Bad posture or something more?

[sunsetsandboardwalks]

I'm 35 and have had back, hip and pelvic pain on and off since my late teens. It's never been anything bad enough to see a doctor about, and any "flare ups" have been managed with rest and painkillers.

I know I have awful posture but I can't figure out if it the posture has caused the pain or if the pain is causing me to sit "off" and is causing posture issues.

I have visibly wonky shoulders and wonky ribs- my top left rib sticks out much more than my right and is much easier to feel, and vice versa at the bottom.

I've got a physio appt next week but was just wondering if anyone has had any similar symptoms?

Another scoliosis visual test is looking at yourself straight on standing upright (a photo is better for it) - does your waist dip in more on one side than the other?

Yes, my waist does dip on one side - it's not hugely visible but there's definite asymmetry @NeverDropYourMooncup .

Thanks @Flapjackfiasco you've basically summed me up! Where were your ribs sticking out? For me it's my chest that's higher on one side and also the ribcage at the bottom too.

I am very similar to you OP, and I have a mild scoliosis. I wear a small wedge in one of my shoes and it helps. I also do half an hour of gentle back stretches every morning. I too used to be sporty when I was younger, but things changed in my late teens. I can't run, but I go walking and have an indoor exercise I use often. I would recommend vommend a good physio to put you on the right track.

Thank you! I'm hoping the physio is helpful. My core strength is really poor but I can't physically do most yoga positions - and the ones I can manage end up in a fair amount of pain afterwards.

the posture alone is not a biggie. many people are not very symetric without it ever affecting them.

physio is a good start. they will be able to give you pointers what to tell gp for further investigations. and of course recommend exercises and tools like a posture belt.

Thanks!

Yeah, if I wasn't in pain most days it wouldn't bother me - it's barely noticeable really unless I stand still and look.

I managed to get DH to take a photo.

I think I do look a bit lopsided - as you can see my posture is awful and I can't really maintain a flat back 🙈

Hey OP, how did your GP appointment go? X x

Thanks for asking @Dontsayyouloveme!

He was actually pretty useless 🙈 but I got an appointment with a private physio who says he suspects scoliosis and has referred to me to get an x-ray.

My ribcage is twisted and my hips aren't sitting straight, but he did say it doesn't look too severe so once we know what's happening underneath he's going to give me some exercises to do to help ☺️

Ahh well glad physio is being much more proactive! How do you feel about what they said? X x