Sehiro wrote:Cool.
Sorry about your spine, but good it keeps you motivated.
It doesn't really hinder me much. I'm a bit less mobile in my upper body and my core isn't as strong as it probably could be because some muscle attachment points are asymmetrical. But the vertebrae themselves are not rotated, which usually happens with scoliosis, and my legs are the same length, although my hip is not symmetrical. If that was the case, in addition to the bend I have right now, I would probably have to consider surgery. Essentially, they brace your spine with metal rods. With those things in my back I could probably forget about entering the ring at some point. So I'm lucky in that regard.
What really bothers me is that no one knows what caused it. Officially the reason is idiopathic, which is medical speak for: "At some point it was simply there. For no particular reason." Had it been discovered when I was younger it could have been treated with a sort of corset. A friend of mine had this done in her childhood. She had a slightly more pronounced bend in her lumbar spine and now it is almost straight and she has no pain. The things with these corsets is that they only work as long as you are still growing. It counteracts the asymmetry in your upper body and can lead to great results if you combine it with regular training. It's really inconvenient, though, and since you have to wear it during the day (i.e. at school) and school children are cruel bastards it could potentially lead to some really unpleasant experiences if you don't happen to be the most popular guy. I'm exaggerating. With my friend, most people just wanted to know what that badass cyber suit was for. The perks of being an incredibly cute girl.
In my case it was discovered during a routine check-up when I was nineteen. A bit too late for that. So now I have to make my muscles do the work that my spine can't. It's a good excuse for dragging your sorry arse into the gym on a rainy day. And my doc has told me that I should probably not get a job that requires me to sit around all day. So it's also a good excuse for getting a cool job that won't have you wither away in a boring office.
...
Okay, I fucked up there. As a teacher I will spend a huge amount of time on reddit - I mean at my desk, even when one of my subjects will be sports.
And I started dancing because of it because in dancing (especially International Standard and Latin) proper posture is really important. And there I got to know the girl I am currently having a major crush on.
tl;dr:
It could be worse. If I do get problems with it later in life, I'll only have myself to blame. Right now, this health concern is ironically the main reason why I am in shape and what made me try the sports I am currently active in. I quit Tennis and started with Muay Thai and dancing. And both are amazing.
