and literally felt like there was nothing I could do to stop it. This led to quite a bit of pain and tightness. The X-rays we took confirmed my diagnosis. My atlas was WAAAY off, my hips were waaaay off, and the scoliosis in my spine had turned into a real issue.
After a couple of months of treatment and some marked improvement, I felt like we were on a good path but I was still having some issues sleeping and combatting the tightness in the upper traps (that’s trapezius muscles for those of you wondering about the area in question).
In November of 2021, I met Dr. Stephen Liu, the CEO of the company FORME, while I was covering an event out on the PGA TOUR. Dr. Liu took one look at me, and felt the tension I was carrying in those upper traps. He had me try on a Forme Sports Bra and a Forme shirt. He told me to wear both for a couple of days. I could not believe what these two articles of clothing were doing for me. As a former personal trainer I understand anatomy and muscle memory. I also possess a great proprioception of my own body. I could FEEL the difference immediately. I was standing straighter and finally felt like that roster height listed in the college program. And like the hot air coming out of a balloon, the tension left my shoulder and neck area. I even slept with the bra on and still do to this day.
We talked about the concept behind the product and I loved it. An aggressive brace that pulls the body into position and tries to hold it there doesn’t always work. Surgeries are always risky. This is a less aggressive but highly effective, way to train your posture. When your body has been in the wrong position for so long this is the only way to go. Forme is an FDA approved wearable and you can check it out here.
Less than 2 months later, I had a re-exam and my X-rays showed a marked improvement. I felt better and experienced a couple of months where I literally felt the best I had in about 20 years. As I say to clients often, sometimes you don’t know how bad you feel until you feel good. It’s easy to just crumble and crawl into the fetal position after a diagnosis. But there are things you can do. Forme and chiropractic care have helped me so much and I’m so thankful for the ability to retrain my body and feel better. So don’t give up…Ever.
