Chick with Sticks

I’ve always known that my back was not straight but did not realize the extent of it until we visited the chiropractor a few months ago. And not only do I have scoliosis, but I’m also just misaligned all over. It’s not just in my back. I also twist at the hips, and my feet point inward just a little. My left foot does it more than my right foot. Jody’s mom has even made comments about the “cute way I walk” and I had no idea what she was talking about until I started paying attention to it.

So I’m just all screwed up.

But now that I realized how twisted I really am, I’m noticing little things that are being affected by it.

For example, for CJ’s 18th birthday we got our belly buttons pierced. And I just always assumed the person who did my piercing put it in slightly crooked. But now I think it’s not the piercing that’s crooked, I’m crooked and the piercing is just following the way my back curves.

I also have a bunch of thin tank tops that I wear a lot as undershirts, and they are all twisted – the bottom of the side seams do not match up the top of the seams. Initially I thought, “Ugh, these cheap shirts are getting all twisted in the washing machine. Damn cheap shirts!”. No…they all twist the exact same way. They are twisted because when I wear them, I move the seams at the bottom to line up with my hips. And my hips to not line up with my shoulders.

I have no idea if there is a way to correct this. I certainly don’t want to be an old lady that can’t stand up straight. From what I’ve read and been told, it is unlikely that the curve in my back will get worse. But I don’t know about my twistiness. I’m trying to pay attention when I walk and turn my feet outward just a little bit. And when I’m sitting at work, I try to press myself flat against the back of my chair. I hope my chair isn’t twisted too.