I used to have a side-to-side (lateral) scoliosis.  The sleeves on my shirts or coats were always short on one side and long on the other.  That was a symptom of scoliosis but I didn’t know it.

I thought I had one arm that was much longer than the other.

I didn’t realize that my body was rotated and one shoulder was a few inches farther forward than the other.

I used to have pain on my left upper shoulder at my neck.  That was also a symptom.  But I didn’t know it.

Migraine headaches were another symptom of scoliosis.  A twisted spine causes a lot of strain at the base of the brain.  That can cause very severe headaches.

A “symptom” means something is wrong.

The “something” was muscles that had become out of balance along my spine.  Some were shorter and tighter than they should have been.  That caused side to side curves.  It also caused me to rotate–to twist–and that’s what caused my “longer arm.”

But it wasn’t really longer.

And now, my sleeves are all the same length.   🙂  All because I was able to get rid of the rotation.  Think of tornadoes or hurricanes–they rotate.  Rotations cause damage.

How did I get rid of my scoliosis and get the muscles back into balance?

It took a lot of work.  I went to a very special muscle pain relief specialist in Florida named Paul St. John.  He’s at the St. John-Clark Pain Therapy Clinic in Florida.  Boy, does he know how to work muscles!  And how to assess posture to figure out what the cause of the problem is.

I was already a massage therapist when I started taking classes from Paul St. John.  I was so impressed with his knowledge and of how logical bodies are that I then became a Neuromuscular Massage Therapist specializing in pain relief.

I took a lot of my experience with Paul and put it into a program to help people get rid of muscle knots in their upper back.

I also took my own experience from working with many hundreds of people who had back pain over the years and added that, too.

Muscle “knots” in your upper back may be part of your scoliosis symptoms.  The same thing that causes your knots may be causing your scoliosis.  Or…the knots may be a result of your scoliosis.

And scoliosis can be “a little” or “a lot.”

Sometimes there isn’t a simple, natural cure but very often there is.  And if you can get rid of your twists and tilts and turns naturally, it is much easier on your body, neck and head.

Self help for scoliosis starts with looking at yourself in a mirror.  Face the mirror as straight as you can, either naked or with form-fitting clothes. 

Look at your shoulders, from side to side.  Can you tell if one is higher or closer to the ceiling?  Are the fingers on one hand hanging lower than the other side?  This would indicate a low shoulder or a short or tight curve on that side of your spine and ribs.  Stretch the short side four times as much as the other side of your body.  The goal is to lengthen the shorter side.

Look at the pockets of your jeans in the mirror.  Can you see more of one pocket than the other side?  That indicates a rotation in your spine or hips.  You can try propping the back of the gluteal muscles on the side that shows less pocket with a folded towel to make your torso rotate in the opposite direction.  This may give your body the idea to rotate less.

Do you always have to shorten one of your pant legs?  That indicates an anatomical short leg.  The fix is to lift your whole shoe on the shorter leg to make up the difference.

I hope this helps.

And now, I’d like to invite you to learn more about the causes of muscle knots in your upper back at Knots In Your Back Gone.

By treating the muscles that cause your back spasms, you just may be able to get rid of your scoliosis naturally as I did.