Sometimes a person’s spine curves and rotates, making it look like an “S” or a “C.” This is called “scoliosis.” Because your ribs attach to your spine, it raises the ribs and creates a rib hump when the spine rotates. This is especially noticeable when you bend forward.
You may also notice differences in your chest, breast size, shoulders, or waist. They may appear uneven. The curve may become more extensive as you grow. Curves in the middle of your back that reach 45 to 50 degrees will probably increase throughout life. If the angle is greater than 70 degrees, it can affect your breathing.
Curves in your lower back that reach 35 to 40 degrees may also get more significant throughout life. In most cases, we don’t know what causes scoliosis, and we call that “Idiopathic Scoliosis.”
Scoliosis (Deviation of the spine)
The occurrence of spinal deformities in adults is one of the critical issues in discussing the health of a large segment of the world’s population.
One of these types of deformities is Scoliosis. The adult is a deformity of the spine in a skeletally mature person. Adult Scoliosis, also called degenerative, appears old.
What Is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis does not come from carrying something heavy like your backpack or bad posture. Scoliosis does not cause back pain in most patients. There are many treatments for this problem.
Your doctor will consider the size and type of your curve, how much growing you have left to do, and if you have any other medical conditions. Treatment often includes watching your turn and regularly getting an X-ray.
Sometimes, wearing a brace is effective for curves between 20 and 40 degrees in growing children. But wearing a brace does not make the angle smaller. The goal is to prevent an arc from progressing or getting more significant.
Many families ask about alternative treatments. Physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care can help some people with back pain. But there is currently no good scientific evidence showing they can prevent the progression of a curve or improve the angle. Discuss these therapies with your provider. For larger curves, your doctor might recommend surgery.
No matter how your doctor treats you, don’t let it stop you from being active or participating in sports or other activities you enjoy. Follow your doctor’s instructions and call the spine nurses if you have any questions.
Flat feet are typically caused by a bone inside the foot
What is the cause of spinal deviation?
This type of deformity is sometimes the result of undiagnosed childhood scoliosis and sometimes due to osteoporosis, disc damage, compression fractures of the spine, or a combination of these. (Visit Our Spinal Decompression Service)
Therefore, adult scoliosis is divided into three main groups, which are:
- Primary destructive Scoliosis
- Progressive Idiopathic in Adults
- Primary destructive Scoliosis
It’s defined as the curvature of the spine in the coronal plane with a rotating component. Although Scoliosis is known as a lateral deviation in the spine, it is a three-dimensional deformity. It is a major cause of geometric and morphological changes in the trunk and chest.
Symptoms of Scoliosis
The patient’s symptoms and complaints include pain, lameness, development of curvature, and neurological disorders.
Scoliosis Treatment
When discussing the treatment of adult scoliosis, surgeons are often very conservative because of the extent of the complications associated with the surgery and the critical nature of the bones in this group.
The evidence for treatment choice and exactly what conservative treatment to use is controversial. Of course, factors such as age, associated neurological symptoms, or changes in the curvature line are essential in choosing the type of treatment.
The importance of identifying and preventing scoliosis abnormalities from reducing the cost of treatment and its many complications has led many countries to put regular screening programs on their agenda.
With periodic examinations and tests, individuals Identify and monitor the risk and reduce the prevalence and severity of this disorder by using various preventive and corrective methods such as education, improving the living environment, work and study, sports and special physical exercises.
Types of Scoliosis
Mild Scoliosis
Mild Scoliosis usually describes a species with a degree of spinal deviation and a Cobb angle of 20 degrees or less. This type of Scoliosis causes the patient not fully to use his physical abilities and to have a wrong posture.
Mild Scoliosis may be accompanied by other pain and discomfort. These unpleasant changes, which have an ugly aspect, make the patient mentally and emotionally troubled.
Mild Scoliosis can be a problem in later life because slight imbalances can lead to joint wear and tear and muscle cramps over time.
Some risk factors determine whether mild Scoliosis will worsen over time and become severe Scoliosis. These potential risk factors include:
- Incidence of it at a young age and when growth is incomplete happens.
- Female Scoliosis is more prevalent among women.
- Bending the head forward puts a lot of pressure on the muscles of the neck and back of the body.
- The alignment of the head, chest and hip joints is neutralized if the center of the shoulders is above the hip joints. If the limb condition is not balanced, Scoliosis exacerbates the situation.
- Problems with balance, coordination, and profundity information (it becomes difficult to maintain balance on one foot with the eyes closed)
- Excessive flexibility
or looseness of joints (ligament loosening)
- Spinal cord pressure
- Loss of proper arch of the spine (dimples or lumbar neck and lumbar spine)
- Librarian’s posture is when the person bends his neck slightly and looks over his head.
- It is not possible to touch the chest with the chin.
- For example, gait changes reduce the rotation of the hips and shoulders and make the patient less flexible in the arms.
Moderate Scoliosis
The rate of spinal deviation averages 20 to 40 degrees, and braces use at this stage is recommended for adolescents with the disease.
The individual limb usually determines spinal rotation in moderate Scoliosis. The ribs and shoulders, especially when bending forward, for example, on the Adams test (diagnostic procedures at the Omid Clinic), are marked from behind, and the shoulders are not aligned.
Severe Scoliosis
Cobb angle in severe Scoliosis is 40 to 45 degrees in adolescents and 50 to 55 degrees in adults. If Scoliosis becomes very painful, severe lung and heart problems can develop. Therefore, it should not be neglected in the treatment of severe Scoliosis.
Braces are prescribed in these conditions to prevent further progression and the need for surgery, and unfortunately, braces cannot cure or reduce the severity of severe Scoliosis. Surgery is sometimes performed to reduce or reverse the changes at this stage.
However, even surgery is not always successful in preventing the progression of complications. That is why, in the opinion of the specialists of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center, the hope of early diagnosis and treatment is significant.
Physiotherapy And Treatment Of Spinal Curvature
Physiotherapy can be used to treat spinal curvature. Some of the things that are effective in treating spinal deformity include the following:
- Prevent or reduce the progression of scoliosis curvature
- Prescribe stretching exercises for shortened muscles and strengthening exercises for weakened muscles
- Treatment of pain syndrome in the spine
- Prevention, treatment, and correction of incorrect posture and respiratory problems
- Restore the overall beauty of the spine by correcting the wrong postures
- Prescribe appropriate braces if needed
- Perform manual treatments and massage
- Heat and cold therapy, US, electrotherapy, laser therapy
Complications
Having Scoliosis can have other side effects for the patient. Changes and curvature in the spine can pressure various parts of the skeleton and organs. So that in severe cases of the disease, we see respiratory problems due to pressure on the chest and lungs.
This curvature can lead to severe back pain as you age. If the severity of the curvature is high and proper treatment is not done, the severity of back pain will also increase. In addition, deformities in the spine lead to protrusions in organs such as the ribs, buttocks, and shoulders and change the appearance of the person, which may affect the patient’s self-esteem, social and emotional relationships, and mental health.
Prevention
Many people think that factors such as injuries during sports activities, car accidents, improper sitting, and carrying heavy items such as school backpacks can lead to Scoliosis. These cases may cause back pain but will not cause the disease.
There is no specific way to prevent this problem because, in many cases, the cause is unknown and appropriate action cannot be taken.
Conclusion
It is a spinal disease that is more common in children and adolescents. Diagnosis of this disease in its early stages is not easy, and usually, the symptoms appear with the growth of the child and entering the age of development and adolescence.
However, if you notice any asymmetry in your baby’s head, shoulders, ribs, back, and buttocks, see your doctor for further examination to monitor the children. For mild cases, no action is needed, but in more severe cases, measures are required to prevent other deviations in this area.
