Newly Diagnosed

[pet slave]

Hello!

I just found out I have Scoliosis at age 42. I've been living with pain since I was 12, but no one ever figured out why! Most Dr's just said it was muscular.
<sigh>

Anyway, I'm delighted to have found this forum and I'm going to spend a great deal of time reading the archives.

But I would like to ask a question. I also suffer from chronic Migraines and I have Asthma as well, is there any connection to these conditions and Scoliosis??

Anyone here have the same conditions? How do you manage the pain??


Thanks in advance!

[cherylplinder]

Welcome!
What degree and where are your curves?

[pet slave]

Thanks for the welcome!

I went our primary care Dr for my back pain, and he's sending me to a specialist.

So as of right now, I'm uncertain of the degree, but my curves appear to be in my lower back.

My husband and I were not very satisfied with our Dr's diagnosis, he just said "you have Scoliosis, we can do Pysical Therapy".........!?

Thats why we asked to see a specialist.

[SandyC]

Pet,
Make sure you see an orthopedist that deals with ADULTS. Not all Ortho's deal with adults. PT may temporarly help you with pain issues, so I wouldn't dismiss seeing one.

[LindaRacine]

As far as I know, there has never been any research showing that idiopathic scoliosis correlated with either migranes or asthma, although, since they're all relatively common, I'm sure there are plenty of people with all three.

--Linda

[pet slave]

Thank you for the replies!

SandyC, great advice on the orthopedist. This diagnosis is so new for my husband and I, that we really don't know what to make of it yet.

LindaRacine, I figured as much, but I was curious.

[pet slave]

The Dr seems to think I have thoracolumbar Scoliosis.

Although most of my pain is in the lower back, I do have pain just below my shoulder blades.

And sometimes a very stiff neck.

[javaboy]

I've Got All Three!

I've got the unholy trifecta of scoliosis, migraines and asthma. My scoliosis is a congenital kyphosis below my ribcage (i.e. vertebrae fused together at birth causing a curve, rather than traditional scoliosis) that was found at 27.

They've done all but conclusively link my migraines to the scoliosis. They come about pretty much due to a ripple effect. The muscles in my back are unbalanced due to them having to stretch over a hump they never were designed to. To that end, there are muscles in my neck and shoulders that are overworked and pinching nerves. This is what brings on the migraines - they're triggered by overexertion, start off as tension headaches and end up as day-ending migraines, always one-sided, always finishing in intense pain behind the eyeball, and always accompanied by a lot of nausea. Physical therapy on the weak muscles is making them less frequent and less intense. If these sound anything like yours, there's a good chance that they can be resolved.

As for the asthma, I've no idea if it's linked or not. I've only ever had it mildly, and have only ever had a couple of attacks in my life. Whether it has anything to do with my being hunched over more than I should be, I don't know. Guess I'll find out as my back gets stronger and I straighten up!

[pet slave]

Wow, Thats very interesting javaboy!

I have chronic Migraines, and the pain goes down to my shoulders. ( or perhaps that pain begins there and causes the Migraine )


That's why I posed the question about Migraines and Asthma.
From what I've read so far, Scoliosis can cause respiratory problems.

And, Migraines are another one of those nasty little things that fall into the category of " we're not certain what causes them", just like Scoliosis.

Many thanks for the reply, maybe the Medical Profession needs to look into the possible correlation.

If I may ask, what do you use for pain management, i.e. pain meds??

[Cakedec]

Dear Pet Slave,

I also had migraine headaches along with my scoliosis. For a year, I was housebound as they would start at 10 am in the morning and continue through the day, sometimes getting better around 5 pm at night. Had also tried everything but voodoo doctors.

One day wandering through a health fair at the mall, I stopped at a booth with a "cervical specific" chiropractor who was giving free evaluations and coupons for your first treatment. I decided to give him a try instead of the voodoo doctor. Along with several kinks in my neck, he also found that my atlas (top bones in the neck) were out and adjusted them. This gave me relief and I continued with his treatments over the next year and half.

Since neck and muscle spasms were also involved, I did yoga stretches and sometime over the next year year and a half, the headaches miraculously let up. Now I can tell that my neck is out when the headaches come back and just need to go back occasionally. THere is a website for cervical specific chiropractors (who do cranio-sacral therapy) It is http://www.blairchiropracticsoc.org/...ship_board.htm that might help you find one in your area. Another thing that has helped me and others at times is physical therapy which is aimed at the neck and shoulder area muscles. I do stretches and strengthening exercises for those areas as maintenance of my neck and scoliosis and for headache prevention.

This will not cure your scoliosis, of course; you still should get evaluated by an adult scoliosis specialist, but getting rid of the headaches makes facing other problems much better.

Deb

[bon]

Pet slave, I looove your name! I can totally relate to it--I am a slave to my two dogs, plus I work at a pet store. I have asthma, (probably from the pet store... ) but it does make sense that breathing would be compromised if the lungs are contorted along with the spine.

[pet slave]

Cakedec, thanks for the reply!

I really feel for anyone who suffers from Migraines. I've had them last for up to ten days straight! I just find it suspect that my Migraines started when my back got worse.

I too, am willing to try just about ANYTHING to relieve my head and back pain short of dancing naked in the rain!

I'll check out that website you mentioned and I appreciate your advice.


Bon,

Yep! I'm the proud mom to two dogs and two guinea pigs. My husband and I do not have *human* kids, we have furry kids.

From what I've read, Scoliosis can cause breathing difficulties, although, I also have seasonal allergies which does not help either.



Here's what I know thus far about my Scoliosis. ( I have not been to the specialist yet)

Dr told me I have " Moderate Idiopathic Thoracolumbar Scoliosis."

While I do understand what it all means, I really do not know if "moderate" is good or bad for Scoliosis at my age.(42) And the fact that my pain and stiffness is getting worse.

Any input would be appreciated.


Again, thanks for the replies.


PS, My Mother also had Scoliosis.

[javaboy]

I have chronic Migraines, and the pain goes down to my shoulders. ( or perhaps that pain begins there and causes the Migraine )
...

And, Migraines are another one of those nasty little things that fall into the category of " we're not certain what causes them", just like Scoliosis.

Many thanks for the reply, maybe the Medical Profession needs to look into the possible correlation.

If I may ask, what do you use for pain management, i.e. pain meds??

Your migraines sound quite similar to mine if the pain goes down to your shoulders. If the base of your skull at the back of your neck lights up too, it's almost certainly the same as mine, and probably caused by a weak neck and shoulders.

I agree wholeheartedly that there needs to be a lot more research in this area. I've had an unbelievable time linking the two together. My GP who diagnosed my back refused to believe that it triggered the headaches, and wanted to believe that I was simply a migraine sufferer. He had me on big time migraine meds for a while, but they put me to sleep for half a day at a time, so I threw them out.
He sent me to physical therapy for my back regardless, and my physio I think was unaware of the potential for the migraines to be linked. I think she's starting to put two and two together, as she's having to work further and further up my back the more she sees me.
After not having a lot of success with any of it, I bullied my GP into sending me to a neuro, who properly diagnosed my migraines as being triggered by weak neck and shoulder muscles. He sent me off swimming to strengthen things up, and things have been improving ever since.
I've found there to not be a lot of talk between the three professions. The GP is constantly being surprised by what I'm presenting him with from the others. Someone probably needs to do some research linking the fields, rather than forcing people like us to get a professional from each one to fill in the gaps for us.

Because my GP keeps wanting to load me up with the wrong meds, I'm simply surviving on a hit of two Ibuprofen and two Paracetamol as the migraines start to come on. This actually seems to work fairly frequently now, but I'm sure there are better things that I could be taking (i.e. migraine preventatives or long-term anti-inflammatories).

[pet slave]

Javaboy,

I was hoping you'd tell about some "miracle pain cure" but as it seems, we both survive on over the counter pain meds........!

I've been getting a tiny bit of relief for my back with Aleve, ( Naproxen )
and Excedrin Migraine for the my nasty Migraines.

It really is amazing how a person can learn to live with pain and just go on about their daily lives.

As for the Dr's...... my GP is also perplexed by some of my " very accurate self diagnosis" and my insistence on him at least considering other options.

Dr's need to remember that we are all individuals, and not just standard textbook cases.

[LATigner]

Migraine relief

One of the adult patients (30ish) that sees the same chiro as my daughter had terrible migraine headaches. She has a 60+ degree curve and is now treating with the SpineCor brace. After about 1-2 weeks in the brace the migraines improved significantly - not sure if they're completely gone as I haven't seen her
in the last month or so but she was really excited to have relief as they were occurring sometimes twice a week. She knows the SpineCor will not correct her curve like it does with a growing child but she has gotten better posture, some correction in both curve and rotation, pain relief and help with the headaches. It seems insane for doctors to categorically say that scoliosis and migraines have nothing to do with each other. Don't know your individual situations but it might benefit you to check into SpineCor.