Fashion Model and Health Coach Marlaina Pate shares her journey of living with scoliosis.
Fashion Model and Health Coach Marlaina Pate shares her journey of living with scoliosis.
Scoliosis isn’t just a spinal deformity; but if you are afflicted with one that’s severe, it can become a lifestyle. I was first diagnosed with scoliosis during a school screening in fourth grade. As the nurse ran her finger down my spine, I could tell that she had noticed something was off. She sent me to the principal’s office to call my mom; I remember feeling as if I was in trouble, as if I had caused this. My mom picked me up right away, and we went to see my pediatrician, who told us that, “It’s not a big deal, and she’ll probably outgrow it during her growth spurt.” Years later, around the age of 15, we noticed that my spinal curve was becoming more noticeable. I started becoming self-conscious and embarrassed about how my back looked, and I was eager to find ways to improve it.
Thankfully, a blessing that became apparent out of all of this was that my mother’s side of the family had a long history of involvement with the chiropractic profession. The chiropractic profession has become well known for some niche techniques that work with and on scoliosis patients. I saw the possibility that I would be able to manage this through alternative methods, and possibly very successfully. As the angle of my scoliosis continued to increase throughout high school, my parents consulted with our family, and decided to focus on rehabilitation through alternative treatment methods. At the time, surgery seemed too invasive. I didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of having metal rods placed in my back. How could I commit myself to such an invasive procedure, I was only 15 years old? My whole life revolved around athletic activity—throwing myself into cheerleading, gymnastics, dance, karate, basketball. You name it, and I was in it. How could I allow myself to be limited from a surgery that would be so permanent? So with those thoughts in my mind, and the concerns of what my future would bring, we began the grueling process of correcting my curve through chiropractic rehabilitative spinal procedures, exercises and physical therapy modalities. Quickly, my life began to revolve around my treatment plan.
Over the past decade, I’ve tried nearly every treatment plan that my family could find available to offer, with the hope of correcting of my curve through chiropractic intervention.
I’ve had the good fortune of having visited Dr. Dennis Woggon at CLEAR Institute on several occasions, learned the Schroth method at Scoliosis Systems with Dr. Gary Deutchman, where I was also fitted for the Spinecore brace. I’ve spent many months with Dr. Alan Creed using his method called “Creed Neuro Kinetic Integration Technique”, and worked hand in hand with Dr. Milton Theodore Morter using his healing technique known as “B.E.S.T”. As time went forward, I’ve even sought the assistance from fields outside of chiropractic such as physical therapy, yoga, pilates, medical doctors and other methods. My curve has bounced back and forth through the years—peaking at 65 degrees when I was 24 years old, only for my doctors and me to force it back down to around 47 with much sweat and tears. I know the heartbreaking feeling, after working so hard at correcting something, only to find that my curve had fallen back to where it was before, or even had gotten worse. There is truly nothing more frustrating than battling your own body, and I felt like I was in a constant struggle to achieve my own wellness.
Over this time, in addition to my daily spinal exercises, I’ve found joy and even a career in modeling between Latin America, Miami, and my current home of Los Angeles. Being a model in LA puts you smack dab in the middle of an industry where you’re expected to meet unrealistic expectations of beauty, to say the least. The emotional stress this pursuit alone places on models is already challenging enough to break seemingly healthy women. However, confronting such expectations with a visible spinal deformity has made the already-daunting challenge of achieving the perceived and desired perfection of the photographer, or agency that much harder. My own confidence in my body has been drastically affected. If ever I was on a job and a photo would look off, or the clothes didn’t fit properly, the typical onslaught of questions such as “what’s wrong with your back” was not only raised, but became expected. I felt like I had to prove to myself that I could be successful in this industry of modeling, even though I was dealing with something that was truly out of my control.
Despite all this, I finally decided to stop focusing on the negative aspects of my journey to wellness and start focusing on the positive. Although the curve became somewhat of an albatross to me at the time, I was still signed with agencies, always booking jobs, and I had figured out how to position my body so that most of the time, nobody would notice a thing. I had seen many women not afflicted by a condition such as mine that had come and went, having been unable to overcome their struggles and obstacles. Focusing more on the good things I have received than the bad has really helped me to make my overall outlook on life into one of positivity, which had trickled down into other aspects of my life. Practicing positivity worked for a time, but it had inevitably lulled myself into complacency by not tending to the things that helped me get to this healthy state of being, such as continuing with my exercise and therapy. I was no longer investing the time that it took to maintain my curve, and my blind optimism caused my physical health to be at risk.
Then, four years ago, I had the professional opportunity of a lifetime to live in Greece for several months while working with a local modeling agency. I knew this tour would put a pause on my treatment plan, but I didn’t realize to what extent it would affect me. During my time in Greece, I wasn’t able to receive any of the chiropractic care that my body had become accustomed to receiving. I continued working out every day, but was so overloaded with daily castings that I began to fall back on my exercises. Upon my arrival home after those three months abroad, my back pain was at an all-time high. My left ribs were compressing my lungs, my immune system was depressed, and I truly felt horrible. I remember not being able to walk for more than 10 minutes without stopping to catch my breath and practicing the Schroth method of breathing exercises—I always focused on expanding my lungs while contorting my body to align my ribs.
As I think back on my time abroad, it’s evident that I didn’t respect what I knew my body needed. In my naivety, I sought to live for just a few months without the perceived burden of treating my spinal curve. I allowed myself to forget about the lifestyle I was living before my travels. I no longer heard my chiropractor’s voice each day, reminding me about the importance of setting aside time every morning for my exercises, stretching, yoga, or whatever was necessary that day to minimize the curve’s impact on my life. I didn’t realize until that very moment, reflecting on all of the lifestyle modifications that I’ve adopted to live a fuller life, the reality of my diagnosis. For many people, scoliosis isn’t just a diagnosis that they grow out of, despite what my pediatrician foretold. According to Nemours children hospital; “At 20 degrees about 20% of curves progress. Young people diagnosed with a 30-degree curve, however, have the risk of progression of 60%. Plus, curve progression is 10 times more likely to occur in girls than boys.” This is something I wasn’t aware of until recently, and I’m truly shocked it wasn’t more outspoken upon my diagnoses. My treatment is an integral aspect of my life that, if I neglect, dictates how I go about my day and how I feel and make decisions. Although it is a part of my identity, I will not let it define me or prevent me from living my life to the fullest. To do that, I must always remember to put in the work necessary to minimize its impact.
Upon returning from Greece, in August 2016, my curve had reached its highest point of 65 degrees. I realized the only way to counteract my neglect was to take time off from work and go back to the CLEAR Institute. It was the reality check that I needed to prioritize my health and a blessing in disguise. I spent the next two weeks focusing on correcting my curve as much as I could. During that time, I felt emotionally depressed and alone. My family has always been incredibly supportive in all that I do, but during that time of my own personal struggle, I didn’t feel that they truly understood what I was going through on a day-to-day basis; the struggle that I endured to push my body through so many uncomfortable exercises each day, and then to pull myself out of bed the next day, and do it all over again.
I decided to look online for inspiration from other people who had scoliosis, hoping that they might help me understand what I was going through or provide another option. While searching online, I was saddened to find that it was a subject that almost seemed taboo. The few YouTube videos I’d seen were people talking about their surgeries, which was something I was still hoping to avoid. I didn’t think it was right that there are so many young women and men out there dealing with this, seemingly with no voice or community where people could share their experiences with each other. Why has this community been ignored? Thousands of people weren’t talking about what they were going through each day, even though numbers don’t lie, they are. Why has this group been silenced?
"Why has this community been ignored?"
This newfound awareness of a vacancy that exists for patients that are suffering from the effects of scoliosis drove me to create an Instagram account dedicated to providing a supportive community for people with scoliosis. I knew that I couldn’t be the only person feeling lost; there had to be more young women and men out there looking to connect and relate to someone. The account started as a forum where people would direct message (DM) their stories to me, sharing how they felt and what had worked for them to improve their condition. I would then share the stories with others, providing their unique experience and a bit of positivity for those who may be struggling as I was.
Literally hundreds of people messaged their stories to me in a matter of months, and I became emotionally overwhelmed. It was incredible to see so many people who felt the same as I had. After running the account for a couple of years, I became more confident and started to be more open with my friends, social media, and even my modeling agency about my scoliosis. For too long, I had kept it a secret, a struggle that I went through on my own, but I had found a platform full of people who knew exactly how difficult it could be. It was time to open up the discussion to more people.
After graduating from college and completing my health coaching certification, I knew I wanted to continue being a voice for those who were still finding their way. It was difficult to keep up with the influx of new messages in my inbox and to my scoliosis page during that time. Since then, I decided to change the name to @OrganicallyGrounded and turn it into an open community for obtaining holistic health and wellness while living with scoliosis. Since then, I started to share everything that I’ve been actively doing that allowed me to live a healthy, pain-free life with scoliosis. I share treatments that I’ve found over the years that helped me, as well as workouts that I enjoy doing at home that don’t strain my back.
I truly believe everything happens to us in this life for a purpose. My life’s mission has become to make sure people have access to the education that I’ve been blessed with thanks to my family of chiropractors and everyone who has treated me throughout my journey. It’s my hope to reach everyone—regardless of their individual circumstance or degree of their curve—to make them understand that they can live a healthy, pain-free life with scoliosis. Some days are harder than others, but thanks to the treatment I’ve received and the changes I’ve made, I’m currently 27 years old living with a 48-degree curve and no pain. I visit my chiropractor once a week and actively practice yoga, pilates, and a regimen of scoliosis exercises each morning. The majority of changes that have made a difference for me are easily adopted from home, and in keeping @OrganicallyGrounded a public page, I can reach people who may not have been able to treat their scoliosis otherwise.
My curve has become part of who I am, and I’m grateful for the drive that it gives me to reach my highest state of wellness. I refuse to let it hold me back from accomplishing any of my dreams or goals. If you’re struggling with something, whether physical or mental, just know that there are others like you. Your choices have the power to decide the extent to which this challenge affects your life. If you keep a positive mindset and prioritize your path to health and wellness, you can only improve your life as a whole. I’ve realized my scoliosis keeps me in check; it’s taught me how precious our bodies are and how important it is to be good to them. If I can pave an easier path for even one person by sharing my story and experiences, then I’ve accomplished my mission.
Marlaina Pate is a certified health coach with over seven years of experience in yoga and pilates. After battling scoliosis from a young age, she has devoted her life to health and wellness. She is the founder of Organically Grounded, a health and wellness company dedicated to living your optimal life through nutrition and movement with a focus on spinal health. Through her platform she has created membership-based workouts and yoga flows focusing on lengthening and strengthening the spine. This has become a huge part of her daily scoliosis maintenance routine.
For more information visit www.organicallygrounded.com
