I'm so excited to finally have my Scoliosis Activity Suit, and wanted to share all about my first week wearing it.
I walked in the door and saw the box on my kitchen table. I was "over the moon" excited and had to snap a picture to share in the Scoliosis Warriors group - had to share the excitement with my Warrior friends.
And then had to message a pic to my family/friends with the news!
Here's the individual pieces of the suit. It's made of Neoprene. It can be washed on gentle cycle in cold water - then hung to dry. Good thing since it's an "ACTIVITY SUIT" - need to keep it smelling fresh.☺
The suit can be worn over or under clothing. I've done both. It fit perfectly under my scrubs.
I put on the suit at 7:30 a.m. then began getting ready for work. I was interested to find out if I'd be able to wear it all day, or if I'd slowly have to increase my time each day to allow my body time to adjust.
On the drive to work I noticed how the suit helped me maintain good posture. I wasn't slouching or leaning forward like I sometimes find myself unconsciously doing; it helped create postural support in a comfortable way.
I'm currently going through a job transition. I've had a desk job for 15 years and recently accepted a position as a chiropractic assistant (begin full-time in February), which means I'll be on my feet most of the day - I'm very happy about this! For the last few months I've been working my new job on Friday's, and my desk job Monday - Thursday. On Friday's I was having low back pain, which I attributed to the job change (standing versus sitting for the majority of the day). This day while wearing the suit I didn't experience low back pain. That was fabulous!
At 11:30 a.m. I started to feel a little soreness around my lower left ribcage - where my rib protrudes outward on the left side - in the area of the lower costal arch.
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| Clinically Oriented Anatomy Fifth Edition - Page 91 |
The suit is designed to use active resistance and the body's motion to help the spine return to a more neutral and straight position, so I expected to feel minor soreness especially in the beginning of wear.
After work I went shopping; by the time I returned home at 8 p.m. I was ready to remove the suit for the day. So, the first day I wore it 12 1/2 hours - and was mostly on my feet. Adults can wear it all day every day, but in order for the suit to do it's job (provide a corrective anti-rotational effect) the patient needs to be weight bearing (standing upright).
The next day my nephew came over and we played the Michael Jackson Experience dancing to the song Thriller. The suit is easy to move around in - no problem dancing and moving.
The work week began and it was back to the desk job. I knew I'd be sitting most of the day, but decided to wear it to work anyway because of the postural support.
One of my favorite things about the suit is that you can wear it while doing life; reaping the benefits of the suit while doing normal daily activities.
At work I had a few people ask what I did to my leg. They thought I was wearing a leg brace. It created a great opportunity for me to tell them all about the suit. It was great because a few of them had family/friends with scoliosis so I got to share with them all about it.
On a funny note - one morning we went out for breakfast. I ordered the lumberjack plate. I was feeling pretty snug in the suit after finishing my plate. ☺
At the end of the week I went shopping in the suit. At the register one of the cashiers asked about the suit because she hadn't seen anything like it. I got to share with her about it. She just raved how great she thought it was. Come to find out my cashier had scoliosis and overheard our conversation. She said she wished the suit was around when she was younger. I explained the stand alone treatment for adults. She was interested where to purchase one. It makes me so happy to share hope with others. She didn't realize there are options available that may be able to help her these days. My aunt told me that I should wear a sign that says, "ask me about my suit." LOL!
Speaking of where to get one - ScoliosisKC in Belton, Missouri (where I go for treatment) is one of the fitting centers. Here's a link where to learn more about the suit and see other fitting center locations. ScoliSMART Activity Suit
Until next time♥♥♥
Sharing my journey on Facebook at The Crooked Life
