A person with scoliosis may suffer many problems linked to their skeletal system, such as back pain, stiffness, discomfort, and reduced mobility. But did you know that a severe spinal curve can also affect the patient’s digestive system?
The effect of scoliosis on the digestive system
If your scoliosis is left untreated and allowed to progress (i.e. get worse over time), you may experience some digestive issues as a knock-on effect of your spinal misalignment. Many scoliosis patients experience:
- Stomach pains
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Acid reflux
- Heartburn
- Constipation
You may think that a spinal curve would only affect your musculoskeletal system and not your internal organs, but remember: your spinal cord is the highway of your central nervous system, and any problem with your spine can potentially affect any other part of your body. That includes your pancreas, kidneys, intestines and bladder.
Furthermore, the contortion and compression that occurs when your body is leaning to one side can interfere with your ability to digest food normally as well. Depending on the shape and location of your spinal curve, it may end up blocking the passage of food through the intestines.
How can Scoliosis SOS help?
If you suffer from scoliosis and it’s affecting your digestive system, we at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic may be able to help. We treat our patients using the ScolioGold method, a combination of non-surgical treatment techniques including stretches, exercises and massages. This treatment programme as a whole is designed to treat every aspect of your spinal condition, relieving symptoms across the board and vastly improving your overall quality of life.
If you’re not familiar with medical language (and the Greek/Latin words from which medical language is often constructed), it can sometimes be difficult to work out what people are talking about when they refer to different forms of scoliosis.
As we’ve seen time and time again here on the Scoliosis SOS blog, there are numerous different terms and pieces of jargon used to describe curvatures of the spine, and one thing we aim to do in our blog posts is decode these terms and help everyone to understand the topic at hand.
Today, we’d like to take a look at levoconvex scoliosis.
What does ‘levoconvex’ mean?
Levoconvex scoliosis is a type of scoliosis where the spine curves to the left. It can develop on its own during adolescence (see idiopathic scoliosis), or it may occur as the result of another condition.
As previously explained in our Dextroscoliosis vs. Levoscoliosis article, the term levo- simply means ‘left’. Levoscoliosis curves to the left, whereas dextroscoliosis curves to the right.
The term levoconvex scoliosis actually means more or less the same thing as levoscoliosis – it’s just a slightly more specific way of saying it. Adding the word ‘convex’ merely clarifies that it’s the outer (convex) edge of the curve that’s on the left.
Convex vs. concave
Every curve has a convex side and a concave side. ‘Convex’ refers to the outside of the curve, and ‘concave’ to the inside.
If a doctor describes your spinal curve as ‘levoconvex’, it means that the convex side of the curve is on the left. In other words, the spine curves to the left.
Scoliosis SOS provide non-surgical treatment courses for scoliosis patients. Get in touch now to book an initial consultation – our ScolioGold treatment method is very effective at reducing curvature and improving quality of life.
Case Study: Kayla, aged 15
Kayla was diagnosed with scoliosis and wasn’t entirely sure what it was at first. When the doctors showed her the x-rays of her spine, she was quite upset. Most of the doctors that she visited recommended surgery, physiotherapy or a brace – none of them recommended exercise-based treatment. After coming to the Scoliosis SOS, Kayal really feels that this was the best option for her!
See our full interview with Kayla here:
Contact Scoliosis SOS > Our Treatment Courses >
Idiopathic scoliosis (which usually arises during puberty, when the body is going through a period of rapid growth) is often treated using a rigid back brace that prevents the spinal curve from progressing as the patient grows. It’s important to note that the aim of this bracing treatment is not to correct / reverse the sideways curvature of the spine, but simply to stop it from getting worse until the body has finished growing.
And while bracing can be very effective in that respect, it does very little to assist in building up the muscle strength that will be needed to ensure spinal stability once the brace comes off.
In fact, bracing tends to have a negative effect on muscle strength.
Scoliosis braces typically have to be worn for over 20 hours a day in order to achieve the best treatment outcome. During the bracing period, the muscles around the spine are likely to become inactive because the brace is doing their job (i.e. supporting the spine) for them.
This often results in a weakening of the spinal muscles, which may lead to the patient becoming reliant on the support of the brace.
But physical therapy can help with this problem.
There is a lot of clinical evidence to suggest that bracing delivers better outcomes for the patient when combined with scoliosis-specific physiotherapy. A 2011 study1 found that combining these two approaches reduces the risk of future curve progression and thus the likelihood that spinal fusion surgery will eventually be required. It has also been shown2 that completing a scoliosis-specific exercise programme limits the reversal of spinal correction when bracing ends.
Not only are scoliosis-specific exercises recommended in the SOSORT 2011 guidelines for people with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who are undergoing brace treatment, but several authors who developed scoliosis braces (such as the Milwaukee, Boston, Lyon and Chêneau braces) have proposed that scoliosis-specific exercises should be used to complement brace treatment. Indeed, the newly-developed Sforzesco and Gensingen braces are specifically designed to be worn in conjunction with exercise-based therapy.
In short: it’s good to receive physiotherapy for your scoliosis even if it’s also being treated with a brace. Integrating scoliosis-specific exercises with a bracing treatment helps to provide a more complete rehabilitation programme for growing patients with idiopathic scoliosis.
Our Treatment Methods > Book a Consultation >
Links & References
- ScolioGold Therapy – The Scoliosis SOS Clinic’s own combination of proven exercise-based scoliosis treatment techniques
- Contact Scoliosis SOS – Arrange an initial consultation (to be conducted at our clinic in London or via Skype / telephone)
1. Negrini S, Aulisa AG, Aulisa L, Circo AB, de Mauroy JC, Durmala J, Grivas TB, Knott P, Kotwicki T, Maruyama T, Minozzi S, O’Brien JP, Papadopoulos D, Rigo M, Rivard CH, Romano M, Wynne JH, Villagrasa M, Weiss HR, Zaina F: 2011 SOSORT guidelines: Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth. Scoliosis 2012, 7:3
2. Zaina F, Negrini S, Atanasio S, Fusco C, Romano M, Negrini A: Specific exercises performed in the period of brace weaning can avoid loss of correction in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) patients: Winner of SOSORT’s 2008 Award for Best Clinical Paper. Scoliosis 2009, 4(1):8.
