June 23, 2017

Kyphoscoliosis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

Kyphoscoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine on two different planes: the coronal plane, which divides the stomach and back; and the sagittal plane, which divides the body into its left and right sides.

This curvature is effectively a combination of hyperkyphosis (forward spinal curve) and scoliosis (sideways spinal curve). Kyphoscoliosis can occur at any age, and in some cases, it may even be present at birth due to congenital issues.

Symptoms of kyphoscoliosis

Kyphoscoliosis is typically noticed due to the visible signs of a hunched or uneven back. If the curvature is excessive, it can also cause physical debilitations.

If you believe that you (or a loved one) may have kyphoscoliosis, here are the symptoms to look for:

A hunched back
Uneven shoulder blades
Arms or legs that are longer on one side
Difficulty walking normally
Back pain
Stiffness
Fatigue

In severe cases, kyphoscoliosis patients can also experience difficulty breathing/eating, heart issues or even neurological problems.

Causes of kyphoscoliosis

Kyphoscoliosis can develop at any age and may be caused by a variety of different issues. Many cases of kyphoscoliosis are found to be idiopathic, meaning the exact cause of the condition is unknown.

In some cases, prolonged bad posture can lead to postural kyphoscoliosis. This can usually be eased with physical therapy, depending on the degree of the curvature.

Infections such as tuberculosis and osteochondrodysplasia can also be a cause of kyphoscoliosis as they weaken the spine. In patients aged 50+, kyphoscoliosis can develop when degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis or osteoarthritis are already present.

Kyphoscoliosis treatments

Physical therapy

Physiotherapy can help with mild to moderate cases of kyphoscoliosis. The main aim of physical therapy is to make the spinal tissues stronger in order to help correct the curvature as much as possible.

The Scoliosis SOS Clinic is dedicated to helping those suffering from spinal issues such as kyphoscoliosis, hyperkyphosis and scoliosis with physical therapy. Our ScolioGold courses work towards improving the posture and symptoms of those suffering from kyphoscoliosis.

Bracing

In many mild to moderate cases of scoliosis, hyperkyphosis, and kyphoscoliosis, a back brace is used to stunt the progression of the spinal curvature. The brace supports the muscles and bones and encourages the straightening of the spine.

The back braces needed for kyphoscoliosis are still in development as they need to stunt the curvature in both the coronal and sagittal plane.

Surgery

Surgery becomes an option once kyphoscoliosis becomes severe and threatens to impact the patient’s breathing. When considering surgery for kyphoscoliosis, all factors need to be taken into account, such as age, the cause of the condition, risks and recovery time.

If have been diagnosed with kyphoscoliosis and you feel you may benefit from the treatment available from Scoliosis SOS, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today by clicking the button below.

Contact Scoliosis SOS >

May 12, 2017

What is Dorsal Scoliosis?

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

Scoliosis is a sideways curving of the spine. The term dorsal scoliosis refers to any such curvature of the spine that occurs between the bottom of the neck and the top of the pelvis. The word ‘dorsal’ simply means ‘back’ (from the Latin dorsum), and as such, dorsal scoliosis is quite a vague diagnosis. Some medical practitioners refer to the ‘dorsal spine’, which encompasses both the thoracic vertebrae (the vertebrae attached to your ribs) and the lumbar vertebrae (the vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis). It is therefore more common and more informative for doctors to diagnose a patient with either thoracic scoliosis or lumbar scoliosis depending on where the spinal curve is located.

Symptoms of thoracic / lumbar scoliosis

Common symptoms of thoracic and lumbar scoliosis include:

Uneven shoulders, waist and hips
Body leaning to one side
Uneven rib cage alignment
One shoulder blade being more prominent than the other
One arm being longer than the other

How can scoliosis be treated?

Scoliosis is often treated using a method known as bracing – the patient wears a rigid plastic shell for 23 hours of the day to stop their spinal curve from progressing. In severe cases, spinal fusion surgery – a surgical procedure that involves the use of metal rods to fix and straighten the spine – may be recommended. However, these are not the only ways to treat scoliosis. Here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, we believe that the best way to treat is non-surgically, and so we treat our patients using the Schroth method and a combination of other exercise-based techniques that have been tested and proven to combat the effects of scoliosis. We call this the ScolioGold method. If you’re looking for scoliosis treatment that doesn’t involve a back brace or surgery, please contact us to find out more.

May 5, 2017

Mild Thoracic Dextroscoliosis: What Does It Mean?

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

Doctors and other medical professionals use a lot of long words when describing scoliosis, to the point where some patients find it difficult to know exactly what they’re being diagnosed with. You probably know that scoliosis is a sideways spinal curve, but would you understand what the doctor meant if – for example – they told you that you had mild thoracic dextroscoliosis?

To help you better grasp the terminology associated with scoliosis and other curvatures of the spine, we’d like to take a moment to break that mouthful down. If you want to know what ‘mild thoracic dextroscoliosis’ actually means, read on…

Mild

Let’s start with the easy bit. The word ‘mild’ indicates that, as things stand, your spinal curve is not especially severe – although it may get worse over time. A mild case of scoliosis may not be visible to the casual observer, although other symptoms may still be present.

What counts as a ‘mild’ spinal curve?

Generally speaking, if your Cobb angle measurement is 20 degrees or less, you can be said to have ‘mild’ scoliosis (bear in mind that a curve of less than 10 degrees would not be classed as scoliosis at all). Note that the word ‘mild’ here only refers to the angle of the curve – a person with mild scoliosis may still experience a significant amount of pain, reduced flexibility, etc.

Thoracic

The next word is ‘thoracic’, which simply means that your spinal curve is located in the upper (thoracic) part of the spine, coloured red in the diagram below.

If your curve is located in the lower part of the spine, you are said to have ‘lumbar’ scoliosis. When the curve encompasses vertebrae from both the thoracic and lumbar spine, that’s called thoracolumbar scoliosis.

Dextroscoliosis

Finally, we come to the longest word of the three: ‘dextroscoliosis’. This term is taken from the Latin word dexter, which simply means ‘right’ (as in the opposite of left); therefore, if you have a case of dextroscoliosis, you have a spine that curves to the right.

As the image above shows, scoliosis that curves towards the left side of the body is known as levoscoliosis. If you’re ever struggling to remember which is which, just remember that ‘levoscoliosis’ and ‘left’ both begin with the letter L.

Now, let’s put it all together…

What does ‘mild thoracic dextroscoliosis’ mean?

If you have mild thoracic dextroscoliosis, you have:

A spinal curve measuring 10-20 degrees…
…in the upper (thoracic) part of your spine…
…that curves towards the right side of your body.

Do I Need Treatment for Mild Scoliosis?

Book a Consultation

If you have been diagnosed with mild thoracic dextroscoliosis and require treatment, simply click above to book your consultation. For further information on dextroscoliosis or if you have questions regarding our treatments, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

Case Study: Anna, aged 36

Anna has a mild case of scoliosis, but that doesn’t stop her feeling self-conscious about her condition. At the time when she came to us for treatment, she was about to get married. Despite only having a mild case of scoliosis, that might not have even been detectable to others, Anna knew that her scoliosis curvature would be playing on her mind throughout her big day. Our treatments helped her feel confident enough to wear her backless wedding dress!

Watch our full interview with Anna here:

May 2, 2017

All About 'S'-Shaped Scoliosis

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

In most cases of scoliosis, the curve either occurs in the upper part of the spine (a thoracic curve) or the lower part of the spine (a lumbar curve). It may also occur in the middle of the spine and include both thoracic and lumbar vertebrae – this is called a thoracolumbar curve. However, in some cases, the upper part of the spine will curve in one direction while the lower spine curves in the other. This creates a ‘double’ curvature with the appearance of a letter ‘S’.

S Shaped Scoliosis

Examples of ‘S’-shaped spines.

Causes & Symptoms of Double Scoliosis

The exact cause of double curve scoliosis is unknown, but this condition is not uncommon, nor is it life-threatening. While both curves will usually be of roughly equal size, a double scoliosis patient’s Cobb angles may be anywhere from 10 degrees to 100 degrees. Symptoms of ‘S’-shaped scoliosis may include:

One of your hips or shoulders being higher than the other
One of your shoulder blades being higher or sticking out further than the other
A rib hump (if your scoliosis has caused your chest to become twisted)
One arm appearing to be longer than the other because of a tilt in your upper body

As this spinal condition progresses, back pain can develop and the curvature can put pressure on your nerves. This can lead to weakness, numbness and pain in your legs, and may even cause a loss of coordination in the muscles of the legs, making it difficult to walk. In severe cases, the patient’s lungs or heart may be affected, leading to breathing problems and heart failure. Luckily, such extreme outcomes are very rare even if you do have an ‘S’-shaped spine.

Treating ‘S’-Shaped Scoliosis

In order to halt the progression of double curve scoliosis, you may be required to wear a brace or undergo spinal fusion surgery. Here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, however, we treat scoliosis suffers using a non-surgical, brace-free treatment programme called ScolioGold – a combination of non-surgical scoliosis treatment techniques from around the world. ScolioGold therapy is designed to treat all aspects of each patient’s spinal condition with no need for surgical intervention. For more information about our scoliosis treatment courses, or to book an initial consultation, contact Scoliosis SOS today!

March 27, 2017

Hyperlordosis: Lower Back Curves Explained

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems

The most important thing to keep in mind when seeking information on your curved spine is the fact that no two curves are the same. In fact, even perfectly healthy spines have some level of curvature, although this slight curve does not pose a problem unless it grows to be abnormally severe. Curvatures can occur in different parts of the spine and develop into a variety of shapes depending on the direction and location of the irregularity.

Previously on the Scoliosis SOS blog, we discussed the characteristics of hyperkyphosis, a spinal condition which causes the upper region of the spine to curve forwards, creating a hunched appearance. Hyperlordosis, on the other hand, occurs in the lower (lumbar) spine, causing the patient to have an excessively arched posture in the lower part of the back.

To explain in more detail, here’s a closer look at the causes and symptoms of hyperlordosis.

What causes hyperlordosis?

The first thing to note about hyperlordosis is that it can impact people of all genders and ages – although it is rare in children. The condition is frequently caused by bad posture, along with a number of other contributing factors and conditions, including:

Obesity
Spinal injury
Sitting or standing for extended periods of time
Uneven muscles, particularly a weak core
Injuries and trauma gained while dancing

What does hyperlodosis look like?

Hyperlordosis causes the inward curve in the lower back to become exaggerated, causing the stomach and bottom to appear pushed out, and the inward curve to resemble the letter ‘C’ when viewed from the side. To find out how this differs from the appearance of scoliosis and hyperkyphosis, read our guide to different curvatures of the spine here.

Can hyperlordosis be treated?

In the majority of cases, hyperlordosis is not a sign of a more severe condition, meaning that it can be treated and managed with physical therapy and exercises designed to strengthen the back, correct the curve, and improve overall posture. Here at Scoliosis SOS, we are able to provide tailored treatment programmes that are specifically designed with the individual needs of our patients in mind, allowing us to provide the best possible treatment.

If you have recently been diagnosed with hyperlordosis and you would like to find out more about our non-invasive treatment methods, please feel free to contact the Scoliosis SOS team today.

Kyphoscoliosis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Symptoms of kyphoscoliosis

Causes of kyphoscoliosis