June is Scoliosis Awareness Month. It is a time where providers and patients take part in increasing awareness about scoliosis. It’s an important to help others become more aware of how scoliosis can affect your life now and in the future and what can be done to keep it from controlling your life.
The focus of this article is to increase awareness of little known facts as well as misconceptions about scoliosis that can make a world of difference for either a child newly diagnosed with scoliosis or an adult who may have had progression of their curves later in life. Each of these important facts or fictions are linked to additional information for those interested.
Please help us increase awareness about scoliosis by sharing it on Facebook or forwarding this article to someone you know with scoliosis that may benefit from it.
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)
Most parent’s whose child is initially diagnosed with AIS have little knowledge about the condition, thus have a steep learning curve to get up to speed about the condition so they can make important clinical decisions about treating their child’s scoliosis. Here are some important Facts vs Fiction to be aware about in scoliosis in both children and adults.
Scoliosis Facts For Children:
- Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is the most common type of scoliosis (80% of all cases)
- It usually starts at onset of puberty as a result of rapid growth of the spine
- There is often a genetic predisposition for scoliosis
- There are Epigenetic Factors that can increase the likelihood of progression of the curves
- The most common “Treatment” recommended by orthopedist for AIS is “Watch & Wait”, which is really no treatment at all
- Yet scoliosis is most correctable early on, when the curves are small
- The second most common treatment for scoliosis is hard bracing (aka – Static bracing)
- The earlier a child develops scoliosis prior to the onset of puberty, the greater they are at risk for progression of their scoliosis
Scoliosis Fiction For Children:
- Watch & Wait is a “Treatment” for Scoliosis
- Hard braces are designed to reduce curves
- Exercise won’t help improve scoliosis
- Soft braces don’t work
- Once a child stops growing they never have to worry about scoliosis progression again
- An orthopedic surgeon is also trained in non-surgical scoliosis treatment
- Scoliosis Surgery is always a permanent solution
Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis and Adult Onset Scoliosis (aka – Degenerative Scoliosis):
The majority of scoliosis in adults is simply a carry over from adolescence. While many adults with scoliosis will have been diagnosed as teens, some will have not been diagnosed with it until later in life, either because their curves progressed and caused pain and an X-ray was taken of their spine or it was found incidentally when an X-ray was taken of another body part and the scoliosis was noticed.
Others will not have any signs of scoliosis previously and X-rays taken between adolescents and a few years before the onset of their symptoms will not show any evidence of scoliosis. This is called Degenerative Scoliosis or Adult Onset Scoliosis and most commonly after menopause.
Scoliosis Facts For Adult Scoliosis
- Scoliosis can slowly progress in adulthood (1° per year), due to uneven forces of gravity
- Scoliosis progression can also be rapid for adult females with scoliosis during pregnancy and menopause
- Scoliosis can start in adolescence, but cause no pain and go undetected until later in life when X-rays are take of the back or torso
- While scoliosis itself does not cause pain, the adaptive changes the body makes frequently does cause pain
Can a rod be inserted next to spine?
Yes, but it’s usually better to avoid that, if possible.
Yes. I have 4 rods in my back.
Rods aren’t always the answer. I have 5 in my upper but, have total S curve as does my daughter, and grandson and other family…ie…dad, cousins, and aunts on both sides…so, very hereditary in my family. I went through the Milwaukee Brace as a young teen…they wanted to do old rod but, I refused…that was at 16 yrs of age. At 28 years, my spine was pushing into my right lung severely cutting of my lung functions and thus surgery needed. Only top to balance but, rods don’t even stop future damage down the line as, you age, so much happens…I have also had other major injuries since…My daughter’s rods, lower not top but, she too has worsen both top and bottom. In younger years, she wore the Boston brace. My grandson has a lighter more version of this brace but, doesn’t ware often. So, a person with scoliosis in my opinion based on life long experience needs something that changes with them to keep spine stretched and supported. I always feel like, my botty needs streched!
Terrie,
While most of our adult patients who come to us seeking conservative treatment are looking to avoid surgery, some adult patients come to us after they have had scoliosis fusion surgery with rods earlier in their lives and yet their curves got worse later in life. For those patients that we’ve determined are good candidates for our treatments and they take on care, the majority of them we are able to help them relieve or improve their pain, so there is a chance we might be able to help you too. To find out if our treatments are right for you, click the following link to schedule a Free Scoliosis Phone Consult.
Do you ever come to Utah for seminars? Who can you recommend in Utah county for physical therapy and to teach me the Scrooge exercises?
Kim,
Unfortunately, we currently do not have any classes in Utah, but we do get a number of people from Utah who travel to attend our classes in one of other locations, like Denver CO, San Jose CA, Portland OR, Studio City, CA or others. The Schroth Method is considered to be a Home Therapy program, meaning you learn them in the office then do them at home. Because our classes are designed for you to learn the Schroth Method over the course of a weekend based on specific your curve pattern many people who are out of the area find it convenient to travel to see us to learn them and then do them at their home.
If you think this might work for you, then click here to learn more and find the class nearest you.
I am 56 and have scoliosis in the lumbar region, with spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease. I also have a heredity neuropathy disease. Will this help me. I have not had any surgery yet. Been to 6 Drs some won’t touch my back and the others each want to do something different. So I don’t know who is right. Can you help me? I am in major pain
Wendi,
The reason you are getting so many conflicting opinions is that you have four issues that could all be causing your pain. It’s like that old fable about the old blind wise men who were all asked to describe an elephant by touching it. One was directed at the trunk, another at the tail, still another at the foot and the last at the belly. Each described it accurately, but differently based on their experience.
The only way for me to know for sure is to evaluate you myself and try and determine which of those four conditions is causing the pain. If it’s the scoliosis, then we should be able to help you, if it is coming from something else, then our treatments will not help. If it’s a combination of them, then our treatments may help you some, depending on how much of your pain is being caused by your scoliosis. After I evaluate you I will tell you what I think you may benefit from. If our treatments appear to be right for you then I’ll go over them with you. If I don’t think our treatments will help you, I’ll tell you that too and let you know what other types of treatment I think you would benefit you instead. Before we do that, instead why don’t you give us a phone call to schedule a Free Phone Consult to first go over your case to see if it makes sense for you to come into the office or not for an in office consultation.
I hope I’m not interfering in this conversation I’m from Utah. There is a huge need for the classes here.I would love to learn the schroth exercising and I would love to be involved in teaching the classes.any ideas??.sincerely Jeanette Wilkinson(scoliosis sufferer)
The challenge is finding a doctor in Utah who would be interested in joining our group who has an office with the proper X-ray equipment, who we would train in our systems and who would willing to follow our treatment protocols. If you know of a medical doctor or chiropractor who might be interested in providing our type of alternative scoliosis treatment, please have them contact me at [email protected]
I have it in my upper back.my left shoulder sticks way out and u cant even see my right shoulder blade.I have alto of pain in my lower back.I have a big c curve going to the right.I have knots all on the right side of my back up toward the shoulder.I also broke my neck 25 years ago and 5 years ago broke my right shoulder.I think its getting worse.I’m disabled now so do u have a place in Vegas where I can get help.please thank you for any help
I have lumbar spine stenosis with a 23% rotation of lumbar spine. Will your method be able to help me? I believe that pain down my legs, and my gait are affected by the scoliosis.
Judi,
There is no way I could tell you with any certainly, based on the limited information you’ve given me as both scoliosis and spinal stenosis can cause pain and affect your gait. If your pain is a result of your scoliosis and not the stenosis then our treatments will likely help you. If your pain is being generated as a result of your spinal stenosis then our treatment isn’t going to benefit you. If your pain is coming from both, then it’s a matter of how the amount of contribution from the source.
What we usually do in a case like yours is start by having you speak with one of our doctors for a Free Scoliosis Phone Consult to try and get an idea if it even makes sense for you to come into the office for an evaluation. If it looks like at least a portion of your pain may be related to your scoliosis then the next step would be for you to come into the office for an evaluation.
During that process the doctor would evaluation to determine the contribution of your scoliosis to your pain. If the contribution is considerable then we would move forward with a brace fitting and see if that improved your pain, reduce the curvature, improved your posture and examination markers. If so, we would complete the brace and mark it, number the bands and show you how to put in on and take it off and you’d take it home that day.
If it didn’t do what we expected it to do, then you wouldn’t purchase the brace and we would just disassemble the components and the only thing pay for the exam and X-rays.
So when there is an uncertainly if we can help in a case like yours, we only proceed to the step in the evidence points to your pain being related to your scoliosis. Make sense?
So, if you’d like to schedule a Free Scoliosis Phone Consult, Click Here to find out of our treatments are right for you.
Are there any treatment centers in Phila.? Closest I found was in New Jersey and cost prohibitive at $200 per session and not covered by insurance. Thanks
I’m not sure if they do or not, as I am on the West Coast. I know they have recently expanded location back East, but I’m not sure were. I would call the main office on Monday and ask if they have one near Philly.