New to the board - just found out the condition and in pain

[doglover]

Hi everyone.

I am 35 years old female with years of lower back pain. I am an active search and rescue personnel and the pain gets worse everytime I am in the woods or rubble for a long time. When I was in 2nd grade, they took xrays of every students and I was told my spine wasn't very straight. I didn't think much of it.

In New Oreleans, I hurt my back again and the pain has been getting worse. It goes away and comes back. I had xrays done last year and the chiropractor told me I have a S curve - 15 or so degrees. I did my research that day and read that it is quite common. (?) He said that from 1-10 (10 being the worst) my case was around 5 or 6. Now I am reading here that a lot of you have bigger curves. I can't imagine what kind of pain you are all in...

The chiropractor put me on a daily physical theraphy that I can do on my own. I use a large ball and roll on it lightly to push the curve in. I also bough a small ball that I can put on my side when I am sitting in a chair. I bought a back supporter and stuff a smaller ball on one side. (That was my idea). I have an inversion table which I am planning on using when the inflamation of the muscle goes away. It feels like it is helping to fight the curve. A lot of sites say that these conditions are not reversible, you can only slow down the progress unless you are young or go through a surgery. Do you think these exercise I am doing is helping? or is this something my chripractor told me to do to make me feel optimestic?

Thank you in advance.

[Karen Ocker]

None of the things you mention have ever worked with true scoliosis. Believe me many of us have wasted time and money.

My suggestion is to visit a scoliosis doc who treats adults. It will be cheaper in the long run. Your chiro is leading you on.

[LindaRacine]

Hi Doglover...

First, in my experience, chiropractors are often poor at determining actual curve degrees, so I'm not sure I'd trust the number(s). Going to an orthopaedic scoliosis specialist is probably your best bet for finding out what is really going on. You can find a list of specialists here:

http://www.srs.org/directory/directory.asp

I have a closet full of "postural" devices (pillows, etc.). Some seemed to help in the short-term for pain, but I haven't really stuck with much in the long run. No device is going to reduce scoliosis curves (unless your curves are postural and not structural).

Many people with scoliosis have no pain at all, so it's possible that your pain isn't because you have curves. If your chiropractic adjustments aren't resolving your pain, you might want to find out what the actual cause is (by seeing an orthopaedist).

Good luck.

Regards,
Linda

[structural75]

Doglover,

A proactive approach to managing your scoliosis is a good start. As an adult with scoliosis, structural or functional, it is imperative that you get into a routine of some kind to actively manage the condition. Continue to explore your options and do what seems to work best for YOU.

It sounds like a good idea to see a specialist to help determine the cause, if possible (Knowing whether it is structural, fused ribs, hemi vertabrae, etc., vs. functional will give you a better understanding of what your true limitations are). Imaging techniques are the only verifiable way to go about this. With that said, in defense of the few good and ethical chiropractors out there, the exact degree of the curvature at this point is a trivial matter. What is important is to find out what the curvature is now so that you can monitor its progress in the years to come. The rate of progression is more important than the actual precise number.

As for your exercises... I have seen very positive clinical results from incorporating them into daily activities. They DO have positive effect in the management of the curve, but diligence is key. Using a physioball correctly and stretching (i.e. - Yoga) HAVE proven to be beneficial for several of my clients.

Use of forceful and mechanical corrective devices have their place, but remember the body is not a machine. It is a living, breathing and very responsive organism. Encouraging tensional balance within the soft tissue body (muscles and their tendons, ligaments, periarticular tissue) is imperative when approaching any type of scoliosis. The pain... yes, the curvature is positively contributing to some degree. Further causes may be involved as well. In short, any time our bodies deviate from the central axis of growth gravity will make its forceful presence known. This will cause uneven tonus throughout the tissue, hypertonicty and lead to ischemic (lack of blood flow) conditions which limit fluid exchange and foul up nerve synapses leading to chronic pain.

In all, keep doing your stretching exercises if they seem to be working for you. At this point in your life there is certainly some skeletal deformation which as changed the articular surfaces of the vertebral facets and so forth. Chirpractic is unlikely to provide you with any long term relief to be honest. Use it for those acute flare-ups. I would recommend seing a specialist and continue doing your homework. There are options and potential beyond what is commonly put forth.

Kind Regards,
Structural75

[sweetness514]

Very good post Structural75, and educational as well.

It's always good to keep an open mind and do what's best for our own experience.

[amae28]

If your chiropractor's measurements are correct (be skeptical), then at age 35 a 15 degree curvature is hardly even scoliosis. The cut off for even diagnosing someone with scoliosis is 10 degrees, because more people than you would think have very minor curvatures that are just natural and don't really cause any problems (possibly pain though). Like all the others said, go see someone with some orthopaedic knowledge on scoliosis to get some real answers. Your pain may be due to something other than the curvature your chiropractor is telling you about.

If you read a little about scoliosis, a mild curve ranges from about 10-30 degrees, moderate is somewhere around 30-50 or 60 degrees, and a very serious curve is above that (these can impair lung and cardiovascular functioning and some are actually life-threatening above 100 degrees depending on the build of the person). In adults a curve of 15 degrees doesn't progress because you are beyond adolescent years of growing.

Abbie