Living with Scoliosis
A scoliosis diagnosis can be scary. But living with scoliosis doesn’t have to be.
What is Scoliosis?
Human spines curve naturally toward the front and back of the body. However, is should not curve toward the left or right side of the body. If you look at a person’s back and had x-ray vision you would see that most people’s spine goes straight up and down their back. However, in some individuals, you would see the spine curve toward the left or right side of the body. These individuals are said to have scoliosis.
Scoliosis commonly develops in childhood and can be identified with a physical examination. In fact, you may remember going to your school nurse’s office and having them look at your spine as you bend forward.
Although it’s often identified in childhood it can also develop in adulthood.
Scoliosis Symptoms
An individual living with scoliosis can experience pain, depending on the degree of the curvature. In mild cases the individual may experience slight pain, in more severe cases, where the curvature is more extreme, the individual may experience severe pain, a pinched nerve, or neurological weakness.
Living With Scoliosis
The severity of an individual’s condition can determine how easy it is to live with scoliosis.
For individuals with only slight curvature, living with scoliosis can be very straightforward. Many people experience back pain throughout their lives and, some doctors believe individuals with mild scoliosis won’t experience any more back pain than the typical individual. In these cases, the individual lives a typical life and the condition is monitored by doctors.
In moderate cases, the difficulty of living with scoliosis only increases slightly. Doctors may prescribe physical therapy or other forms on pain management. Sometimes, it’s recommended that the patient wear a back brace.
In the most severe cases, an individual might be faced with severe pain. Even if the individual doesn’t experience pain at the onset of their condition, it may worsen over time. The abnormal movement of the bones can then lead to arthritis and/or impact the spinal nerves. Once the nerves are impacted, there is the potential for more pain, muscle strain, muscle weakness, or loss of mobility. In these cases, surgical treatment is often used to treat the symptoms and prevent further damage.
For most people, living with scoliosis can be like living a normal life by using pain management techniques when appropriate and having their doctor monitor their condition. For individuals with severe cases of scoliosis, the condition can be extremely painful and cause physical limitations. Oftentimes, surgical treatments can help these individuals get back to living a normal life.
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