Spine surgeon- I shouldnt be experiencing pain

[Mitra]

I am 19 years old and was diagnosed in October 2011 with moderate scoliosis curving to the right in the thoracic lumber region, approx 34 degrees. I have had back pain in right shoulder blade and right spine muscles for 6 years, long before i knew i had scoliosis. The pain has gotten much worse in the past two years, which is why i started going to the doctor to find out why. I started tramacet 5 months ago, luckily it works on me as that medication doesn't work on all people. This has allowed me to get out of bed in the morning and get through the day. The orthopedic surgeon said I don't need surgery, which i am relieved because i want to be a police officer in a couple years. I didn't think i would since its moderate but i don't understand why i have this much pain. My right spine muscle is all bunched up into a ball (not swelling) and along with my shoulder blade cracks a lot. As well, my rib cage has shifted causing one of my abdomen muscles to pop quite a bit, not so much painful as really uncomfortable. I mentioned this to my general practitioner and the spine surgeon and neither said anything. I have an appointment in another city to get some kind of bone testing, to make sure nothing was missed. What could be causing this pain? I know there is probably a ton of threads like this, but I really want to get to the bottom of this or my career choice will be in jeopardy. Thank you.

[rohrer01]

Mitra,
Welcome. I have, or had a story similar to yours. I had pretty bad neck and upper back pain since about 12 years old. Very mild back pain since 8 years old. My pain progressively got worse to the point where it was debilitating at times. So when I was 16, my mom took me to get evaluated. The only thing wrong was a scoliosis a little larger than yours (39*). I was also told I shouldn't be in pain. I have recently been diagnosed with muscle dystonia as a result of the scoliosis. I think your pain may also be muscular in nature from what you are describing. They don't have an explanation as to why some of us with "smaller" curves sometimes have a lot of pain, while others with huge curves have no pain. But I will tell you that I believe you. I am 43 now, and my pain is very hard to control. I wish you all the very best and hope you can keep healthy and strong and keep that pain at a minimum for as long as possible.

[Mitra]

Thanks for the reply rohrer. It's good to hear similar stories from people about our experiences. I had no noticeable curve until i took my first year off after 13 years of league ice hockey. I guess the reduced physical activity weakened my back muscles which made them unable to fight off the curve. I often thought there was something wrong with my back muscles. Since scoliosis itself does not cause my pain or most peoples pain and the majority is in the muscles i mentioned. How did you get a diagnosis for muscle dystonia? Also is a question, is anyone's actual spine sensitive to touch? If i get a light massage and it veers to the lump of my spine muscle, it feels so gross and painful in a sensitive way, i think its hitting the curve in my spine. I feel sick thinking about that feeling.

[Jenna.KB]

Thanks for the reply rohrer. It's good to hear similar stories from people about our experiences. I had no noticeable curve until i took my first year off after 13 years of league ice hockey. I guess the reduced physical activity weakened my back muscles which made them unable to fight off the curve. I often thought there was something wrong with my back muscles. Since scoliosis itself does not cause my pain or most peoples pain and the majority is in the muscles i mentioned. How did you get a diagnosis for muscle dystonia? Also is a question, is anyone's actual spine sensitive to touch? If i get a light massage and it veers to the lump of my spine muscle, it feels so gross and painful in a sensitive way, i think its hitting the curve in my spine. I feel sick thinking about that feeling.

Hi Mitra

Welcome! my surgeon says that because our spine's aren't straight everything is pushed out of the way causing the muscles to become squashed, spasm, tight or tingly. My physio says that if the muscles are strong you should experience less pain.
I'm the same with massages sometimes, I get like marble size lumps when the muscles get so tight, they are so tender and sore but gently rubbing and moving them does loosen the muscle and help the pain

Jenna