Scoliosis

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that occurs most often during the growth spurt just before puberty. While scoliosis can be caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, the cause of most scoliosis is unknown.

Most cases of scoliosis are mild, but some spine deformities continue to get more severe as children grow. Severe scoliosis can be disabling. An especially severe spinal curve can reduce the amount of space within the chest, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly.

Symptoms

  • Uneven shoulders
  • One shoulder blade that appears more prominent than the other
  • Uneven waist
  • One hip higher than the other
  • If a scoliosis curve gets worse, the spine will also rotate or twist, in addition to curving side to side. This causes the ribs on one side of the body to stick out farther than on the other side.

Causes

  • Neuromuscular conditions, such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy
  • Birth defects affecting the development of the bones of the spine
  • Injuries to or infections of the spine

Risk factors

  1. Age:

    • Signs and symptoms typically begin during the growth spurt that occurs just prior to puberty.

  2. Sex:

    • Although both boys and girls develop mild scoliosis at about the same rate.
    • Girls have a much higher risk of the curve worsening and requiring treatment.

  3. Family history:

    • Scoliosis can run in families.
    • However, most children with scoliosis don’t have a family history of the disease.

Complications

    1. Lung and heart damage:

      • In severe scoliosis, the rib cage may press against the lungs and heart.
      • This can make it more difficult to breathe and harder for the heart to pump.

    2. Back problems:

      • Adults who had scoliosis as children are more likely to have chronic back pain.
      • This likelihood is higher compared to people in the general population.

    3. Appearance:

      • As scoliosis worsens, it can cause more noticeable changes in the body.
      • These changes include uneven hips and shoulders, prominent ribs, and a shift of the waist and trunk to the side.
      • Individuals with scoliosis often become self-conscious about their appearance.

Treatment

Spine and joint care have a very high success rate in treating scoliosis. This is largely thanks to the fact that we are able to offer our own unique method of therapy, developed specifically by ourselves to provide patients with full treatment for all aspects of their condition

Osteopathy is one of the many techniques that we incorporate into our treatment method,placing an emphasis on the role of the musculoskeletal system in developing a patient’s health.

 According to the principals of the treatment, the attention paid to the musculoskeletal system is able to facilitate the recuperative powers of the body, thereby enabling patients to recover from the damage and pain inflicted by scoliosis and similar conditions.

The main purpose of incorporating osteopathy into our treatment is to help keep the facet joints mobile and, in turn, to provide relief from the pain experienced by scoliosis sufferers. This is achieved by applying the holistic approach used in osteopathic therapies, which aims to release restrictions in the spine and surrounding tissues while improving the patient’s posture and proprioception.

As spine and joint care’sdramatic results demonstrate, the use of osteopathy (in combination with other proven treatment techniques) has allowed us to deliver significant, lasting improvements for our patients. Not only does this technique result in improved posture and reduced symptoms, it also successfully delivers an enhanced ease of movement and relief from discomfort.