DEAR DR. GOTT: I was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 2. I am now 37. In 1976 the surgery techniques were still primitive so my parents decided to put me in a brace. I lived with that brace for many years and never saw improvement. In college I decided to look into physical therapy for pain and discovered a lot of relief, proving you can live a normal health life with scoliosis and without surgery.
There are chiropractors who specifically work with scoliosis and physical therapists who can help. Surgery and back braces do nothing to help a condition that is mainly muscular. I am living proof that you can be normal with a curve that most people would consider disabling. I swim for relief of back pain. I lift weights. I have never not done something because of my back. I even carried three children to full term. For those of you out there with scoliosis, consider finding a good chiropractor.
DEAR READER: What a positive outlook! So many of the issues we face in life are easier when we realize we can make the most of a situation and turn something unpleasant around into a ‘yes I can’ process.
Scoliosis is curvature of the spine that can be extremely mild or extremely disabling. It is not a “mainly muscular” condition as you stated; however, the muscles are involved. You indicate your were diagnosed at the age of 2. Even today, children of that age are closely monitored and are commonly treated with a brace to hopefully prevent the curvature from worsening. When the condition progresses, the spine can both rotate and curve, causing the ribs on one side to protrude more than on the other. A person may appear to stand crooked, with one hip being higher, and the shoulders not appearing even. With severe cases, the rib cage can press against the lungs and heart, making breathing difficult and forcing the heart to work harder to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body.
It appears heredity plays a role, since scoliosis runs in families. Other causes include muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular disorders, infection or spinal injuries, and birth defects that affect the spinal bones. While the condition can affect males and females, it appears females carry a higher risk of excessive curvature than do males.
As you discovered, braces will not cure scoliosis, nor will they reverse any damage that is done. What they hopefully will do, however, is to prevent further progression of the curve. Braces are commonly discontinued once bones stop growing – such as when the person stops growing taller. Severe cases are often treated with spinal fusion with two or more vertebrae being fused together. If the condition takes on a rapid progression, a rod can be attached to the area of the curvature and lengthened periodically.
Alternative methods for coping include exercise, meditation, medication, physical therapy, biofeedback, electrical muscle stimulation, and chiropractic manipulation. Except for the exercise that can work because of helping to maintain good muscle tone, there isn’t evidence to confirm the remaining choices are particularly effective. This is not in any way to discredit tai chi, exercise, water aerobics, or any other method of dealing with scoliosis. I can only imply that no reputable studies are available to support improvement of the condition. Any and all options depend on the age of the person diagnosed and the extent of severity. If chiropractic works for you, I heartily endorse it but I must reiterate that your positive attitude is the most effective tool you have and I congratulate you. Keep up the good work.
Readers who would like related information can order my Health Report “Managing Chronic Pain” by sending a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and a $2 US check or money order to my attention at PO Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039. Be sure to mention the title when writing or print out an order form from my website www.AskDrGottMD.com.
