Hello. I am a 50 year old female, with severe rotatory scoliosis (lumbar) 55 degree and 44 degree thoracic. I have been recommended for scoliotic revision therapy, however 2 of the 3 opinions received told me to wait for the surgery as long as possible. Personally, I do NOT want the surgery and want to figure out how to deal with a chronic pain treatment program. What I am struggling with is pain in several joints, because of the scoliosis has affected my right hip and left knee. I have been told this is very common with my type of curve.
Hello Gigi,
First of all: As I am a non-native writer, hope there won’t be any misunderstandings:
I am also new here in this forum and want to share my experiences with you about my conservative way treating scoliosis and dealing/ living with chronic pain. My aim is to avoid a spine surgery. As you can read in my signature I have also problems with my hips beside scoliosis. Yes scoliosis can affect e.g. the hip, as I suffer from a hip torsion caused by the scoliosis.
To understand my case, I have had back pain for the past 20+ years, intense muscle spasm on left side. I have been treated with cortiscone injections in the L4/L5 of the spinal cord. Most recently, a year ago in 2015 I had 2 herniated discs (L1 & L2), and have not been the same since. Thru PT and injections, my herniated discs are under control. However during the treatment process, my left knee and foot took most of the weight bearing and are wearing out. I am currently participating in the Schroth Method PT program, and have greatly benefited in knowledge of posture and breathing. However, it is not reducing joint pain symptoms.
My scoliosis was diagnosed in 1998 during a hip control appointment. I can’t remember when my pain career started…according to medical reports I mentioned neck pain as well as lumbar and hip pain on the right side around 2000 the first time.
In 2003 I have been to the Katharina Schroth Hospital the first time for 3 weeks and also benefited a lot from that therapy, just like you. Two further stays followed in 2004 and 2006 to stabilize the corrections made during the special exercises.
In addition to the knee, my RIGHT hip joint has been really bothering me. I have seen the specialist and received a hip joint cortiscone injection. The pain eased for about 2 weeks, and is now back with a lot of pain and irritation. I am really frustrated, the hip doctor said if the injection doesn't work we might have to look at a hip replacement. How the heck this happened, I have no idea! While my back is always in some kind of pain, the hip joint is driving me crazy. It really limits my activity and ability to do things, and is bothering me when I am sleeping. Need to confirm if this is a labrum tear, because most of the pain I am feeling is in the groin area. The Scoliosis Doctor is not even sure if I do the revision surgery, I might have some further problems with the hip joint.
When you have pain in the groin area and a cortisone injection could ease it, the pain can also come from your hip joint. I also had pain in the groin area due to my hip dysplasia before the hip (preservation) surgery. Did the hip specialist take an x-ray of the pelvic area?
Did you confirm if it is a labrum tear? As I have read in a hip forum; a Labrum tear is the first sign of arthrosis. 4 stages of arthrosis are defined…the more worse an arthrosis is, the more painful it becomes…and as other hip patients with severe articular cartilage damage described they could not sleep or participate in daily life without opiates. As your life quality is already reduced, I would find out what causes the hip pain and if MR-Arthrography or even a x-ray imaging show severe deterioration of the hip joint I would consider the hip replacement…
I have asked multiple doctors what kind of pain meds can I take for Arthritis. Currently being subscribed Celebrex, however it doesn't do really much. I have also changed around my vitamin regimen and am working with a natural herbalist to improve joint movement. After a month regimen I am not making any progress.
My question is to any with similar pain areas
2. Should I wait to get the spinal revision surgery, even if I am seeing deterioration of other joints due to the imbalance of spinal column?
As I have written above, I would avoid a spine surgery and proceed with the Schroth Method PT adapting the exercises to your special situation. I do not know whether you have learnt the “muscle cylinder”: I learnt this while standing. Due to my unhealed left pubic bone I do the exercise while lying on my weak side.
3. I am in process of addressing chronic pain in the back, probably will go joint facet block injections. Has anyone used this kind of treatment for Chronic Back pain?
I have heard about it during my stay in the pain section of a hospital. The other patients told that pain is lower after facet block injections. I refused it because it is done under CT control and 2015 I had several x-rays and 2 CTs within a few months and I was scared about the radiation…
4. Is there any type of doctor who will help me understand how my back impacts other joints? So far, I have to see multiple doctors and this drives me crazy! I want a doctor how can help me create a gameplan while understanding my back problem.
I am not a doctor but I can describe you my thoughts and experiences about the impacts: you have written that your left knee and foot take the most weight. Depending on which side your curves are, you are stretching or increasing your lumbar curve, standing or sitting imbalanced and the thoracic curve behaves inverse to the lumbar curve. I have been also putting more weight on my right hip since my pubic bone didn’t heal after the left hip surgery. My whole spine started tilting to the right and created a new curve in the upper thoracic area…
4. Need to figure out some pain management for the hip, any suggestions? I am hoping this is a labrum tear, as I feel a tremendous amount of pain in the groin area.
Before the first hip surgery I had PT for the hip. When my back, neck or/and head started to hurt daily I tried acupuncture and it helped a bit. Another try could be osteopathy; a lot of patients wrote that it reduces pain after a few sessions.
As Ed already mentioned above a hot soak or any other type of heat on the painful region help me reducing the pain. In the summer I like to have short sun showers on a beach or just in the garden and for the winter I bought a Quartz Heater which stands behind me when I am standing! in front of my (computer) desk. When I need to sit longer I use a wedge cushion.
5. Any Sleeping suggestions for my areas of chronic pain?
I change my positions of sleeping automatic when it gets uncomfortable. Can you fall asleep on your stomach? Perhaps you can use pillows under and between your knees to sleep on the side?!
6. Not one of my specialists have confirmed my knee or hip problems are related to the scoliosis. Does anyone believe scoliosis causes back pain & increase your chances for spinal herniations? Also, do you believe scoliosis affect other joint areas?
See above.
7. Did anyone benefit from changing around Nutritional program, and weight loss?
I have read that basic food could have positive influence on the joints, but the scientific results are contradictory. I swear on a mixture of magnesia, Vitamin D and B-Vitamin pills from the drugstore, because I have learnt for my Food chemistry exam that a magnesia and vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle pain. Especially magnesia deficiency is related to spasms and muscles twitching…the B-Vitamins are necessary for a good nerve function. This helps me to reduce my pain. If you don’t want to take pills you can also try food that is rich in magnesia, Vitamin D and B-Vitamins…
Lastly, to say I am frustrated is an understatement. I want to get back to normal routines without having nagging pain affecting me. While I am not totally helpless, I can't help but wonder where this path is taking me. I would like a game-plan, am willing to work for it. Would really appreciate insights from others who might be feeling the same way I do, and have found success working around scoliosis.
Many thanks!
Hope I could help you a bit and did not confuse you too much.
Last edited by Brownapple2016; 01-18-2017 at 02:41 PM.
*Melanie*;-)
diagnosis: hip dysplasia, thoraco-lumbar scoliosis: until 2009/07: th: 50 degree, lu: 31 degree, control 2014/06: upper-th: 38 degree, th: 57 degree, lu: 34 degree, chronic pain disease
therapy:
03-04-06: 3 Schroth Method Rehab's
06-10: outpatient Schroth PT
10: hip and femur osteotomy right :-D
13 hip osteotomy left
14 acupuncture: little effect and 2 pseudarthrosis left pubic bone :-(
15 restart of Schroth PT
16 3 osteopathy sessions: headache for several days