Managing Scoliosis with Osteopathy

A common ailment amongst many of her patients, Kate Smith of Bodhi Osteopathy explains the signs and symptoms of Scoliosis and how to manage it.

What is Scoliosis?


First of all, the word Scoliosis comes from the Greek word meaning ‘crooked’. Scoliosis is when your spine is either in a “S” or “C” shape and can come in 2 forms – Functional or Structural. Structural scoliosis often starts to develop from early teenage years, whereas functional scoliosis can develop as a result of our everyday lives. For example, sitting at your desk, picking up children, carrying heavy bags or simply slouching on your sofa at the end of a long day.

Scoliosis sufferers don’t necessarily experience pain or problems throughout their lives, but for some it can be debilitating and lead to diminishing lung capacity, pressure on the heart and restriction of physical activities.

The signs of Scoliosis can include:

• Uneven musculature on one side of the spine

• A rib prominence or prominent shoulder blade, caused by rotation of the rib cage in Thoracic scoliosis

• Uneven hips, arms or leg lengths

How can Osteopathy help?

Treatment of Scoliosis depends on how severe the curve is, whether it’s likely to get worse and how much it affects your normal function. Osteopathy can help by mobilising the thoracic and lumbar spine, trying to increase the range of movement in both areas. Mobilisation of the pelvis is also be necessary to aid leg length and in turn, help straighten the lower back and further up the spine. Due to the restrictions in the thoracic spine, a ‘hunch’ may occur which could lead to the chest cavity becoming enclosed and therefore shortening the muscles at the front, which could make it difficult to breathe. Stretching these frontal chest muscles will help, as would deep soft tissue massage which is also incorporated into the treatment.

You can also speed up the process by exercising at home! Stretching, as well as strengthening, is very important to help balance everything out. A few exercises which could help with your scoliosis include:

• Standing hamstring stretch
• Cat and camel
• Pelvic tilt
• Partial curl
• Prone hip extension

Despite never being able to correct Scoliosis completely, you can definitely manage it and decrease the level of pain that it may be causing. With Osteopathic help and wanting to help yourself, you can definitely achieve a better existence. Scoliosis doesn’t have to own you… you can own it!

Kate Smith is a registered Osteopath at Lomax Chelsea. For more information and appointment bookings, call 08715 120 770 or email thelomaxway@lomaxpt.com.

Source :  The Lomax Way , 10th Feb 2014

SOS leads to miracle for Sarah

A WOMAN has told how an exercise routine helped her to fulfil her dream of becoming a mother, after her life was turned upside down due to suffering from scoliosis.




                                Sarah and Katie

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Sarah Newton, 36, saw her life crumble just over 18 months ago after she started to suffer from agonising pain, due to the severe deformity which causes the spine to excessively curve sideways.

From being an energetic and healthy woman, Sarah’s confidence dropped as the pain left her unable to take part in many of her usual social activities, and she often spent time curled up in bed due to the agony.

She began to avoid contact with friends and relatives and wore huge baggy jumpers to avoid her distorted back from being visible.

To compound her suffering, Sarah, of Cowley Hill, was told she needed a 12-hour operation to fuse her spine solid, with it being unlikely she would have full flexibility in her back again.

“It was soul destroying being told that the only option was to have surgery especially after I had spent so long just being monitored,” says Sarah, who was first diagnosed with scoliosis aged 14.

“It made me very frustrated and angry and I was often left in tears. I felt helpless and I had no idea which way to turn, it really was a scary time and I cannot count how many hours sleep I lost over the whole thing.”

The news meant Sarah would had to put her dream of having a baby on hold, as she was horrified to learn the weight of an unborn baby may have caused the scoliosis to increase.However, during a desperate search for information, Sarah came across scoliosis SOS.com, the website of a London-based clinic, offering ScolioGold method treatment, which is a combination of non-surgical treatments.

During treatment, Sarah learned a set of exercises to strengthen the muscles round her spine, and her condition stabilised with huge improvements made in her cosmetic appearance.

And with the relief of no longer needing surgery and her confidence increased, Sarah was able to take back control of her life.

She wasted no time in having a baby and is now the happy mother of 11-month-old daughter Katie. And Sarah puts this down to the exercise programme.

“No words can describe the relief I felt when my pain started to disappear. I feel so lucky to have found the answer to my problems.

“My daughter is my world and every time I look at her, she reminds me why I did not give up and why I pushed so hard to get myself back to health.” 

Source : Stehlenstar , 5th Jan 2014 

Teenager with severely curved spine is now pain free after shunning drastic surgery in favour of exercises

Heidi Griffins, 15, was diagnosed with scoliosis three years ago

Doctors recommended she have surgery to place rods in her spine

Because of the risks of the surgery she decided to take part in a four week exercise programme in London instead - she is now free of pain



A teenager with severe curvature of the spine has improved dramatically despite being told she might never stand up straight again.

Heidi Griffins, 15, was diagnosed with scoliosis three years ago after her P.E. teacher noticed her shoulder was sticking out on one side.


The keen tennis player was diagnosed with a severe curvature of the spine and surgery was recommended as the only option to help her recover.

Heidi Griffins was diagnosed with severe curvature of the spine - or scoliosis - three years ago and was told she would need major spinal surgery to place metal rods in her back

Had she opted for surgery she would have had metal rods inserted into her back, before having her spine fused.


But frustrated with the lack of options and terrified of what the future could hold for her daughter, Heidi’s mother, Clare, investigated alternative treatments, before eventually discovering the Scoliosis SOS clinic in London.


Set up more than seven years ago by Erika Maude, a former scoliosis patient, the clinic has helped hundreds of sufferers through the problem by teaching them exercises which improve their posture.

The exercises vary depending on the severity of the condition.


Within a week of starting an intensive four-week treatment course, Heidi started to notice a difference, with less pain across her back and an improvement in her breathing capacity.
Heidi, from Durham, said: ‘When I was told that I had scoliosis, I didn’t really understand to start with.


‘No one ever sat me down and explained what was going on in my back until I got to the SOS clinic.

Instead of the operation, Heidi opted to take part in a four week exercise programme in London and she is now pain free and able to return to playing tennis

‘The staff at the SOS clinic were amazing, they made me feel normal again.


‘They also encouraged me to carry on living a normal life when all of the specialists at the hospital were telling me that I needed to be careful and not put too much pressure on my body by doing too much sport.



‘The exercises weren’t hard - you just had to think about what you were doing.


‘I am the sort of person to put 100 per cent into everything I do and I believe that’s why I got such good results. I cannot wait to get back to playing tennis.’


Heidi, together with her family are now working to raise awareness of scoliosis and the alternatives to surgery.


Source : Mail Online , 2nd Jan 2014

Guidelines for Scoliosis Treatment

Scoliosis is a lateral (toward the side) curvature in the normally straight vertical line of the spine. When a person with scoliosis is viewed from the front or back, the spine appears to be curved. When diagnosed with this condition, individuals should take scoliosis treatment into account. There are some guidelines for scoliosis treatment and patients should know about them.

The scoliosis treatments are various and the decision to begin treatment is always made on individual basis. Some factors will be considered.

    

1.Sex. When the curve is mild, the possibility of scoliosis progressing further is almost the same as boys. But if it is moderate or severe, girls have a much higher risk of progression than do boys.


    2. Severity of curve. Larger curves are more likely to worsen with time. Mild scoliosis carries a significant risk of progression (up to 22%). Once the scoliosis passes 20°, risk of progression more than triples to 68%. Severe Scoliosis carries a 90% risk of progression. It is an important factor during the decision of scoliosis treatment.


    3. Curve pattern. There are two main types of curve pattern, S-shaped and C-shaped. S-shaped curves tend to worsen more often than do C-shaped curves.


    4. Location of curve. Generally speaking curves located in the center section of the spine worsen more often than do curves in the upper or lower sections of the spine, that is cervical segment and lumbar vertebrae.


    5. Maturity. If the patients’ bones are mature, the risk of curve progression is lower than adolescents. That’s why brace is often advised for adolescent scoliosis instead of adult scoliosis.
    

6. Age. The earlier patients diagnosed with scoliosis first, the more likely scoliosis develops.


After analyzing the likely of scoliosis progressing further, patients would have an idea of their curves. Actually adolescents should have treatment as early as possible as it may progress. They can think about physiotherapy even the curve is over 40 degrees for some physiotherapy is effective. Adults often take scoliosis surgery, but if the curve is small and it develops very slowly, they may not need to take scoliosis treatment.



Source : NON  SURGICAL SCOLIOSIS , 2nd Jan 2013

Spinal Fusion for Adult Scoliosis: What Are Survival Rates?

An article recently published in The Spine Journal found that survival rate for primary spinal fusion in adult scoliosis patients was 89.8 percent at one year postoperatively.

The study examined 59 patients 21 years or older that underwent primary surgery for idiopathic or degenerative curves and were followed for minimum of two years postoperatively. Survival rate at three years was 73.4 percent and 64 percent at five years. At 10 years postoperatively, the survival rate was 60.9 percent.

Over the entire follow-up period, 35.6 percent of patients underwent revision surgery, with the most common reasons for the revision being:

•    Painful/prominent implants
•    Adjacent segment disease
•    Infection

A higher revision rate was found among American Society of Anesthesiologists Type II patients and double surgical approach patients.

Source : Becker's Spine Review , 16th Dec 2013 

Spine and Orthopedic Devices and Implants

Here are seven things for spine surgeons to know...

Budget bill would stall Medicare pay cut, raise physician pay 0.5%.


The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan budget last week that would impact Medicare payment cuts to physicians if passed by the Senate. Under the sustainable growth rate, Medicare announced it would cut physician pay 20.1 percent in 2014. The budget would postpone that pay cut rate until April 1, 2014 and give physicians a 0.5 percent raise during the interim period.

AAOS supports SGR repeal efforts.


The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons supports the recent legislative efforts to repeal the sustainable growth rate. AAOS encouraged Congress to continue to repeal and replace the SGR formula as soon as possible.

Orthopedist compensation decreased by 10% from 2011 to 2012.


Compensation decreased by 10 percent or more than 10 percent for orthopedists from 2011 to 2012. Of the respondents, about 20 percent saw a 10 percent or more decrease and 32 percent saw compensation remain the same.

Spinal fusion survival rates for adult scoliosis as high as 89.8%.


An article recently published in The Spine Journal found the survival rate for primary spinal fusion in adult scoliosis patients was 89.8 percent at one year postoperatively.

Survival rate at three years was 73.4 percent and 64 percent at five years. Over the entire follow-up period, 35.6 percent of patients underwent revision surgery.

FDA committee called for Class 3 device designation on spinal sphere devices.


After meeting recently, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration committee agreed spinal sphere devices should be classified as Class 3 devices, which require premarket approval.


NuVasive announced US launch of ALIF column realignment device.


San Diego-based NuVasive's anterior column realignment device for anterior lumbar interbody fusion launched in the U.S. The ALIF ACR is tasked with correcting the sagittal plane imbalance that advanced degeneration can cause.

Dr. Richard Wohns among first to perform two-level cervical disc replacement using Mobi-C.


Richard Wohns, MD, JD, MBA, performed the first two-level cervical artificial disc replacement surgery in the Northwest and one of the first in the nation, using Mobi-C Cervical Disc Prosthesis.


Source : Becker's Spine Review , 17th Dec 2013

UI researchers: Bracing is effective in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis

Longer daily wear is best to avoid surgery

A multi-center study led by University of Iowa researchers to determine whether wearing back braces would prevent the need for spinal correction surgery in children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) was cut short when early results were overwhelmingly in favor of bracing.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine today (Sept. 19. 2013).

Stuart Weinstein, MD, Ignacio V. Ponseti Chair and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Professor of Pediatrics at University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, and Lori Dolan, PhD, a research scientist in The Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the UI Carver College of Medicine, led a study team that set out to compare the risk of curve progression in patients with AIS who wore a brace with patients who did not. The study team, from the Bracing in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Trial (BrAIST), recruited patients who were at risk for continued worsening of their spinal curves based on age, skeletal immaturity and curve severity.

AIS is a curvature of the spine with no clear underlying cause. In mild cases, monitoring over time by a physician may be all that is needed. However, in more severe cases – especially when the child is still growing – the use of a brace, or even surgery, may be recommended. Left untreated, more serious curves can be painful and deforming.

Weinstein has been working with scoliosis patients for nearly 40 years, and although bracing has been used as a treatment for curvature of the spine since 1948, he says there has always been some question as to whether it was truly an effective way to avoid surgery.

“The efficacy of bracing was never really proven,” he says. “I wasn’t sure if braces really worked or not, and I’ve treated thousands of patients.”

He says the literature about bracing “wasn’t convincing that it worked.” Additionally, he says, some patients still required surgery after wearing a brace.

For the study, investigators enrolled 383 subjects at 25 institutions in the United States and Canada between March 2007 and Feb 2011. Although the study began as a completely randomized clinical trial, the team eventually added a “preference cohort,” where patients and families could choose their own treatment. About 40 percent of study participants were randomly assigned to bracing or to close observation without bracing. The remaining participants made their own choice regarding bracing or observation.

Patients in the observation arm received no specific treatment, while those in the bracing arm were instructed to wear a brace for 18 hours per day. Treatment was considered to be unsuccessful when a curve progressed to 50 degrees or greater – a point at which surgery is typically recommended. Treatment was considered a success when the child reached the age of skeletal maturity without this degree of curve progression.

In January 2013, the trial was stopped early after finding that bracing significantly reduced the risk of curve progression and the need for surgery, and that more hours of brace wear was associated with higher success rates. Among both the randomized and preference cohorts, 72 percent in the bracing group, and 48 percent in the observation group achieved success. In addition, the results suggest that the more a patient wore the brace, the better the results; wearing a brace more than 13 hours per day was associated with success rates of 90 to 93 percent.

“This study definitely shows braces work and are effective in preventing the need for surgery,” Weinstein says. “Children who are at risk should be treated with a brace, and they should wear it at least 13 hours a day for it to be effective.”

According to the researchers, the findings are clinically relevant to patients for whom bracing would typically have been recommended. But until now, that recommendation had not been based on solid data. “This study presents important evidence addressing the fundamental question facing families and clinicians dealing with the diagnosis of AIS – does bracing prevent the need for surgery? The answer is clearly ‘yes’,” Weinstein says.

The investigators also suggest that current bracing indications may be too broad, since 48 percent of patients in the observation group and 41 percent of patients in the bracing group who wore the brace infrequently also achieved success. “Further analysis will help us identify those AIS patients for whom bracing may be the most beneficial,” Weinstein concludes.

Source : Yotta Fire , 17th Dec 2013