what is the treatment for mild scoliosis

Procedures

Jan 10, 2021 · Mild scoliosis treatment almost always begins with conservative treatments like exercise, medical observation, and physical therapies. All these treatment options are helpful in improving the core strength and also, strengthening the muscles supporting the spine.

Self-care

Through combining different treatment disciplines such as a variety of therapies, including scoliosis-specific exercise and chiropractic care, we can work towards impacting mild scoliosis on a structural level while the curvature is still small and preventing further progression. Additional Resources Clear-institute.org

Nutrition

Different Facets of Functional Treatment for Mild Scoliosis. As mentioned, here at the Center, we combine multiple treatment disciplines. These disciplines are scoliosis-specific and include targeted chiropractic adjustments, active and passive rehabilitation, exercises, and …

How can chiropractic care help with scoliosis?

Mar 10, 2020 · Traditionally, kids and teens with mild scoliosis were told to “watch and wait”, having x-rays taken every 6 or 12 months to keep an eye on the curve and make sure it isn’t getting worse. However, we know from current scientific research that “watch and wait” is not an acceptable course of action as curves can rapidly worsen when a child hits their growth spurt.

Do pediatricians treat scoliosis?

Uh, mild scoliosis is, it takes a lot to detect that, a specialist, somebody like myself, most of the time, or, uh, an orthopedist, who are amazing doctors, by the way, uh, to, to work with us. The early signs of mild scoliosis are postural changes, for the most part. They can affect the overall symmetry of the body.

Are small curves in scoliosis easier to treat?

Does my child need a brace for scoliosis?

Can mild scoliosis go away?

As scoliosis is an incurable and progressive condition, it will neither go away, nor fix itself without treatment. Although this is difficult to hear, I point out that despite these negatives, it most certainly is treatable.

Should mild scoliosis be treated?

Scoliosis treatments vary, depending on the severity of the curve. Children who have very mild curves usually don't need any treatment at all, although they may need regular checkups to see if the curve is worsening as they grow. Bracing or surgery may be needed if the spinal curve is moderate or severe.Aug 3, 2021

Is Mild scoliosis serious?

With scoliosis, the spine rotates and develops a side-to-side curve. Curves may be as mild as 10 degrees, or as severe as 100 degrees or more. Most cases of scoliosis are mild and don't need treatment. In adults, the degree of the spinal curve may or may not determine treatment.Sep 25, 2019

What happens if you have mild scoliosis?

For adults, even with mild forms, scoliosis can cause a lot of neck and back pain, in addition to radiating pain into the arms, legs, and feet due to pinched nerves. Mild scoliosis hip pain can also be a very real complaint for adults, especially if the scoliosis has caused a change to the symmetry of the pelvis.

Is Mild scoliosis normal?

Most cases of scoliosis are mild, but some curves worsen as children grow. Severe scoliosis can be disabling. An especially severe spinal curve can reduce the amount of space within the chest, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly.Aug 3, 2021

How do you know if you have mild scoliosis?

Scoliosis Symptoms in AdultsUneven shoulders and/or hips.Bump in the lower back.Numbness, weakness, or pain in the legs.Trouble walking.Trouble standing up straight.Tired feeling.Shortness of breath.Loss of height.More items...•Oct 16, 2020

Does mild scoliosis get worse with age?

Scoliosis is a progressive condition – it does tend to get worse as you age.Mar 2, 2020

What should I avoid if I have scoliosis?

Some examples of foods scoliosis patients should avoid include: Fast food or other highly processed varieties of “junk” food. Soda pop (even the “diet” varieties) Foods containing corn syrup in any form (high fructose, crystallized, etc.)

How is mild scoliosis treated in adults?

How is scoliosis in adults treated?pain medication such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)physical therapy to increase core muscle strength.postural training.weight maintenance.activity modification.Jun 4, 2020

Is Mild scoliosis painful?

This upward growth means a lack of compression, which accounts for the absence of pain in the majority of mild adolescent scoliosis cases. While it's less common, some adolescents with mild scoliosis do experience pain in the form of headaches, muscle pain, or pain in the back, neck, hip, or shoulder.

How to help a child with scoliosis?

Encourage your child to talk to his or her friends and ask for their support. Consider joining a support group for parents and kids with scoliosis.

What is the most common type of scoliosis surgery?

The most common type of scoliosis surgery is called spinal fusion. In spinal fusion , surgeons connect two or more of the bones in the spine (vertebrae) together, so they can't move independently. Pieces of bone or a bone-like material are placed between the vertebrae.

How often should a scoliosis rod be lengthened?

This growing rod is attached to the top and bottom sections of the spinal curvature, and is usually lengthened every six months.

What is a low profile brace for scoliosis?

Scoliosis brace. This low-profile brace is made of plastic materials and is contoured to conform to the body. If your child's bones are still growing and he or she has moderate scoliosis, your doctor may recommend a brace.

What tests can be done to diagnose scoliosis?

Imaging tests. Plain X-rays can confirm the diagnosis of scoliosis and reveal the severity of the spinal curvature. If a doctor suspects that an underlying condition — such as a tumor — is causing the scoliosis, he or she may recommend additional imaging tests, such as an MRI.

What factors are considered when treating curves?

Factors to be considered include: Sex. Girls have a much higher risk of progression than do boys. Severity of curve.

Can scoliosis be treated with a brace?

Most children with scoliosis have mild curves and probably won't need treatment with a brace or surgery. Children who have mild scoliosis may need regular checkups to see if there have been changes in the curvature of their spines as they grow. While there are guidelines for mild, moderate and severe curves, the decision to begin treatment is ...

What is Scoliosis?

For someone to be diagnosed with scoliosis, certain parameters have to be met.

Treatment Options for Mild Scoliosis

If you have recently been diagnosed with mild scoliosis, you might not consider yourself fortunate, but the truth is, the fact that early detection was achieved means you have increased chances of treatment success; however, the advantages of early detection are only available to those who choose a proactive treatment approach, one that believes in working towards a correction while the condition is still mild..

Conclusion

Mild scoliosis is a progressive spinal condition that causes an abnormal sideways spinal curvature, with rotation, and has a Cobb angle measurement of between 10 and 25 degrees.

Additional Resources

As a young man I was in a major motor vehicle accident. I was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and epilepsy. The doctors told my family that I would not fully recover. After months of therapy, I started matriculation at Ferris State University in Michigan. I graduated majoring in Nuclear Medicine and Health Care Systems Administration.

What is the diagnosis of scoliosis?

This is based on various characteristics of the condition and the patient such as age, cause (if known), condition severity, and location of the curvature. Once a patient’s condition is classified as mild, moderate, or severe, we can move forward with designing a customized treatment plan.

Which stage of scoliosis is the first stop on the progressive line?

As mild scoliosis is the first stop on the condition’s progressive line, this is also the stage that carries the fewest/mildest symptoms, and those that are present are often not noticeable to anyone other than a scoliosis specialist who is trained to recognize the condition’s subtle early signs.

What is the Cobb angle of scoliosis?

If a patient’s spine bends and rotates with a Cobb angle measuring between 10 and 25 degrees, this is considered ‘mild scoliosis’.

What happens if you lose your spine curve?

If there is a loss of one or more of those healthy curves, the spine’s overall biomechanics are thrown off, and this can lead to a number of experienced symptoms and potential complications.

Where is scoliosis most commonly found?

Scoliosis can develop at any location along the spine, but it most commonly develops along the thoracic spine.

Is scoliosis painful for adolescents?

Mild Scoliosis Pain. Even though most cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis aren’t painful, that does not mean a patient will never experience any scoliosis-related pain. As a condition progresses, the curvature gets larger, and the more likely it is to produce adverse symptoms like pain.

Is scoliosis a secondary complication?

In the above types of cases, the scoliosis develops as a secondary complication to a more primary medical issue or disease. This is important to know because treatment for these forms have to address the larger medical issue at play, first and foremost.

What is the curve of scoliosis?

Scoliosis curve between 10° – 20°. Most common in young, premenstrual girls, but also seen in boys and adults. May or may not experience pain. Body tilts to one side. Head tilt. Forward Head Posture – when viewed from the side, head is pushed forward and ears not aligned with top of shoulder.

What is the most common type of scoliosis?

Another term you may come across frequently is idiopathic, and in particular, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The word idiopathic indicates that there is no specified cause for the scoliosis, which is the most frequent type of scoliosis that is diagnosed.

What is mild levoscoliosis?

Mild levoscoliosis signifies that the spine curves to the right. Mild dextroscoliosis signifies that the spine curves to the right. The terms dextro and levo can be combined with the region of the spine, so “ mild thoracic dextroscoliosis ” means a small spinal curve to the right, in the middle of the spine.

How much risk of scoliosis is there?

Mild Scoliosis has a 22% chance of progressing, which can be considered a significant risk. Once the curvature becomes larger than 20 degrees, that risk jumps to 68%. A 2003 study found that in 36% of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis cases, the curve progressed by more than 10 degrees after 22 years. Adult degenerative scoliosis, mostly found in ...

What is a spinal curve of 10 degrees?

Any spinal curve greater or equal to 10 degrees is considered to be scoliosis. Mild scoliosis, in particular, is defined as a curve between 10 and 20 degrees. Mild scoliosis can be broken down further into different categories, and your doctor may have mentioned one of these as part of your diagnosis. Mild scoliosis in the thoracic spine occurs in ...

What does a 70 degree curve on an x-ray show?

Patients with 70 degree curves can appear perfectly aligned on the outside and on an x-ray reveal a spine resembling a compressed letter “S”. While scoliosis appears as a side-to-side curve on an x-ray, it is actually a twisting of the spine that causes the rib cage to rotate as well.

How old is too old to have degenerative scoliosis?

Adult degenerative scoliosis, mostly found in adults above the age of 45, progresses even faster that adolescent scoliosis in an adult. In adult cases, even if the curve developed as a teen and didn’t increase much, many adult patients see dramatic increases in their curve later in life.

How many degrees of scoliosis should a curve be?

Using these criteria we can approximate the likelihood that a mild scoliosis curve will progress, keeping in mind that to be “mild” our curve needs to be less than 20 degrees to begin with. It is also important to remember that for a curve to even be diagnosed as scoliosis, it needs to be larger than 10 degrees. Last but not least while a child’s age can be important, their bone age (skeletal maturity) is even more important because it lets us know approximately how much growth they have left (scoliosis gets worse as a child hits their growth spurts). So what do our chances of progression look like?

Why does scoliosis worsen?

Again, this is because scoliosis worsens rapidly when the body is going through periods of rapid growth.

How often should you have a scoliosis x-ray?

Traditionally, kids and teens with mild scoliosis were told to “watch and wait”, having x-rays taken every 6 or 12 months to keep an eye on the curve and make sure it isn’t getting worse.

How often should you check your spine for scoliosis?

The concept of “watch and wait” and only checking the spine with x-ray every 6 to 12 months isn’t because we only need to look once or twice a year but rather it is an attempt to limit radiation from the x-ray. Studies have shown increased risks of cancer for those with scoliosis due to all of the x-rays they are exposed to over their lifetime 7. Thus, in an effort to limit radiation exposure, doctors only look every 6 to 12 months. This same idea of avoiding radiation exposure from x-ray is why it isn’t used for scoliosis screenings, and is also one reason school screenings have been stopped in some states (more on this later).

Can a child feel scoliosis?

Detecting a mild scoliosis can be a challenging task for several reasons. You might think that when a curve is present in the spine that a child or teen might have some pain but this isn’t the case. In fact, it is quite rare for kids to feel pain when they have scoliosis even when the curve is quite large 4.

Can scoliosis cause pain in kids?

In fact, it is quite rare for kids to feel pain when they have scoliosis even when the curve is quite large 4. Because the scoliosis is idiopathic, there aren’t typically any other health problems. In contrast, when scoliosis is neuro-muscular or congenital there are often other problems such as in neuro-muscular patients who often are unable ...

Can bracing be used later?

Bracing can always be used later if necessary, and we know from science that bracing is effective at reducing curves and preventing surgery as well 2. The biggest take home message here is simply that the earlier the scoliosis is caught and treated, the better the outcome.

How severe is mild scoliosis?

While there is no official definition of mild scoliosis, Dr. Garg says that generally speaking, severity is broken down like this: Mild scoliosis: 10 to 25 degrees. Moderate scoliosis: 25 to 50 degrees. Severe: 50 degrees or more. A person can develop mild scoliosis at any age, but it's most commonly diagnosed in adolescence, ...

What do doctors look for in scoliosis?

When doctors check for scoliosis, they look for symmetry. Dr. Hedequist says they'll consider factors like whether your shoulders are level or asymmetrical, whether your shoulder blades stick out, and if your waist is straight or there's a curve on one side.

Why do people with mild scoliosis come to see me?

"The most common reason a patient with mild scoliosis comes to see me is because they had an X-ray for another reason that showed their scoliosis," says Dr. Lin. Once a curve is identified, a specialist will measure it in one of two ways.

When is scoliosis most common?

A person can develop mild scoliosis at any age, but it's most commonly diagnosed in adolescence, between the ages of 10 and 14, says Dr. Garg. Scoliosis is more common in girls than boys, according to Dr. Hedequist. (Here's what to know about wearing a brace for lower back pain .)

What is the Cobb angle of scoliosis?

But there's a range of severity. Scoliosis is described using something called a Cobb angle, a measure of the degree of curvature.

What does it mean when you have scoliosis?

When a person has scoliosis, it means they have a curve in their spine. "If you are looking at someone [from the back], instead of their spine appearing totally straight, there is an S-shaped curvature to it," says spine surgeon James Lin, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Can scoliosis be severe?

The last word. A scoliosis diagnosis can range from mild to severe. Depending on the degree, it may or may not interfere with how you perform everyday activities. Doctors generally diagnose mild scoliosis in adolescence and monitor its progression in severity as kids grow.

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