Model and influencer Delilah Hamlin opened up about having scoliosis, sharing a candid photo of her unclothed back with the curve in her spine and uneven shoulder blades visible to her more than 1.4 million Instagram followers.
Delilah-Hamlin-Scoliosis-Embed-Screen Shot 2021-05-21 at 10.04.50 AM on May 21. "Having scoliosis is painful [every day], but after I get treatment I feel so much better."
Delilah-Hamlin-Scoliosis-Instagram-GettyImages-1201625936 , for treating the condition. (Per Mayo Clinic, an osteopath is a fully trained physician who may also provide manual therapies, such as spinal manipulation or massage therapy, to ease musculoskeletal disorders like scoliosis.) "I don't know what [I'd] do without her!" Hamlin added.
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Scoliosis is a medical condition marked by a sideways curve of the spine that can vary in severity, affecting an estimated 7 million Americans, according to the National Scoliosis Foundation. Symptoms can include uneven shoulder blades (like Hamlin has), one hip appearing higher than the other, jutting ribs, or one shoulder blade sticking out further than the other. Also like Hamlin, roughly 23% of those with scoliosis have pain. Most cases are relatively mild, though, and many with it can go on to live fairly normal lives with little to no pain, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
While discussing her scoliosis on Instagram is new territory for Hamlin, her sister, Amelia, has also made a nod to the condition. In 2018, she posed an image of herself sporting a bikini and with one hip noticeably higher than the other. In the Instagram caption, she wrote "I think I need a scoliosis doc."
While the cause of scoliosis is mostly unknown, the condition can be treated with observation by a doctor, physical therapy (in Hamlin's case, working with an osteopath), and in more severe situations, wearing a brace or getting spinal decompression surgery to help correct the spinal misalignment and ease pain.
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