what degree of curvature in scoliosis in an adult merits surgery?
338294
Usually they recommend surgery at 40+ degrees.\n\nIn 2003 I had a 12 level spinal fusion for my "S" curve of 56deg thorasic (upper) and 68deg lumbar (lower) scoliosis. Like you, I also had rapidly progressing scoliosis - a stable "S" curve of 40 & 40 for years and then in less than 6 months later it was at 56 & 68.\n\nI would recommend visiting several spinal surgeons (if they specialize in scoliosis its even better) and talking to them about your back. They may or may not opt for surgery as they base the need to not just the spine, but on other things as well.\n\nIf you are in the California area I know many top scoliosis surgeons who's contact info I can give you. I also have family members that work for a spinal & neurological surgical instrumentation supply company that I can get info from as well.\n\nBest of luck!
143051
What is Scoliosis?\nIt is an unnatural curving of the spine, making the body look lopsided at the shoulders, the waist and/or the hips.\n\nWhat Happens When the Person with Scoliosis Ages?\nAs with any unnatural situation of the body, there is a lack or a cause. When this lack is filled or the cause is eliminated, the person should recover. When nothing is done and the situation continues, I guess that it stays as it is, or gets worse. Yet, I believe there may be something that can be done.\n\nCan There Be a Cure for Scoliosis?\nIn my experience, the body can repair itself in most cases, if the right conditions are given for its repair, although the official sites say, there is no cure for scoliosis.\n\nUndetermined Cause\nIn the case of scoliosis the cause seems to be undetermined. \n\nMy Guess: Acidity\nMy guess is that there is an acidic condition in the body, which should be measured immediately and then corrected. Acidity in the body can manifest all kinds of problems, e.g. pain, unhealthy growths, inflammations, infections, organ problems, discoloration of the skin, muscle weakness, ligament problems, hair loss, numbness, calcium loss, etc. In my experience, it depends on the overall conditions, emotions and the environment of the person, which symptom(s) will manifest.\n\nLow Acidity, pH Under 7 but Above 6\nLow level acidity (a higher pH, but under 7) may cause pain and inflammations. \n\nHigh Acidity, pH Under 6\nHigh acid levels (a low pH, under 6) may cause numbness and thus seemingly get rid of pain: Feeling "better" by feeling less. \n\nHow to Measure the pH for Acidity\nThe pH (acid or alkaline level) can be measured at home with a roll of pH paper from the health food store or the Internet. Use a little piece of the strip, dip it in saliva or urine. It has been my experience that the pH of saliva and urine should be around 7.5 at all times to feel best and heal. \n\nBalancing the pH\nThe next step would be to balance the pH and bring it up to 7.5. This can be done on several levels. I like to use \n1) alkaline-forming food, \n2) Dinshah Color MedicineTM and \n3) Tissue Salts and Hypericum Perforatum (homeopathic remedies), besides of \n4) detoxifying the environment. \n\nIf all the right things are done and the pH goes down, then the person has been exposed to new toxins or the cleansing is too fast, rapidly bringing up toxins from the tissues and organs, too fast for the body to eliminate. A Tesla-Kirlian photograph would tell. In this case, cooked beans or similarly grounding food can slow down the cleansing without burdening the body with more acid-forming food.\n\n1) Alkaline-Forming Foods\nThere are many alkaline-forming foods, best organic, to avoid more acid-forming toxins. E.g. almost all vegetables, vegetable salads, vegetable soups; nutritional yeast, spelt flour, wild rice, blueberries, carrot beet juice, calcium/magnesium, green tea, yams, almonds and almond milk etc. Most fruits are alkaline-forming but may cleanse too fast. A few pieces may be enough to start with, the pH will tell. Use bananas in moderation, slightly acid-forming! Think of gluten sensitivity, too!\n\nAcid-Forming Foods\nFoods that form more acidity in the body should be avoided gradually or immediately, depending on the pH results. Meat, fish, poultry, dairy, chocolate, coffee (it falsifies the pH results, discontinue for three days, then measure the true pH), white flour and white sugar items etc. are acid-forming. Fish may contain mercury, non-organic foods arsenic from pesticides.\n\n2) Alkaline Assistance by Dinshah Colors\nThe Dinshah colors are fantastic to help detoxify gently and raise the pH, when the right color is used. You can find an introduction on how this can be done at www.biochakra.com, Products, Cosmic LeafTM No. 2, download for $3. It is literally Healing With the Speed of LightTM. A Home-Study Course in Dinshah Color MedicineTM is also available. Kids like these colors and most kids are great in dete
920150
I delivered 7 kids...(6 natural, 1 with an epidural)...THEN found out I had scoliosis! I also have fused disks in my lower back. I dont know how bad the curve of my spine is..altho I have had two different drs tell me I have the most crooked spine they have ever seen. You may just need to give your back time to heal since you just had a baby a few months ago. Also doing yoga stregthens the back muscles, which could help if you decide to have another baby. Since you dont have insurance maybe you can find a Health Department or Clinic that would be able to see you. GOODLUCK!
460006
In Peyronie's disease, anomalous scar tissue grows in the soft tissue of the penis, causing curvature. Severe cases can benefit from surgical correction.\n\nMost curves are natural, but if it's severe it could be this Peyronie's Disease...  I'd see a doctor if it's a severe curvature.
1003452
Some amount of kyphosis is common and begins in adolescence, affecting boys more often than girls. The cause is unknown. The vertebrae curve forward on each other, usually in the upper back. As a result, the back develops a hump. Scoliosis also often develops in children with kyphosis (kyphoscoliosis).\n\nKyphosis often produces no symptoms. Sometimes, mild, persistent back pain develops. Kyphosis may be noticed only because it alters the body's appearance. The shoulders may appear rounded. The upper spine may appear more curved than normal, or a hump may be visible. Mild kyphosis that does not produce symptoms is sometimes detected only during a routine physical examination. A doctor confirms the diagnosis by taking x-rays of the spine, which show the curve and the deformity of the vertebrae.\n\nTreatment most often consists of wearing a spinal brace or sleeping on a rigid bed. In mild kyphosis, the spine may straighten slightly with treatment, although symptoms may not improve. It is unclear whether treating mild kyphosis prevents the curve from worsening. When kyphosis is more severe, treatment may improve symptoms and prevent the curve from worsening. Rarely, despite treatment, kyphosis worsens to such an extent that surgery is needed to straighten the spine.
815891
Scoliosis is a disorder in which there is a sideways curve of the spine, or backbone. Curves are often S - shaped or C - shaped. \n     In most people, there is no known cause for this curve.\nPeople with milder curves may only need to visit their doctor for periodic exams. Some people who have scoliosis need treatment.
157194
In English it's lumbar scoliosis.  That's a curving of the spine to the side - usually two curves - the original abnormal curve and a curve to compensate for that.
86508
Okay, I have pulled my hair out regarding these conditions in trying to find a definitive description of them with no luck. I have also posted several messages to dr.s online regarding this condition and hope to hear something. I am a medical transcriptionist who has come across these terms and cannot locate any definition on them. From my schooling, I learned that dextr(o) means right and lev(o) means left. I don't like to assume, but I have to think that dextroscoliosis and levoscoliosis are simply referring to the direction of the scoliotic curves either found in the cervical or thoracolumbar spines.
969120
You would be better off trying to get disability if you were properly diagnosed with a more legitimate problem rather than vertebral subluxation.  Vertebral subluxation is a vague diagnosis perpetuated by the less than credible chiropractic "profession".\n\nCheck out the following links to learn the truth about subluxations.\n\nhttp://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chirosub.html\nhttp://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chiroasst.html\nhttp://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.656/healthissue_detail.asp\nhttp://www.chirobase.org/01General/chirosham.html\n\nMany chiropractors claim that research justifies their form of practice but this is really not the case.  See the following;\n\nResearch Findings\n\nDuring the past few years, two reports about the treatment of low-back pain have placed chiropractic in a favorable light. One, issued by the RAND Corporation, concluded that spinal manipulation was appropriate for some cases of low-back pain. The other, produced by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), judged manipulation useful for controlling symptoms while awaiting the spontaneous recovery that occurs within a month in most patients with low-back problems.\nAlthough chiropractors have promoted these reports as endorsements of chiropractic, they are not. They merely support the use of manipulation in carefully selected patients. Only a few of the research studies on which their conclusions were based involved manipulation by chiropractors; most were done by medical doctors and physical therapists whose practices are not identical to those of chiropractors. Most chiropractors manipulate the vast majority of patients who walk through their door, some use techniques that have not been studied scientifically, and many urge all of their patients to undergo monthly or even weekly "preventive maintenance" visits throughout their life. In addition, many chiropractors emphasize a technique that is more vigorous (and therefore less safe) than the controlled manipulation used by other practitioners. The only places where "chiropractic" and "chiropractors" are mentioned in the body of the AHCPR report are in the passages about the make-up of the AHCPR expert panel.
542366
That is a condition known as kyphosis, or Scheuermann’s disease.  This condition occurs when the front of the upper spine does not grow as fast as the back of the spine, so that the vertebrae become wedge-shaped, with the narrow part of the wedge in front. The wedge-shape of the vertebrae creates an increase in the amount of normal kyphosis (front angulation of the thoracic spine). \n\nThe wedging of vertebrae in Scheuermann’s kyphosis is most common in the thoracic spine (upper back), with the apex of the curve typically between the T7 and T9 levels of the spine. Although less common, Scheuermann’s kyphosis may also occur in the junction between the thoracic and lumbar spine (thoracolumbar spine) or in the lumbar spine (lower back). \n\nThe cause of Scheuermann's disease is unknown, but is thought to be due to a growth abnormality of the vertebral body. The growth plate anteriorly (in the front) stops growing but the posterior part of the growth plate continues to grow. This is due to a condition known as osteochondrosis. \n\nScheuermann’s disease does not spread and is not really a “disease” but a condition that can arise during growth. It is more common in males and appears in adolescents usually towards the end of their growth spurt, but can occur in anyone.\n\nIf the roundback deformity is severe, patients are more likely to have discomfort or pain along with the deformity as they age. \n\nLearn more about it at the website below.   Good luck on your career as a holistic therapist.
898145
Whole Body rating is the overall Physical condition of the person being examined.\n\nMaximum Medical Improvement is the expected Improvement to an injured person through surgery, therapy or medication.\n\nIf your Family member has a 5 percent rating. The Physician's challenge is to improve that rating. If surgery and therapy will only yield a 10 percent improvement, then the risk of surgery may not be recommended.\n\nMany people have such serious injuries that there are no  procedures available to improve the condition. The Back and the Spine are two areas that may only see improvement through surgery.\n\nHowever, as in all Surgery there is a risk, especially in the spinal column...a Disc Problem.\n\nHope this answer assists you.
1046049
you just answered one of my questions and decided to check out some of the questions you posted, which iam now glad i did. when i was 17 , me and my twin were diognosed with scoliosis( curvature of the spin) we both needed to have the harringtons rods put in to staighten our spines. which were placed on either side of our spine about a foot long apeice. it was a tramatic sergury but i thank god everyday i had it. no more pain, i can do anything no limitations except for now i sit up real staight ...ha ha.., and yes if i hadnt had the surgery i wouldnt be here today. the  curve was starting to push against my heart and liver and if that happened i wouild have died. so i thank god everyday for doctors.
661385
i have scoliosis and it has become part of my life. dont let it get in your way. i dont
629817
Spina bifida of S1 means that there is a defect in the spinal column at the first sacral vertebra, which is very low on your back. (Your sacrum is just above the tailbone, and is usually a set of 5 fused vertebrae.) Spina bifida comes in degrees: the mildest is spina bifida occulta, which is when there is a defect in the vertebra(e), but no obvious external opening on the back; the next degree is meningocele, where a portion of the membrane covering the spinal cord protrudes through the opening in the spine; the most severe is myelomeningocele, wherein the spinal  cord itself is exposed through the opening. \n\nIn the mildest form, spina bifida may just be an incidental finding on an x-ray; in the most severe, it causes paralysis below the level of the opening and may be associated with brain problems as well.
345758
First of all there are no exercises which will effectively decrease the curvature of your spine, or prevent it from getting worse.  All you can do is to strengthen the trunk muscles that support the spine.\n\nAs a physical therapist who has treated many back patients and a good amount of scoliosis patients (as well as having scoliosis myself) I would recommend that you do lumbar stability exercises.  I've attached a link to a good site with a few good stability exercises to get you started.  As you progress you might also want to consider doing pilates or yoga, both of which will help to strengthen your back muscles.
324016
Everyone has a natural curve in their spine throughout their life. You may have seen a change as you get older as bad posture (which we are all guilty of) can affect the shape of your spine and cause kyphosis or scoliosis. If you are worried about the shape of your spine you can see a physiotherapist who will be able to assess you and recommmend any corrective treatments. (it may be as simple as changing the chair or bed you use).
1067026
consult your doctor.. for curvatures less than 20 exercises may do and the best exercise is swimming others go to a chriopractic practitioner.. >20- 40 some doctors advice to have a brace..  >  40 surgery is adviced