A bride-to-be dancer has been left baffled after her shoulder mysteriously elevated higher than the other over several weeks.
Caroline Miele, who plans to get married next year, said she doesn’t want to “look like Quasimodo” when walking down the aisle.
She first noticed her right shoulder creeping upwards in August.
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Caroline initially brushed it off as it wasn’t painful, putting it down to muscle fatigue from her dance activities.
The 28-year-old said, “I didn’t think much of it since it was only noticeable to me.
“As time went on, my shoulder got higher and higher.
“But because I was in no pain, I wasn’t too worried about it; I figured it’d work itself out.”
She also told What’s The Jam: “After a week or two, my fiancée and friends started to notice as it got more drastic.”
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The professional dancer, who comes from Orlando, Florida, US, grew concerned when the asymmetry worsened week by week.
She went to see an orthopaedic specialist, but received no conclusive answers.
“He did a few different X-rays of my shoulder, along with my spine, because he thought that it might be scoliosis.
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“It wasn’t.”
Caroline added: “He ultimately didn’t know what was wrong with me, so he gave me a prescription for steroids and a muscle relaxer and sent me on my way.”
She said her shoulder improved for a short time, but quickly returned to its elevated position.
As a result, she turned to TikTok users for their advice.
Caroline said, “After taking the steroids, my shoulder did get better for a couple of days, but it didn’t last long.
“After that, I went another week trying to figure out what else I could do, and that’s when I made the TikTok video asking for help.”
Numerous TikTok users, including a wide range of medical professionals, offered their suggestions.
Caroline said: “I was overwhelmed with the response I received, and it honestly made me emotional how many strangers wanted to help a 20-something-year-old girl on the internet.”
As she couldn’t afford to pay for advanced imaging of her affected shoulder, Caroline decided to see a physical therapist.
She said, “So many medical professionals answered my video telling me that my first step should be going to PT, so that’s exactly what I did.
“After an initial examination, they decided to do something called dry needling, which many people suggested.
“We also did cupping and a deep tissue massage.”
Caroline said she has high hopes for her course of treatment: “Physical therapy is definitely helping, so I plan on continuing that for five weeks.
“Hopefully I’m in a much better place afterwards; however, if I still am having issues, I plan on getting further imaging done, like an MRI/CAT scan.”
She added, “I’m confident that we are headed in the right direction to try to figure out the root cause of all of this.
“As I’m not in any intense amount of pain, I’m able to continue working.”
Caroline also hopes to have her shoulder corrected before the spring, when she plans to marry her boyfriend.
“I’m getting married in May and I don’t wanna look like Quasimodo walking down the aisle.”
She also said that posting her original video was one of the “best decisions” she has ever made.
“I encourage anyone who is trying to get answers to post a video on TikTok,” she suggested.
“You never know who might see it.”
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