Among many spinal muscle or bone aches, scoliosis tends to be the most widespread, tiring, and painful depending on the specific diagnosis. In addition, scoliosis is also one of the fairly easily treatable medical conditions that, if detected and addressed in time and caution, does not require operation or some other harsh and invasive treatment. Many people also experience various back pain, and muscle aches, have trouble sitting and doing some experiences, and neglect to address that problem, but after a year or two they discover it’s scoliosis and end up having to resort to more severe treatment. Understanding scoliosis is the very first step to take to help detect and resolve the issue in time. Here is a comprehensive guide to the causes and treatment of scoliosis and the importance of early detection.
Scoliosis 101
Scoliosis can easily be defined as an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, or in plain words, it’s when the spine turns sideways. Very often scoliosis can be immediately diagnosed in the childhood period or early adolescence and the spinal curvature can be effectively “fixed”. When the natural curve position at the thoracic and lumbar region, or the “sagittal” plane, falls out of position, and when the coronal or frontal plane starts experiencing pain and stress during movement, it’s usually a sign of scoliosis. In addition, when all three-dimensional curvations, the coronal, sagittal, and axial planes are in disposition, then there’s bound to be some back pain. There are plenty of ways to alleviate the pain and resolve the issue, however, the key is early detection and professional assistance.
Early diagnosis and detection importance
Before the child reaches puberty, the spine would have developed and altered in many ways, and conditions such as scoliosis ought to be detected in time to reduce future spinal issues. In Australia, for instance, scoliosis has been detected in 5% of school-aged children and early detection has led to 67% successful outcomes. The most renowned scoliosis specialist from Brisbane reported that conditions such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy in the early stages of life may cause mild scoliosis and can be addressed effectively. Even though some scoliosis cases are mild and can be managed conservatively, there are unfortunately plenty of scoliosis that can be disabling and painful as they reduce the amount of space in the chest. Early diagnosis and detection are, hence, of utmost importance.
Scoliosis symptoms and signs
For a scoliosis specialist or a neurosurgeon to be able to detect scoliosis symptoms is an easy endeavor, however a human being it can be utterly hard to pinpoint the cause of back pain in scoliosis. There are a few alerting signs that a person can detect and report to his or her doctor the second they notice them. Some of the most common scoliosis symptoms are uneven shoulders, both hips being raised or unusually high, the body tends to lean to one side, uneven waist, and back pain with adults. In addition, when the person stands up or sits upright, it’s possible to spot the entire body leaning to one side. These, some other minor signs, and especially the back pain state at the time of initial diagnosis all indicate that a patient might suffer from idiopathic scoliosis. Neglecting such signs and symptoms could lead to severe outcomes such as having to undergo surgery or triggering some other conditions as the change in the size and shape of the thorax may affect pulmonary function, etc. Experts perform some of the following examinations to confirm scoliosis:
- Physical examination
- An X-ray or spinal radiograph
- CT scan
- MRI and neurological exams
At an infant to early age detection, expert pediatricians perform the Adam’s Forward Bend Test to check for any abnormal spinal curvature and address the issue promptly.
Scoliosis treatment
Upon careful physical examination and set diagnosis, a scoliosis expert can suggest and request a few scoliosis treatments, depending on the severity of the case. With children, there is a different approach in contrast to the adults since it all reflects skeletal maturity. Some of the most effective and applicable scoliosis treatments involve:
- Bracing: braces are fully effective with children and young adults. With cutting-edge bracing model improvement, the brace design neatly fits under the arm and effectively stops curvation progression. Braces ought to be worn around 17 hours per day.
- Exercises: doing regular stretching and back exercises may help reduce back pain but also strengthen spinal muscles. With consultation with an eligible physiotherapist, it’s possible to successfully improve the curvature of the spine and alleviate the pain.
- Spinal injections: Mainly applicable for severe pain and nerve pressures, injections of steroids and local anesthetic are given to help ease the pain caused by scoliosis. This is not the resolution to the condition but an instant resolvance of the pain.
- Surgery: Either minimally invasive surgery, spinal fusion, expanding rod, or lumbar decompression surgery can be suggested when the spine condition is getting significantly worse, the pain cannot be minimized with painkillers, and when the nerves in your spine are squashed and irritated.
Consult your pediatrician or scoliosis specialist in time to get the best diagnosis and treatment possible and avoid any future risks.