What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is the term for the sideways curvature of the spine. It can occur at any age, but tends to start in children and teenagers. Scoliosis can get better without any treatment, but can also get worse with time. People with scoliosis may need to see their doctor regularly to check on its progress.
Types of Scoliosis?
Idiopathic scoliosis is scoliosis without a known cause. In as many as 80% of cases, doctors don’t find the exact reason for a curved spine.
Congenital scoliosis begins as a baby’s back develops before birth. Problems with the tiny bones in the back, called vertebrae, can cause the spine to curve. The vertebrae may be incomplete or fail to divide properly. Doctors may spot this rare condition when the child is born. Or they may not find it until the teen years.
Neuromuscular scoliosis is caused by a disorder like spina bifida, cerebral palsy, or a spinal cord injury. These conditions sometimes damage your muscles so they don’t support your spine correctly. That can cause your back to curve.
Degenerative scoliosis affects adults. It usually develops in the lower back as the disks and joints of the spine begin to wear out as you age.
What Are The Signs and Symptoms Of Scoliosis?
Because scoliosis can occur gradually and may not be accompanied by any immediate pain, it can be difficult to spot.
If you have scoliosis, you might lean a little when you stand. You could also have:
- A visible curve in your back
- Shoulders, a waist, or hips that look uneven
- One shoulder blade that looks bigger
- Ribs that stick out farther on one side of your body than the other
In addition to visible symptoms, scoliosis may lead to:
- Low back pain
- Back stiffness
- Pain and numbness in your legs (from pinched nerves)
- Fatigue due to muscle strain
- Breathing difficulty due to upper spine curve
When is Treatment Necessary for a Scoliosis?
Treatment of scoliosis is dependent on a few factors:
- Sex: Females are more likely than males to have scoliosis that gradually gets worse.
- Severity of the curve: The type and severity of the curve may affect how it progresses. S-shaped curves are typical in those with idiopathic scoliosis, whereas C-shaped curves are more common among those with neuromuscular scoliosis.
- Curve position: A curve in the center part of the spine is more likely to get worse than a curve in the lower or upper section.
- Bone maturity: The risk of worsening is lower if the person’s bones have stopped growing. Braces are more effective while the bones are still growing
What are the Treatment Options?
Bracing
If a person has moderate scoliosis, and the bones are still growing, the doctor may recommend a brace. The brace will prevent further curvature and with the correct bracing can help to reduce the size of the curvature.
The person will usually need to wear the brace all the time, even at night. Its effectiveness tends to correlate with the number of hours per day that the person wears the brace.
The brace does not generally restrict what the person can do. If they wish to take part in physical activity, they can take the brace off.
When the bones stop growing, a brace is no longer necessary.
Chiropractic treatment
A chiropractor can help to relieve the pain and discomfort of scoliosis.
Chiropractors manipulate the spine and provide alternative treatments. Realigning the spine will promote curve stability and Spinal mobility in a scoliosis. Chiropractic treatment can improve the quality of life for a person with scoliosis.r
However be sure to visit a well trained and certified Chiropractor as receiving chiropractic treatment from a nonspecialist can make symptoms worse.
Exercises
Various exercises may help with scoliosis, and experts propose a range of strategies. However, they all aim to realign the spine, rib cage, shoulders, and pelvis to achieve a typical posture.
The authors of an article also states that there is growing evidence to suggest that exercises can help treat scoliosis.
Surgery
In severe cases, scoliosis can progress over time. In these cases, a doctor may recommend spinal fusion. This surgery reduces the curvature of the spine and prevents scoliosis from getting worse.
- Rod displacement: A rod may move from its correct position, making further surgery necessary.
- Pseudarthrosis: This refers to when the bones of the spine do not fuse. It may be painful and can lead to a failure of the rods because all metal will fail with exposure to continued stress.
- Infection: Antibiotics can treat postsurgery infections.
- Nerve damage: Damage can occur to the nerves of the spine, causing issues that range from moderate, such as leg numbness, to severe, such as a loss of lower body function.
How Can Chiropractic Help?
With curves less than 40 degrees, and for any patients where skeletal growth has stopped, chiropractic care may be used to address any bio-mechanical faults such as differences in leg length or pronation (where the leg rolls in or rolls out when you walk).
Chiropractic adjustment is designed to improve movement and posture which can help prevent further curvature progression. Chiropractic care may also reduce back pain that many adults with Scoliosis experience. When the curve is greater than 40 degrees and the young person is still growing, referral for back bracing or traction with our unique CBP equipment is recommended.
