Changing Your Mindset

How a young male patient conquered his scoliosis diagnosis.

Receiving a diagnosis of scoliosis can be scary for any child, as well as their caregivers. If you are male and have been recently diagnosed, you know it can also be lonely, with females diagnosed more frequently than males. ?

?As Phoenix Gault-Brown explains, changing his mindset helped him during the initial stages of acceptance.

“Being one of few males with scoliosis, I've always felt pretty unique in my diagnosis,” he says. “… I suppose it might be harder to stay positive if my support network wasn't so amazing, but I genuinely find little to be upset about. I've definitely had my tough moments where I just wanted to rip off my brace and call my treatment quits, but these moments pass and my treatment continues. It's not perfect, but toughing it through those rough moments is extraordinarily rewarding and keeps me positive.”

Diagnosed at 10-years-old, Phoenix began back-brace treatment at 12. Due to intense sensory issues that caused him discomfort when wearing certain materials, he says was horrified to hear he needed to wear one, but knew it was necessary for a comfortable future.

“I wore a back brace 20 to 24 hours a day for two years straight,” he explains. “For six months after that I wore my back brace only at night while I slept … At first, the sensation of wearing my back brace was as horrible as I had told myself it would be. That went away after about one week. It quickly became like a second shirt for me.

“Although the brace often was stifling, hot, and poked me in odd places, I felt happy knowing I was so dedicated to my health,” he adds. “I wore my brace more than almost any patient at my clinic ever had, and that is something I'm still pretty proud of.”

?Phoenix has now been brace-free for about a month and says he doesn’t look at his scoliosis as a restriction, thanks in large part to the hard work he put in during the early stages following diagnosis.

“I have a very active life! I go to the gym six days a week, I fence, I play tennis, I love biking, hiking, and camping. Generally speaking, I don't think scoliosis is limiting at all. I had the time to do activities every day while still maximizing my brace wear time. The key is really squeezing in the hours.”

Phoenix wore his brace to and from tennis, for example, but chose to push through biking with it on because he knew it was the best option for his health.

“For anyone reading this who may be an athlete: don't feel as though your life is over,” he advises. “Scoliosis is merely a small hump, something that makes you incredibly strong to have overcome. If you ever find yourself feeling isolated, helpless, or weak, remember that you are conquering a condition that most people wouldn't be able to deal with. You are much stronger already than you give yourself credit for.”

Phoenix says his diagnosis helped grow his empathy for others. Recently he helped a classmate through navigating their new back brace and gave them tips they’d need for dressing and warming weather. He also donates stickers to his local clinic for children to put on their braces.

“Overall, scoliosis has opened more doors for me than it has closed,” Phoenix furthers. “That is, no doors have closed in my life, yet several phenomenal doors have opened.”

Listen to Phoenix's story on this week's Scoliosis Dialogues: An SRS Podcast .