A young woman with scoliosis has revealed her incredible transformation after surgeons straightened it with 20 screws.

At just 14 years old, Paige Mackenzie discovered she had a curved spine.

Now a 22-year-old social media influencer from Dallas, Texas, Paige, has been living with the condition for a large part of her life.

Her condition worsened over the years, reaching a 44-degree curvature.

She tried various treatments, including bracing, physical therapy, and chiropractic care, but none of them were effective in straightening her spine or reducing her pain.

Paige eventually underwent spine surgery, which involved inserting two rods and about 20 screws to correct the curvature. The recovery process was extremely painful and took several months.

"We discovered I had scoliosis, which is basically where your spine is crooked," Paige explained. "

"Typically as you get older, your scoliosis progresses and gets worse. When I was 14, my curvature was probably maybe 15 or 20 degrees. "

"By the time I had spine surgery, it had progressed to 44 degrees. In just seven years, it more than doubled."

Scoliosis isn't uncommon, particularly in girls, but Paige was surprised to find just how many people could relate to her experience.

"I've posted my whole journey about scoliosis, and I never realized that so many people struggle with it. The amount of comments and DMs I get is crazy. "

"People say, ‘I'm thinking about having the surgery,' or, ‘I did have the surgery—here was my experience.' Some ask for advice, tips, or even what surgeon I went to. "

"It's incredible to connect with so many people who share this experience."

Before opting for surgery, Paige tried several non-invasive treatments.

"They like to try to put a brace on you if you catch it at a young age," she said. "But I don't think braces work at all. I've known many people who've tried a brace, and it doesn't work. "

"It's like wearing braces on your teeth and a retainer — eventually, they go back to their original state," she explained."

"Physical therapy didn't help. Honestly, it felt like it made my back kind of worse," she admitted. "

"And chiropractic, which I did multiple times a week from 14 to 18, sadly didn't help either."

Over time, her pain worsened.

"The last four years, I had so much back pain all the time. I would go for a run and have to stop because it hurt so bad. I'd golf, and I just didn't feel up to it," she said."

"Sometimes my back pain was so bad I could feel it in my chest, like someone had a foot on it, and it was hard to breathe. "

"My spine was crooked, but it was also twisted, which made things even more challenging."

In search of relief, Paige met with several doctors but struggled to find one willing to perform surgery.

"Most doctors I saw said that typically someone with this type of curvature doesn't really have much pain, so they wouldn't recommend surgery," she recalled. "

Eventually, she found a surgeon in Arkansas who was willing to help.

"He was absolutely fabulous," Paige said."

The surgery was intense.

"It's the worst pain you'll ever experience in your life," she admitted. "

"They're basically ripping apart your entire back, putting rods on either side of your spine, and stitching you back up. It's horrible." "

Recovery has been a challenge, but Paige is determined to regain her strength.

"For the first three months, I couldn't touch my toes or bend over. Even brushing my teeth felt impossible. I was basically a stick figure," she said."

Despite the pain and limitations, Paige has embraced her recovery journey and continues to share updates with her followers.

"Golf is a large amount of the content I post, so I've been showing my followers how I'm getting back into it and working my body up to being able to golf again," she shared."

One of her most impactful posts features a photo taken the day after her surgery.

"That's where they had cut me down my spine to insert the rods," Paige said. "

Her surgeon even shared photos of her spine before and after the procedure.

"It's crazy looking. I can't believe he took those and gave them to me, but I'm quite appreciative."

The response from her audience has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Some people have an emotional connection to my journey because they've had the same problems. Others just think it's crazy looking," Paige said. "

"But I don't have as much pain as I did before the surgery, so for me, it's definitely been beneficial. "

"I'm getting back to living my life because being 20 and having constant back pain all the time is just not a way to live. "

"Typically, you don't experience that until you're way older, 70 or 80, not in your twenties."