Scoliosis is a condition that results in the curvature or twisting of the spine to the side. This condition causes discomfort and pain in the back muscles as it causes the rib cage to pull out of position. Although it is not rampant in adults, it is not uncommon in children. Most of the reported cases are about 3 out of every 1000 children.
It needs treatment from a specialist, and some of the signs of the condition are visible as it progresses. An S or a C shape curve of the spine mostly characterize this condition.
This article highlights some of the signs and symptoms that will help you know whether you are suffering from the condition. You will also know about the causes of the state and the treatment you should seek if and when you are suffering from it.
There are several factors known to cause this condition.
- Genetics can play a role in the condition as it can move from one generation to another.
- The other causes include pelvic positioning that is uneven.
- Joint or spinal injury in the past.
- Distortions of the knee and foot and head injuries are other causes of the condition.
It is important to note that this condition can develop at any time. A child can have it from birth (congenital) or develop it during the early stages of growth. It is also possible to get the condition when you are an adult (degenerative de novo).
The symptoms of this condition may not be very detectable during the initial stages. In the case of children, the state may remain unnoticed until they reach adolescence. The adolescence stage, characterized by rapid growth, magnifies the symptoms of the condition. In adults, the disease can be confused with back pains, especially if it is mild.
We look at some of the ways to know whether you have this condition or not.
Having a posture that is unbalanced and unnatural is one of the earliest signs that can help you the curved spine. The spine’s continued growth in a curvaceous manner pushes the hips, the waist, and the shoulders out of their natural alignment. The signs of imbalance are among the first signs to appear before the curve becomes evident.
The posture imbalance can occasion the following signs:
- An eye line that appears tilted,
- A tilted rib cage,
- A hip that appears higher than the other
- Uneven shoulders
The effects on the spine curving are not very evident at the onset. The back pain that you may experience occurs when the case gets severe. This pain is a result of the pressure placed by the spine on the nerves and spinal cord.
The pain and stress may lead to numbness, scoliosis pain, and weakness in the body’s lower parts. Most of the time, individuals don’t take this condition seriously because the pain does not come immediately, but only when the case gets severe.
The fact that the condition runs along genetic lines is another way to know whether you have the condition, especially coupled with other signs. If a parent or a sibling has this condition from a natural cause and not an injury, the chances are high that you may develop it. With a 38% causation rate among all the cases, genetics carries a high probability of being a key factor.
There are, however, other factors that may increase these odds, including infections. There is a higher chance of you getting this condition if there was a defect at birth or trauma that was significant.
Clothes that don’t fit well
Clothes that are asymmetrical or ill-fitting may most likely be a result of a posture change. The cases where the hip is higher than the other or one of the shoulder drops may cause the shirt or pant leg to appear uneven or asymmetrical.
As this condition progresses to severe stages, clothes that fit well may be hard to find. The best way to check for this sort of change is to consider the sleeves of your shirts. You should also check the hemlines, neckline, and the legs of the pants.
Fatigue, in this case, may be the result of the pressure placed on the other body parts. For your body to maintain the proper alignment, the muscles that surround the areas that have been affected get strained. The muscles work extra hard, and this causes them to wear out.
In the cases where the spine curve gets severe, the extreme pressure may affect the chest cavity, causing difficulty in breathing. The effect of this is that you experience extreme fatigue due to the restriction.
This condition falls into two categories. The first type is mild scoliosis, whose treatment does not involve any significant medical attention. It is not very evident to the eye. The condition can be defined as mild if the spine curvature or the Cobb angle is less than 20 degrees. This kind is much more responsive to treatment that involves exercise.
Yoga is an exercise that is highly recommendable to decrease the level of pain and increase flexibility. It should, however, be under the guidance and instruction of a qualified individual.
In cases where the condition is moderate, it is best to see a trained physiotherapist. The physiotherapist would assess and identify the causes of the underlying imbalance, and use various methods to restore normal alignment and movement. The physiotherapist may advise wearing a brace with a medical prescription to prevent further curving of the spine. There are times when exercises may be the best option if the condition is not advancing. The treatment methods may be adjusted based on the results of continuous observation.
In severe cases of this condition where the spinal curvature is between 40 and 45 degrees, concervative treatment by a trained physiotherapist is important to identify and rectify the underlying cause of imbalance as much as possible. If certain structural issues remain, then corrective surgery may be the best treatment option. This form of treatment will be conducted based on factors such as the height of the individual. The other consideration is the severity of the condition on different parts of the body. The extent to which the spine has curved is also a critical factor that is subject to consideration.
Taking early tests and medical procedures may be one of the best ways to deal with this condition. Proactive measures, especially for the individuals who already have the state, are very beneficial in slowing down the spine’s curvature. Physiotherapy is a good way of restricting the growth of the state in the early stages.
Before seeking any means of treatment, the most important thing is to have a diagnosis conducted and professional advice on how to resolve the condition. The symptoms and signs highlighted in this article are some of the ways you can be able to know whether you are suffering from spinal curvature or twist.