Not sure what to do?

[Marc]

Hi everyone,

I decided to join the forum because my chiropractor told me I have scoliosis and just recently its starting to hurt more frequently. I'm 17, male, and around 6'1

Here's a picture of my back:

Photo on 2012-10-16 at 12.20 AM.jpg

The chiropractor is currently doing "adjustments" which I don't think do anything. But, my parents are making me do it because they think if it helps their back pain it will magically straighten my spine..

What should I do?

[titaniumed]

Marc

Scoliosis is defined by a lateral curve 10 degrees or more. The ONLY way to inspect a curve is with an x-ray. There is no way of knowing what’s happening with pictures....

I have used Chiropractic for 25 years now and it worked well for me as far as “pain control” is concerned. Chiropractic adjustments will not reduce your curves. Been there done that. I have had thousands of adjustments from around 10 different chiropractors.

A trip to visit a scoliosis surgeon for an eval might not be a bad idea. In fact it’s a good idea since these guys can rule out things that others will miss. After that visit, ask what to do....If you tell us where your at, we can give you a list of “scoli” surgeons in your area.

If you ever get x-rays done, ask them to burn you a disc. This way you have your own dated x-rays....Your x-rays ARE your property.

Welcome to the forum

Ed

[Kat3573]

Welcome! Ur one of those Rare people in the world. I would suggest u see and orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine. They are MUCH better that chiros. If you every talk to Pooka1 on the forums and ask her about chiros she is VERY against them. She says they are "quacks". Visit a surgeon they are much more professional and knowledgable. They can recommend exercises or maybe a GOOD chiro.

[jrnyc]

hi Marc
welcome...
i am sorry your parents aren't going along with what you want for your
back...
as Ed said, a scoli surgeon is the person to see...to get X rays, to
find out how big a curve you have and exactly where it is...
and to ask what to do next...
short of surgery, there are pain management doctors who specialize
in helping people relieve pain...
i hope your parents will do some research and learn what is best
for you....
maybe you can start the research online and show them what you find...

best of luck...
jess...& Sparky

[rohrer01]

Welcome to the forum, Marc. As others have mentioned there's no way to know how bad your scoliosis is without an x-ray and accurate measurements. Your waistline looks a lot like mine in that it is straight on one side and curvy on the other side. Other than that bit of observation, my suggestion would be the same: go to a scoliosis specialist. Are you in a lot of pain?

Best Wishes.

[Marc]

thanks for the replies everyone.
rohrer01 - I'm usually in pain, but very faint sometimes. If I stay in the same position for a few minutes it starts to hurt more. Also, sometimes its hard to sleep because my back hurts when I lay down and I can't sleep in anymore because my back pain wakes me up early.

[Kat3573]

You definitely need to see a surgeon IMO if ur in that much pain. Standing for 5 minutes without moving will hurt my lower back b4 my surgery. Now I can stand for 3 hours without moving with no pain. When I sit for five minus without movie then my shoulder(left would burn) after my surgery I have no pain. Honestly we really can't do anything. You really need to see a surgeon because you might need surgery.

Best of luck
Kat

[Wish2bstraight]

Hi Marc,

I am also new to the forum. I agree with all above. X-rays definitely need to be taken. And also get a copy. If for no other reason than to find out exactly what is going on with your back and how to proceed. Even if you do not do anything at this time, you will have your X-rays for a base and comparison
as you get older.

Libby

[Wish2bstraight]

Ed,

i tried to send you a PM, but your inbox is full (and I wrote too much). I will try to condense my message and wait for your inbox to have room for my message.

Libby

Scoliosis is defined by a lateral curve 10 degrees or more. The ONLY way to inspect a curve is with an x-ray. There is no way of knowing what’s happening with pictures....

I have used Chiropractic for 25 years now and it worked well for me as far as “pain control” is concerned. Chiropractic adjustments will not reduce your curves. Been there done that. I have had thousands of adjustments from around 10 different chiropractors.

A trip to visit a scoliosis surgeon for an eval might not be a bad idea. In fact it’s a good idea since these guys can rule out things that others will miss. After that visit, ask what to do....If you tell us where your at, we can give you a list of “scoli” surgeons in your area.

If you ever get x-rays done, ask them to burn you a disc. This way you have your own dated x-rays....Your x-rays ARE your property.

Welcome to the forum

Ed[/QUOTE]

[rohrer01]

thanks for the replies everyone.
rohrer01 - I'm usually in pain, but very faint sometimes. If I stay in the same position for a few minutes it starts to hurt more. Also, sometimes its hard to sleep because my back hurts when I lay down and I can't sleep in anymore because my back pain wakes me up early.

I can totally relate to that! I take strong meds for mine. I have had poor success with chiro. I went faithfully for over two years for "pain control" on a curve that had been stable for over 20 years. It caused my spine to start collapsing. Now I'm stuck in worse pain and just waiting for it to get bad enough for surgery. You really need to go to a real doctor who specializes in scoliosis. You can get a list of SRS (scoliosis research society) doctors from this website. There's probably one near you unless you live in the middle of nowhere. Even so, it's worth getting checked out. I know we sound like broken records on here, sorry.

As for pain, when I lay down it doesn't matter what position I'm in, something will eventually start hurting. I'm in the least amount of pain when I stand, but then when I start moving it gets painful again. It stinks. I get trigger point injections to try to break up the muscle spasms. I also get Botox injections because I have muscle dystonia that causes the muscles around my shoulders and neck to be rock hard. I get epidural injections for my lumbar which is painful but not scoliosis related. There are things tht can be done, but the docs HAVE to know what they're dealing with.

Best wishes in finding out. Please keep us updated when you know more.

[rohrer01]

Sorry,
I didn't realize this thread was in the under 18 section. Oops.

[Marc]

I got xrays taken, heres a picture:
photo.jpg

it's oriented the wrong way, not sure how to rotate it on here though.. its the right orientation on my computer.

[AMom]

I got xrays taken, heres a picture:
photo.jpg

it's oriented the wrong way, not sure how to rotate it on here though.. its the right orientation on my computer.

Marc,

Talk to your parents about going to see a specialist in order to r/o another problem.

The x-ray needs to be taken by a radiologist, (not in a chiropractor's office.) An orthopedic surgeon can refer you for one when you see him. Many of them have the equipment in-house. It will be taken from a certain distance, straight on; possibly a second one from the side will be taken as well. It is important that you are standing, barefoot, with both feet flat on the floor (not one on a mat or un-even surface), and with your arms evenly spaced. Since there is a question of scoliosis, it would be a good idea to go to an ortho that specializes in scoliosis. (Orthopedic surgeons specialize within their field, so it does make a difference.) Also, just because their title includes the word, "surgeon" it doesn't mean they will recommend surgery.

I'd be interested to hear what the doctor says is causing your pain. Good luck!

A Mom

[Pooka1]

But, my parents are making me do it because they think if it helps their back pain it will magically straighten my spine..

Why do they think that? There isn't one lick of evidence to show that. Pure wishful thinking.

You are in an unfortunately common position of being a kid whose parents can't tell science from pseudoscience. I think you just have to point them to legitimate information sources and constantly criticize nonsense.

Good luck.

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Marc,

It's hard to say for sure from the posted x-ray, but it appears that your curve is not within surgical range, so surgery probably isn't an option unfortunately.

As Sharon suggests, you definitely should see an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in scoliosis.

Best of luck, and I hope you find relief.