October 25, 2017

What is Levoconvex Scoliosis?

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems
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.

Levoconvex 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.

Dextroscoliosis vs Levoscoliosis

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.

Convex and Concave Scoliosis Curve

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 >

October 4, 2017

Can spinal curvature be prevented before it happens?

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

Scoliosis prevention

If you’ve been reading about scoliosis – perhaps here on the Scoliosis SOS blog, perhaps elsewhere – you may now find yourself wondering if there’s a way to prevent your own spine from curving; anything you can do to reduce your own chance of developing this condition and the many symptoms that tend to accompany it. That’s the question we’d like to address today: is it possible to prevent scoliosis?

No, scoliosis cannot generally be prevented…

It is not currently possible to prevent the onset of scoliosis. Most cases of scoliosis (around 80%) are idiopathic, which means that the cause is not known. Idiopathic scoliosis usually develops during puberty, so if your teenage or pre-teen child has recently been diagnosed with scoliosis, there’s a good chance it’s idiopathic. Since the cause of the curvature is unknown in these cases, it cannot be anticipated and no preventative action can be taken. Scoliosis can also occur as a symptom of numerous other conditions, including: Some of these underlying conditions can sometimes be prevented – for instance, exercise and a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium can help to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis – but others are passed on genetically, making it difficult to prevent these conditions and the spinal curvatures that they often cause. If you’re researching the subject online, you may come across some common myths related to scoliosis prevention. One particularly persistent myth is that bad posture can cause scoliosis. We debunked this myth in a previous blog post; although bad posture can adversely affect your overall health in a number of ways, it cannot lead to a sideways curvature of the spine. Likewise, carrying a heavy backpack has never been clinically proven to cause scoliosis, yet this is another commonly-quoted myth. So just to be clear: scoliosis cannot be prevented by sitting up straight or carrying fewer books!

…but it can be treated!

Though there is no effective way to prevent scoliosis entirely, it is possible to slow, halt, and even reverse the progression of the curvature before it starts to cause other health issues. Bracing, for instance, is a method that doctors frequently use to halt the progression of scoliosis in young people who are still growing. Physical therapy is also a proven method of slowing the progression of scoliosis. Treatment regimes such as our own ScolioGold method work to retrain the muscles in your back through a diverse course of stretches and techniques to help improve flexibility and strength in the back. Of course, surgery is another commonly-used scoliosis treatment method, but many scoliosis sufferers would understandably prefer to avoid this route! To find out how the Scoliosis SOS Clinic can help with your scoliosis symptoms, please contact us today to arrange a consultation.
October 2, 2017

Does Scoliosis Cause Chest Pain?

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

Chest pain scoliosis

Nobody’s spine is perfectly straight – every spine has a slight curve to it. But if the angle of the curve is 10 degrees or more, the patient is diagnosed with scoliosis. Scoliosis can affect any part of the spine, and if the curve occurs in the upper (thoracic) region of the patient’s back, it can have a significant knock-on effect on that person’s chest. If left untreated, thoracic scoliosis can cause your chest to deform; as the spine becomes more and more twisted, so does the chest. This may even cause a hump to appear as the ribs on one side of your back begin to stick out when bending. Scoliosis patients may also experience chest pains and muscle spasms, and in very severe cases the patient’s lungs and heart may be affected, leading to respiratory problems. These symptoms are caused by the spine curving, which results in the rib cage twisting and changing shape (thereby reducing the space available for the lungs to fully inflate). Thankfully, these severe symptoms are fairly uncommon, and if your spinal condition is treated in time, they can easily be avoided.

How can Scoliosis SOS help?

If you are concerned that your scoliosis is getting worse (progressing), we at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic can help. We are very proud of the excellent results that we achieve without any invasive procedures or side-effects. We treat our patients using the ScolioGold method, a combination of effective non-surgical treatments from around the world, and by using all these different treatments together we’re able to ensure that all aspects of the condition are treated.  Our ScolioGold treatment programmes are tailored to the unique needs of each patient. Treatment aims to help you adopt a more central, balanced posture, whilst reducing any pain/stiffness and reversing the progression of your spinal curve.  If you suffer from scoliosis and you wish to undergo treatment here at the Scoliosis SOS clinic, please do not hesitate to contact us to book an initial consultation.
September 28, 2017

Who is Affected by Scoliosis?

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

who is affected by scoliosis

Unfortunately, scoliosis can affect anyone and may occur at any time of life for a variety of different reasons. However, the condition usually develops during adolescence and the majority of sufferers are female. No one has a perfectly straight back – everyone’s spine is a little bit curved, and this causes no problems in most cases. Scoliosis is only diagnosed when the angle of curve exceeds 10 degrees. So who is affected by scoliosis? This condition actually affects roughly 4% of the population, making it quite a bit more common than some people realise. Most cases of scoliosis are diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 15. During this time, most teenagers are going through a growth spurt, and this is where scoliosis tends to become more pronounced. However, it is not clear why the condition affects more women than men (although multiple theories have been put forward). As mentioned above, scoliosis can affect a range of people for a range of different reasons, such as those listed below.

severe scoliosis

Causes of Scoliosis

Idiopathic – If the patient has no other health problem that might have caused their spine to curve, then they are said to have idiopathic scoliosis. This is the most common form of scoliosis, and while the cause is not known, it is thought to stem from genetic factors. Ageing – While the majority of scoliosis cases are diagnosed early on in life, getting older also causes your body to change quite dramatically. Deterioration of the spine with age may result in a sideways curvature.

Health Conditions

Scoliosis can sometimes be caused by other health conditions. Unfortunately, those affected by the following conditions (among others) may also be affected by scoliosis: Birth Defects – Although it is rare, sometimes the condition is present from birth. This happens when the baby’s spine doesn’t develop properly in the womb. Muscular Dystrophy (MD) – This is a condition where the muscles weaken over time. This is a genetic problem that may eventually cause the spine to start curving. Marfan Syndrome – A hereditary disorder where the body’s connective tissues deteriorate. This can eventually affect the spine. Cerebral Palsy – This condition is associated with muscle weakness, and a weakening of the muscles around the spine can lead to scoliosis. If you are worried that you might be affected by scoliosis, our expert team would be happy to talk to you and discuss your options. To book a consultation, please click here.
September 20, 2017

Hypermobility and Scoliosis

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

Hypermobility

If a person has scoliosis, this condition can manifest itself in a multitude of different ways. Aside from the most obvious symptom – a visibly curved spine – patients may experience any number of other effects, from back pain and stiffness to muscular imbalance, constipation, and even compromised breathing. Another condition that seems to be quite common among people with curved spines is hypermobility. Today, we’d like to take a closer look at the relationship between hypermobility and scoliosis, but first…

What is hypermobility?

If you have hypermobility, it means that some of your joints are unusually flexible or have a greater range of movement than normal. Hypermobility is also known as hyperlaxity, and people with hypermobile joints are sometimes said to be ‘double-jointed‘. Common signs of hypermobility include:
  • The ability to bend one’s elbows and/or knees backwards
  • The ability to bend one’s little finger back beyond 90 degrees
  • The ability to bend one’s thumb backwards to the point where it touches the arm
  • The ability to place one’s palms flat on the floor without bending one’s knees
Hypermobility is not necessarily a health problem in and of itself, but it is associated with a number of undesirable symptoms. For instance, individuals with hypermobile joints often also experience:
  • Aches and pains in joints/muscles
  • Joint dislocations
  • Fatigue
  • Recurrent sprains
When hypermobility is accompanied by symptoms like these, we call it JHS (Joint Hypermobility Syndrome).

What causes hypermobility?

In many cases, hypermobility occurs independently of any other conditions. In other words, hypermobility isn’t always the result of an underlying health issue – some people are just double-jointed with no clear cause. That being said, hypermobility does sometimes form part of a larger set of symptoms. In particular, hypermobile joints can commonly be found in people with the following conditions:
  • Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) – A condition that’s characterised by stretchy skin that cuts and bruises easily.
  • Marfan syndrome – A genetic condition of the body’s connective tissues, resulting in long limbs, flexible joints, and heart problems in some cases.
Both of the above syndromes are also closely associated with curvatures of the spine.

How are hypermobility and scoliosis connected?

Because conditions like Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan syndrome often lead to both hypermobility and scoliosis, it is perhaps unsurprising that many people with curved spines also have hypermobile joints. Yet the correlation between hypermobility and scoliosis does not appear to be limited to Marfan syndrome / EDS patients. A 2011 study of children with idiopathic scoliosis (i.e. a sideways spinal curvature with no clear underlying cause) showed that joint hypermobility was significantly more common amongst idiopathic scoliosis sufferers than amongst other children. (If you’re interested, you can find the full study here.) So it seems that if you have scoliosis – regardless of whether your condition is idiopathic or the result of a condition like EDS – you are more likely than average to have hypermobile joints as well.

Treating scoliosis patients with hypermobile joints

Because hypermobile joints have a greater motion range than usual, they are also more susceptible to injury. It is very important for physical therapists to bear this in mind when treating people with hypermobility, as some of the exercises and techniques commonly included in physiotherapy regimes are potentially harmful for patients with overly mobile joints. Given the high incidence of hypermobility amongst scoliosis patients, our ScolioGold therapists are trained to always be mindful of the risk of over-extension. Click here to learn more about our exercise-based treatment courses, or contact Scoliosis SOS today if you suffer from curvature of the spine and wish to arrange a consultation.

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