It is very difficult to predict the course that any given case of scoliosis will take. The condition’s symptoms and rate of progression can vary significantly, and much depends on the severity of the spinal curve and whether or not it threatens the patient’s vital organs. In most cases of scoliosis, the condition is diagnosed during adolescence; however, it can be hard to estimate an accurate scoliosis prognosis as the patient continues to grow, and the eventual outcome cannot ever be known for certain.
The vast majority of spinal growth takes place within the first 5 years of a person’s life and in the adolescent growth spurt that occurs during puberty. Therefore, the spinal growth of children with scoliosis in these age groups should be closely monitored. If action is made early on to reduce the spinal curve and promote healthy spinal growth, the prognosis of scoliosis usually improves.
However, if the condition isn’t monitored and gets left untreated, the spinal curve may begin to severely threaten the patient’s health. As well as the visual symptoms of scoliosis (such as uneven shoulders and hips), the patient may begin to develop back pain, and their spinal curve may start to put pressure on the nerves and even the entire spinal cord. This will lead to weakness, numbness, and pain in the lower region of the patient’s spine; also, if the pressure is too severe, it may cause the patient to lose control/coordination of their leg muscles, making it difficult to walk normally.
Finally, if the chest becomes deformed due to the spinal condition, the lungs and heart may be affected, potentially leading to breathing problems, fatigue, and even heart failure. Thankfully, these symptoms can easily be prevented if the condition is monitored and interventions are made before the spinal curve can progress.
Improving your scoliosis prognosis
With the help of our qualified and experienced practitioners, you are able to identify signs of scoliosis early. Allowing you to take the necessary steps to limit the effects, possibly improving your quality of life and delivering a healthier scoliosis prognosis. If you believe you or your child may suffer from scoliosis, simply get in touch with us to book your consultation!
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If you’re somewhat familiar with chiropractic therapy, you might assume that it’s an ideal treatment for
scoliosis (sideways curvature of the spine). Chiropractic focuses primarily on the spine, and if you’re a scoliosis sufferer, going to a chiropractor can seem like a far preferable alternative to wearing a brace or undergoing spinal fusion surgery.
But can chiropractic treatment really combat scoliosis effectively? That’s the question we’ll be attempting to answer today.
What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a form of medicine that is used to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal disorders, with practitioners using their hands (or a machine) to perform treatments on the bones, muscles and joints, which are commonly referred to as ‘manual therapies’. Chiropractic treatment usually involves a range of techniques, although this is often focused on the manipulation of the patient’s spine, in order to treat conditions which cause pain in the neck and lower back, including scoliosis.
While those who practice chiropractic are considered to be part of the healthcare profession, there have been many debates and controversies relating to its effectiveness over the years, particularly due to the fact that it does not refer to a single treatment. While there is evidence to support the fact that chiropractic medicine can improve and relieve persistent lower back pain, there is no strong evidence to suggest that it has the ability to treat other conditions.
Can chiropractors treat scoliosis?
As mentioned above, there is evidence to suggest that chiropractic has the ability to effectively treat lower back pain; however, this may not provide effective relief for the majority of scoliosis sufferers. Studies have shown that the practice is most effective in cases of acute, short-term pain, which means that it is unlikely to provide long-term results for patients with scoliosis, particularly for those with moderate to severe curves. In addition, there are some practitioners who treat scoliosis in the same manner as other spinal conditions, which is unsuitable for a condition which requires a unique approach, and can vary hugely from patient to patient.
Chiropractic treatment also does nothing to address the muscular imbalance that results from the development of a scoliotic curve, and it relies on the patient returning to see their chiropractor on a regular basis to maintain the desired level of pain relief.
Are there any alternatives to chiropractic treatment?
While the repositioning of joints can contribute towards successful treatment, this should be complimented with other treatment methods in order to achieve long-term success. Here at Scoliosis SOS, our
ScolioGold treatment method uses manual and physical interventions to treat scoliosis sufferers; however, this does not make up the entirety of our treatment approach. Instead, we combine this therapy with stretches and exercises to form a more holistic treatment plan, which addresses multiple aspects of the sufferer’s condition, as opposed to focusing on a single element of the condition. ScolioGold is a long-term system of care that is designed to help scoliosis patients self-manage their condition rather than forcing them to rely on repeated visits to a practitioner.
To find out more about our ScolioGold programme, visit our Video Experiences and Testimonials page to see how we have helped previous patients to correct and improve their scoliosis symptoms. You can also get in touch to enquire about our courses, by filling in our quick enquiry form here.
In most cases of scoliosis, the patient’s spinal curvature is not triggered by any known cause. However, this is not the case for all forms of the condition. Some types of scoliosis occur as a result of other medical conditions; this is true of neuromuscular scoliosis (commonly referred to as myopathic scoliosis).
What is neuromuscular scoliosis?
People with this type of scoliosis are impacted by disorders of the brain, the spinal cord, and the muscular system, the weakness of which leads to an abnormal spinal curvature. The rate and risk of progression is often much higher than for other types of scoliosis, which makes neuromuscular scoliosis one of the most severe forms of the condition.
The following conditions are often linked to neuromuscular scoliosis:
- Cerebral Palsy: This condition causes muscle weakness, uncontrolled body movements, poor co-ordination, and other issues. To find out more about its connection with scoliosis, read our blog post here.
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A disease which impacts the nerve cells connecting the brain and spinal cord to the body’s muscles. With progression, the disease can lead to a gradual weakening of the muscles, making physical activities more and more difficult. Find out more in our previous blog post.
- Spina Bifida: A condition which impacts the development of the spine, leaving a gap. This leads to mobility issues, bowel problems, and a build-up of fluid on the brain.
- Muscular Dystrophy: This term refers to a collective group of medical conditions which cause the muscles to weaken, leading to a progressive loss of physical ability. Mutations cause changes in the muscle fibres, interfering with their ability to function. In most cases, these mutations are passed down genetically from parent to child.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: Bruises and tears which cause damage to the spinal cord, impacting the ability of the brain to transmit messages to the rest of the body.
How does neuromuscular scoliosis affect the patient?
- Progression: Due to the fact that this type of scoliosis is common in children with the conditions listed above, it can often become worse during growth spurts. This progression can lead to a collapsed torso and a raised diaphragm, which impacts the patient’s lung function. This can be even more severe in cases where the muscles which control breathing are already weak.
- Symptoms: Often, patients with neuromuscular scoliosis who are able to walk will display similar symptoms to those with idiopathic scoliosis: tilted shoulders, uneven waist/hips, and prominence of the ribs on one side. For patients who require the use of mobility aids due to the severity of their condition, the symptoms can include those mentioned above, as well as changes in overall posture, a tilted pelvis, progressive loss of the ability to sit unsupported, and pressure sores. In addition to these symptoms, patients may also suffer from other types of spinal curves, including kyphosis and lordosis.
How is the Condition Treated?
While a brace may be suggested in an attempt to prevent the progression of the spinal curve, in the most severe cases, neuromuscular scoliosis surgery is usually recommended in order to halt the curve’s development. The condition also calls for regular monitoring, with regular hospital appointments to assess the progression of the curve.
If possible, exercise is also recommended as a form of treatment for neuromuscular scoliosis, in order to strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine which have become weak as a result of the patient’s condition. We at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic have treated numerous patients with neuromuscular conditions using our
ScolioGold method.
Would you like to find out how we can help to treat the symptoms of your neuromuscular scoliosis? Please click here to get in touch with the Scoliosis SOS team.
Scoliosis (a sideways curvature of the spine) can be caused by all sorts of different factors. For example, if your muscles are weakened by a condition such as
cerebral palsy or
Guillain-Barré syndrome, this can lead to a curvature of the spine that progresses over time. Some children are born with scoliosis because their spines didn’t develop properly in the womb; on the other hand, scoliosis sometimes develops much later in life due to the deterioration of the spine’s intervertebral discs with age. Of course, the vast majority of scoliosis sufferers have
idiopathic scoliosis, which usually arrives with puberty and has no known cause.
But now that we’ve covered some of the things that do cause scoliosis, let’s talk about something that definitely doesn’t.
Bad posture doesn’t cause scoliosis…
Bad posture can have a very detrimental effect on your general health, but there is no evidence that slouching in a chair or hunching over your laptop can cause scoliosis. As we recently clarified in our
Scoliosis Myths blog post, the same goes for:
- Wearing a rucksack on just one shoulder
- Playing a heavy guitar
- Carrying weighty loads on your back
The causes of scoliosis are many and varied, but generally speaking, the condition only ever arises as a result of genetic factors or neuromuscular / skeletal deterioration. Poor posture is not a recognised cause of scoliosis.
…but bad posture is still bad for you!
Of course, just because something doesn’t cause scoliosis doesn’t mean that it can’t affect your health in other ways. We’ve discussed
the effects of bad posture in previous blog posts, but we’d like to briefly revisit the potential consequences of postural health now, just to make sure you understand them.
Bad posture CAN cause:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Arm pain
- Hyperkyphosis (another curvature of the spine – hyperkyphosis is a forward curve, whereas scoliosis goes sideways)
Our
ScolioGold treatment courses can help hyperkyphosis sufferers as well as scoliosis patients – in fact, one of our most famous patients came to us for help combating his hyperkyphosis. Nick “Topper” Headon, who was the drummer for British punk band The Clash (of ‘London Caling’ and ‘Rock the Casbah’ fame) from 1977-1982, developed a kyphotic spinal curve after years spent hunching over a drum kit; he completed a two-week course at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, and this enabled him to come off the medication he had been taking to help him cope with his back pain.
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Ireland’s health service is notorious for its long waiting lists. While the HSE (Health Service Executive) offers free healthcare to everyone resident in the Republic of Ireland – much as the NHS does for people in Britain – the system has been frequently criticised for keeping patients waiting for crucial treatment.
Last month, Irish Minister of State for Health Promotion Marcella Corcoran Kennedy became the latest person to confront her country’s waiting list problem, specifically singling out the long waiting lists for children who require
scoliosis surgery. On the
17th of November, 2016,
The Irish Times reported that Ms Corcoran Kennedy had called the current waiting times “unacceptable”, and that Ireland’s Department of Health were “working closely with the HSE to address pressures on the service”.
The problem with waiting for scoliosis treatment
If you’re not familiar with
scoliosis and how the condition progresses, you might not realise why Ireland’s long waiting lists are so harmful for people with curved spines. Curvature of the spine isn’t generally regarded as a life-threatening illness, so what difference does it make if scoliosis patients have to wait a little longer to be seen?
The problem is that a spinal curve tends to get worse if left untreated, and this progression can happen extremely rapidly for some people. In an ideal world, every case of scoliosis would be diagnosed at an early stage and treated immediately so as to minimise the condition’s impact on each patient’s life; in reality, though, many a case goes undiagnosed and untreated until the symptoms (e.g. back pain, reduced mobility, muscular imbalance) become more pronounced and begin to take a significant toll on the patient’s quality of life.
And even when a diagnosis is made in a timely fashion, factors such as the waiting lists in Ireland can delay treatment and allow the curve to progress unchecked. The aforementioned Irish Times article mentions a young girl named Mary, who was diagnosed with a 40 degree spinal curve but didn’t undergo surgery until 17 months later, by which time her curve had progressed to an angle of more than 100 degrees.
Getting treated at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic in London
With waiting times in Ireland being what they are, numerous scoliosis sufferers have sought alternative treatment routes in order to get their condition under control ASAP. We have welcomed many Irish patients through the doors of the
Scoliosis SOS Clinic in London, where scoliosis sufferers undertake intensive exercise-based treatment courses in order to combat the symptoms of scoliosis without surgery or bracing.
One of our Irish patients is Molly Garvey from Dublin. Molly completed her
ScolioGold course in 2010 and has since returned several times for check-ups – watch the video below to find out what she thinks of us.
If you would like to find out more about our non-surgical scoliosis treatment courses, please
contact us today.
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