Scoliosis (from Greek: skoliōsis meaning "crooked condition," from skolios, "crooked") is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. Although it is a complex three-dimensional deformity, on an x-ray, viewed from the rear, the spine of an individual with a typical scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line. It is typically classified as either congenital (caused by vertebral anomalies present at birth), idiopathic (cause unknown, sub-classified as infantile, juvenile, adolescent, or adult according to when onset occurred) or neuromuscular (having developed as a secondary symptom of another condition, such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy or physical trauma). This condition affects approximately 7 million people in the United States. Cause In the case of the most common form of scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, there is no clear causal agent and it is generally believed
You wake up in the morning still feeling overly tired after a long night of sleep and sometimes with a humongous headache to top it all of. You do your usual thing and feels little bone snapping here and there as you move. You also have leg or hip pains especially after a long, tiring day. You just can’t stand being on your feet too long and sitting in that same position for long periods of time. These are generally what people with dextroscoliosis usually go through.
It is a burden, literally and figuratively, having dextroscoliosis because it affects the spine which supports our body and the rib cage which protects our internal organs. Dextroscoliosis is the slow, sideways rotating curvature of the spine together with the rib cage. Well, that’s actually to put it mildly and simply. If detected early, there’s a big chance for the spine to be corrected back to its proper, normal curve through series of therapy and back braces. But if detected too late, like in my case which is 45 degrees already, series of therapy not to correct the spine but to slow down the progress of the cruve is highly recommended. Spine surgery is also the only way at this point to correct the spine. There is also dextroscoliosis, like again in my case, that have corresponding curvature at the lower back or what you call “S” curve. The lower curvature compensate for the curvature in the upper back which helps in slowing down the progress of the curve in the upper back.
There’s no scientific evidences yet that suggest that scoliosis of any kind is hereditary or is in the genes. Rehab medicine points out to the kind of lifestyle a person has as the main reason for the development of scoliosis. Improper posture, constant carrying of heavy loads, lack of exercise, strenuous activities and sometimes accidents are just some of the major culprits. There are no medicines either that can cure scoliosis. Change of lifestyle is the only cure for scoliosis. Daily exercises recommended by your rehab doctor which sometimes consist of: Strengthening exercises for the back such as stretching in the direction opposite the curve, Curl ups or crunches to strengthen abdomen which should bear the brunt of the heavy load we carry, and stretching/strengthening exercises for the hips and hamstrings of the legs are highly recommended. Scheduled therapies for the back and hips for pain management are also required. The therapy machines which have internal heating capabilities, help relax the bunched up muscles which most often causes the pains. Adapting a healthy lifestyle such as eating healthy food especially those rich in calcium is very important. Loosing weight or keeping your weight in proportion with your height should also be practiced because excess weight strains the spine.
A person with scoliosis should adapt a positive attitude. For without this, you will feel that self-management of scoliosis will just be too hard and will just be too much too handle. Self-discipline should also be developed because without that all efforts of fighting off the progress of the curve will just go to waste. For those who have scoliosis like me, always remember that our back doesn’t set us apart from others, what sets us apart is our determination to not let this thing get in our way of enjoying and embracing life and everything that it has to offer…
