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    What you Need to Know about Scoliosis Pain

    September 12, 2012

September 12, 2012

What you Need to Know about Scoliosis Pain

Scoliosis is a potentially crippling medical condition that triggers misalignment of the spinal column’s vertebrae. This misalignment causes the spinal column to either compress, or become deformed. Other terms that are used by health experts to refer to this condition include Kyphoscoliosis/Kyphosis, Spinal Misalignment, Crooked Spine or Spinal Scoliosis. Besides the spinal column, this condition can also affect the neck, also referred to as the cervical spine, upper back/thoracic spine and the lower back/lumbar spine. Those who suffer from Scoliosis experience pain on the affected areas. According to health experts, this condition is more common in girls than in boys. Scoliosis pain is usually a very bothersome symptom that should be reported to a doctor as soon as possible.

Causes of Scoliosis

Congenital deformity from birth is one of the main causes of Scoliosis. Other causes of this condition are idiopathic, meaning that these causes are usually unestablished. There are those idiopathic forms of Scoliosis that occur as a result of progressive deterioration or acute injuries of the spinal vertebral column. This type of deterioration may be caused by a degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) of the spinal cord. One may suffer from acquired Scoliosis as a result of Osteoarthritis or acute vertebrae fracture of the spine, which may lead to deformation, misalignment or rotation of the spine.  In some cases,Scoliosis pain becomes extremely severe such that it triggers a condition known as spondylolisthesis. This is the condition whereby the vertebrae slip off the vertebral body.

Symptoms of Scoliosis

Severe pain on the neck, mid and low back is the major symptom of Scoliosis. This pain may be either sudden or gradual onset. One may also experience this pain whenever there are some spine movements. Scoliosis pain is also aggravated with prolonged walking, standing or sitting. This pain may also radiate into the lower or upper extremities. Besides severe pain, there are other symptoms of Scoliosis, which include weakness, tingling or numbness of the lower or upper extremities, bowel or urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction, also known as impotence.

Treatment of Scoliosis

Should one experience severe pain on the arms, chest or head that is accompanied by weakness or numbness that perseveres for more than two weeks, it is highly advisable for him or her to seek medical assistance this can help a health physician to determine whether these symptoms are as a result of Scoliosis or due to other underlying health conditions such as cancer, stroke, heart disease or infections.

After it has been determined that one is suffering from Scoliosis, a health physician may determine the most ideal treatment. It is important to note that, Scoliosis is one of the conditions that affect the spinal column that have no cure. Therefore, the treatment that can be administered can only be helpful in relieving pain and preventing progression of the disease. There are some over-the-counter medications as well as prescription-narcotic and non-narcotic drugs that can help to relieve Scoliosis pain. Steroid injections and traction are other forms of treatments that can be used in combating this disease. There are also some pain-relief lotions that are effective in relieving pain caused by Scoliosis. Even though these relievers are said to be helpful, it is wise to seek a doctor’s opinion before using any of them.

2 Comments
  • Tammie Houston, September 30, 2021 Reply

    It's quite worrying to know that osteoarthritis can deteriorate your joints to the point that it becomes a case of scoliosis. As my father is getting older, his arthritis is still a constant presence in his life and I worry that it may have gotten worse. I hope that it isn't anything as serious as scoliosis, but I will have to take him to a doctor to be sure. He still wants to be active in his old age but his back pain really holds him back, hopefully, it can get treated and fixed soon enough.

    • Marc Lamantia D.C., February 3, 2022 Reply

      Would you like to set up a phone consultation with one of the doctors?


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