Renee Russo – Actress
Rene Marie Russo was born in Burbank, California. She is an actress and former model known for her roles in movies such as Tin Cup, Lethal Weapon and recently Thor. Rene was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was 10. In junior high school she started wearing a full-torso brace, which she wore for four years. She was very tall and skinny and was teased and called “Jolly Green Giant” by her classmates.
“I used to put a bra on top of the body cast with falsies in it,” she later recalled, “because I wanted to look like I had a chest.”
Even after her brace was removed, she remained somewhat of a loner. Rene dropped out of school in the tenth grade and took several part-time jobs over the next 18 months. She often had two jobs at one time. [1]
“The most important thing for me, since I’ve had scoliosis as a teenager, is to concentrate on being in line. The chiropractic and acupuncture…are a great help. I also have a good Rolfer and a good Feldenkrais practitioner help me to keep in line. I lift light weights to maintain bone strength 3 times a week for 45 minutes. I also walk 3-4 times a week for an hour. I could never stay on a treadmill because it is too boring. For flexibility I do the Feldenkrais floor work. I also recommend Pilates as a great overall stretching and strengthening routine. The most important factor in staying in shape is consistency, even walking 20 minutes per day is great if you keep it up.” [2]
The image of the awkward teen in a scoliosis brace is one that is common in both TV and film. From Joan Cusack in Sixteen Candles (1984) to Lisa Kudrow in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) to as recent as Rumer Willis in The House Bunny (2008), these images are salient to many of us because we knew that teen or we were that teen. Adolescence is one of the most difficult times, if not the MOST difficult time in anyone’s life and the emotional scars can be everlasting. Why do we continue to subject children and teens to this unproven and ineffective treatment.
