Looking for Advice

[xenon]

I have a C curve in my mid to lower back, about 25-30 degree's if I recall correctly. I have a little bit of a curve in my upper back. (Not scolosis, it curves outward a little bit)

I went to a specialist and was told he did not want to do anything about the curve in my lower back, just to watch it. No pain from that area, so that was fine with me.

My upper back however is a different story. I've had X-rays and MRI done and there is no visible damage up top. I however suffer from constant upper back pain, it's right around my shoulder blades. If I see a chiropractor regularly, were talking 2-3 times a week, I have very minor pain, nothing compared to when I dont see the chiro. I however travel A LOT, and as soon as I leave and can't goto the chiro, I'm taking muscle relaxers on a nightly basis just to be able to sleep.

It seems like my upper back has been getting worse, I've taken a notice to uneven shoulders, one hip higher than the other, shoulder blade sticking out further than the other (its possible I didn't notice before, I guess I'm looking a lot harder now) but this is really starting to bother me, especially the shoulder blade sticking out further than the other one, its pretty noticeable.


Has anyone out there had something similar to this with the upper back pain? I've never really had anykind of pain where my actual curve is.

If anyone has any idea's on my upper back pain, I would love to hear from you. The specialist I went to see basically told me he didn't see anything wrong from the x-rays so there wasn't much he could do. Is there anything I can do as far as the shoulder blades go, to maybe try to get them headed back in the right direction, or is this something I'm just going to have to live with?

Thanks!

EDIT: Forgot to mention my upper back being disfigured is more than likely from sitting on the computer a lot when I was young, I'm currently 20. I'm constantly reminding myself to fix my posture now-a-days, but when I was younger I could have cared less.

EDIT2: Also forgot to mention when I was approx. 13-14 I grew about 7 inches in 1 year, which I've been told could of had a big part in my scoliosis. I have very visible stretch marks right around where my C curve is from the ordeal.

[SpineWhine]

Hi Xenon - I also had huge growth spurts when I wa a teenager. I went from one of the shortest girls in my class to being the tallest in about a year. I too had a C curve, and they put me in a brace while I was still growing, then told me I would be fine once I stopped growing. Thing is, I wasn't. I noticed the same pains you are mentioning - the pain in the shoulders. Doing pilates, yoga, and having accupuncture helped relieve the problem for me short term. BAsically just staying loose and flexible and good shape went a long way. But, I defintitely still had bad days when I too heavily relied on muscle relaxants. As I got older (late 20s) I realized that my shoulder are pack pain was really starting to cramp my lifestyle. I couldn't sit through a football game because my back hurt so much, and I couldn't do as many things around the house (garden, paint, move furniture...) I went back and saw a scoliosis specialist (not a chiropractor, but an orthopaedic M.D.) - they told me that even though a lot of my pain wasn't near my curve, that my curve was still responsible for it, as the muscles inmy back were out of whack for trying to compensate for the curve. (My curve also was still progresing several degrees a year, even though I was done growing.) So... I got some second and third opinions, and actually ended up having surgery.

Of course, your curve may not require surgery, or be progressing, but I do suggest you see a specialist to find out exactly what is going on, and what your options are to treat it. In the meantime, I would just try to strengthen the area with exercise. Hope that helps!