Scoliosis Related Back Pain

Scoliosis Doesn't Condemn You To Back Pain!

Many people with scoliosis experience back pain and assume that it is an inescapable consequence of the spinal curvature.  Some are even told by their doctors that they’ll have to use pain medication on a regular basis for the rest of their lives, or simply learn to live with the pain.  Spinal surgeons will sometimes use the chance of lifelong pain as a selling point for scoliosis surgery.

You don’t have to be in pain or take drugs just because you have scoliosis, and surgery is far from being a recipe for a pain-free life!

The vast majority of pain and discomfort from scoliosis can be controlled without medication in most cases.  Most of the symptoms of scoliosis are related to muscle reactions and joint irritation.  These problems can be effectively treated initially with joint manipulation and physical therapy and largely prevented long-term with exercise.

Because of the uneven mechanical loading on joints, muscles, and other tissues from scoliotic curvatures, it is not unsual for mechanical dysfunction and irritation to result. 

The first step in alleviating pain and discomofort without the use of drugs is to restore joint mobility and function.  This can usually be accomplished with chiropractic joint manipulation and spine decompression using a Flexion-Distraction table. 

Muscle and soft tissue reactions can be treated using massage, vibration, electrical muscle stimulation, and other physical therapy modalities. 

Once the initial painful symptoms have been brought under control, exercises to balance muscle strength and stretch areas of tightness can be done by the patient at home.  Just a few minutes per day of the appropriate exercises will go a long way toward preventing symptoms from returning.

Through daily exercise and occasional chiropractic and physical therapy, scoliosis symptoms can be largely eliminated, whether or not the scoliosis can be straightened.

Surgical scoliosis correction may be needed in extreme cases to prevent interference with lung and cardiac function, but it is rarely necessary for pain control purposes.  On the contrary, except in severe cases, scoliosis surgery usually does not substantially reduce pain and may actually increase overall pain and discomfort in the long-run. 

Fortunately, only a small minority of scoliosis cases progress to the extreme of requiring surgery, so for the vast majority of patients, pain and discomfort can be effectively managed with home exercises and perhaps the occasional in-office therapy.