Category Archives: Scoliosis Treatment
If your child has been diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, it is likely that your orthopedic specialist will, at some point, prescribe a brace for your child if the scoliosis reaches 20–25 degrees.
The most common scoliosis brace prescribed in the United States is the Boston Brace, which is but one of several braces commonly referred to as a TLSO (thoraco-lumbar-sacral-orthosis).
Non-fusion surgeries for scoliosis are gaining popularity with patients and their parents as a motion-sparing alternative to traditional scoliosis fusion surgery. Two of these procedures (VBT and ApiFix) have been “CE mark” approved in Europe and used “off label” for years in the United States, but recently received FDA HDE approval for both devices, paving the way for careful and selective usage.
“Scoliosis is going to crush her lungs!” is the great fear of every mother of a child with scoliosis as they stare at an x-ray with the spinal curvature intruding into what appear to be the patient’s lung fields.
Adult patients fear this for themselves, as well.
The concern is certainly genuine and real, but is it scientifically accurate? We hope to expose the truth behind this pressing question, as well as explore other possible causes of severe shortness of breath if you or your child have scoliosis.
Believe it or not, in this day and age of advanced technology and information, “Should I use ice or heat for my scoliosis pain?” is still one of the most common questions our ScoliSMART doctors are asked by their patients. One of the reasons for this is because patients tend to lump all “pain” symptoms into one category, when in fact treating acute pain (recent and short term) and chronic pain (long term and constant) with ice and heat are very different.
Surgical intervention is the greatest fear of parents and patients suffering from the scoliosis condition and should always be a last resort after all non-conservative approaches have been exhausted. Recently, a robust interest in fusionless scoliosis surgery has encouraged progress in the development of a variety of new surgical approaches, innovation, and devices.
Did you know idiopathic scoliosis was first described as a “serpent like disease of the spine” by the Greeks over 3,500 years ago? Fortunately, the “science of scoliosis” has come a long way since then but seems to have plateaued at some point back in the 1970s and 1980s. However, recent breakthroughs in the fundamental nature of idiopathic scoliosis have spurred on new and innovative progress into a more in-depth understanding of the condition.
For decades, bracing and spinal fusion have been only treatment option for scoliosis; however, as a growing body of research sheds new light on this complex condition, patients are increasingly looking for and choosing less invasive options.
Massage therapy, in particular, has gained attention for its ability to reduce the chronic back pain that is sometimes associated with scoliosis. A skilled massage therapist “can use a combination of massage strokes, sustained pressure, positioning, and stretches to help balance the muscles of the back and body” and temporarily alleviate scoliosis symptoms, says massage therapist Jeanne Troncao.
Since the times of the Ancient Greeks, scoliosis has been viewed primarily as a spinal deformity. Because it has been viewed this way for so long, all of the treatments that have ever been created for it are all orthopedic, mechanical, or physical in nature. These efforts are, metaphorically, attempts to put the “toothpaste back into the tube” rather than proactive early stage identification of at-risk patients and preventative intervention.
In today’s world of insurance-driven health care, face time with the actual doctor is becoming more and more limited, and time to ask questions — let alone get an answer — is practically non-existent. It is no wonder the idiopathic scoliosis condition is wrought with confusion and misinformation. While the list of misconceptions regarding idiopathic scoliosis is likely endless, below are six the ScoliSMART doctors feel are important enough to be called out.
After years of scoliosis treatment, 16-year-old Rachel Rabkin Peachman’s curves had stabilized and her spine had fully grown. At 45 degrees, she had narrowly escaped surgery. Her doctor told her she was done.
But she wasn’t.
“I’ve discovered in the years since that scoliosis is not something you endure and outgrow, like pimples and puberty. Now, at the ripe age of 38, I find myself with a 55-degree upper curve, a 33-degree lower curve, consistent pain — and no standard treatment to follow.”