{"id":21461,"date":"2018-04-02T09:16:31","date_gmt":"2018-04-02T09:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/?p=21461"},"modified":"2022-07-20T03:08:31","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T03:08:31","slug":"5-surprising-facts-about-adult-scoliosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/5-surprising-facts-about-adult-scoliosis\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Surprising Facts About Adult Scoliosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may have more options and control than you think<\/strong>
\nYou may have more power over adult scoliosis than you think. Doctors can offer you various treatment options, and there are things you can do to help yourself. Here are five things you might be surprised to hear about adult scoliosis.<\/p>\n

Surprise #1: If you are diagnosed with scoliosis, you probably won\u2019t need surgery<\/strong><\/p>\n

When diagnosed with scoliosis, many people fear the only course of action will be major surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a small portion of people with scoliosis require major reconstructive surgery,\u201d says chiropractor, Dr. Kevin Lau. \u201cMany people with scoliosis can manage their scoliosis and symptoms just fine without any type of surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

In many cases, treatment for scoliosis is aimed at relieving symptoms rather than fixing the curve in the spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdult scoliosis patients are initially treated as we would treat a patient with a straight spine who has back pain,\u201d Dr. Lau says. Treatment might include physical therapy or spinal decompression to strengthen and stabilize the spine. It might also include using a newer scoliosis brace called a Gensingen Brace which can help with the aesthetic or look of the deformity.<\/p>\n

People who can\u2019t get pain relief from medications or physical therapy might need spinal decompression surgery.<\/p>\n

Surprise #2: The size or the location of your spine\u2019s curve doesn\u2019t predict whether or not you will have symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you age, your spine begins to deteriorate. As it weakens, it may also begin to curve. Some people may never have any symptoms. Others might experience leg pain, numbness or tingling when walking and\/or back pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at a person from the side, you can see that the spine has three natural curves; one in the lower back, one in the middle of the back, and one at the neck. We tend to lose the curve in the lower back as we age. That\u2019s what creates problems and causes symptoms,\u201d says Dr. Lau.<\/p>\n

Surprise #3: Adults can have one of two types of scoliosis<\/strong>
\nDoctors see two types of scoliosis in adults. One is the type of scoliosis doctors also see in teenagers. This is called idiopathic scoliosis. In some cases, the curve progresses and begins to cause symptoms in adulthood. In other cases, it is not diagnosed until adulthood.<\/p>\n

The second common type of scoliosis seen in adults is degenerative scoliosis. In this type, the normal wear and tear on the lower back during the aging process leads to the development of a curve in the spine.<\/p>\n

Surprise #4: Smoking causes back and neck problems<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to seeking treatment for scoliosis, there are things you can do at home to reduce your symptoms. \u201cThe most important thing you can do is not smoke,\u201d says Dr. Lau. \u201cSmoking is the leading preventable cause of back and neck problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Surprise #5: You can still exercise with scoliosis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although many people who have scoliosis have been told to limit their activities, Dr. Lau disagrees. \u201cThe more physically active people with scoliosis are, the less likely they are to be symptomatic,\u201d he says. If you are overweight, weight loss can also help to reduce scoliosis symptoms. It\u2019s also important to monitor your bone density and seek treatment if you have osteoporosis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You may have more options and control than you think You may have more power over adult scoliosis than you think. Doctors can offer you various treatment options, and there are things you can do to help yourself. Here are five things you might be surprised to hear about adult scoliosis. Surprise #1: If you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":547027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21461"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/547027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scoliolife.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}