A Massage Therapist with Scoliosis

When I work with clients who have scoliosis especially those who’ve had fusion surgery something inside me clicks. It’s not just because I do bodywork for a living. It’s deeply personal. I know what it feels like to walk that path.

Understanding the Real Tension Patterns

In my own healing journey, I realized that the most painful spots are not always where the real problem lies. For many people with scoliosis and for me the tension lives not just on the obvious curve side, but deeper in the connective tissue. Releasing around the ribcage and in the lats, especially along the lateral side of the scapula made the most profound difference in reducing my discomfort.

Many therapists only focus on the side that hurts for me it was the left side, where my spinal curvature is more pronounced. But that only addresses a symptom. The real root often lives in fascia and structural imbalance, not just in tight muscles. That kind of work creates more lasting, meaningful change.

Why My Experience Matters in My Work

Because I’ve lived through scoliosis, surgery, and recovery, I bring a different perspective and empathy to my work. I believe that whether someone has had fusion surgery or not, bodywork can be transformative If done with intention, knowledge, and care.

I lean into modalities like Structural Integration and Myofascial Release (MFR) in my practice because they target fascia, not just muscles:

• Structural Integration is about creating length and space within the connective tissues. By working gently but deeply, it helps release the twists in fascia that can come from spinal curvature.

• Myofascial Release helps restore optimal length and mobility in both muscle and fascia, and research supports its use in reducing back pain in people with scoliosis. Studies even show that a single MFR session can change certain spinal asymmetries by working on the thoracolumbar fascia.

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What I See in Online Communities and Why It Hurts My Heart

I spend time on scoliosis forums, and it breaks my heart to read people say, “I am in so much pain after surgery… I don’t know how I’ll ever feel okay again.”

Here’s what I want them to know: healing is possible. With the right kind of bodywork and exercise, relief is absolutely possible.

I’m living proof: despite having a fused spine, I still move, I work out, I do Pilates, and I live actively. Yes, there are some things I can't do like the yoga cobra pose and backbends, but I don’t feel limited in the way many people assume I would be. My scar and my back are part of me, but they do not define what I can do.

Little Quirks, Big Truths

One funny truth about having a fused back? I get cold a lot. Especially in winter. When I was living in Chicago, I would wrap a scarf around my scar just to block the wind. I am not kidding. At home, I am usually glued to a heating pad. Not because I am being dramatic, but because it is part of how my body functions now. It’s not a weakness it’s an adaptation.

My Journey from Scoliosis Surgery to Massage Therapy

That saying, "everything happens for a reason" I truly believe it. If I didn’t have my surgery, I wouldn’t be a massage therapist. My experience with pain and feeling outcast by this surgery, not knowing where to turn, propelled me into a journey of discovering the world of deep tissue, bodywork, and pain management.