| Scoliosis back pain is a great conundrum for | | | | been blamed partially or completely on atypical spinal |
| dorsopathy patients, since this spinal curvature | | | | curvatures. Here are my thoughts, based on |
| condition is often blamed for sourcing symptoms, yet | | | | practical experience, clinical statistics and treatment |
| treatments are rarely, if ever, successful. Scoliosis | | | | results… |
| describes a spinal abnormality in which the patient | | | | The greatest number of scoliosis patients have mild |
| suffers an atypical side to side curvature of the spine | | | | curvatures. I do not see these minor issues as any |
| at one or more locations. Some patients have a | | | | cause for alarm or concern, almost without |
| single abnormal curve, generally referred to as a | | | | exception. Over 90% of affected back pain |
| “C” curve, while others have 2 or more | | | | sufferers diagnosed with scoliosis fall into this |
| abnormal curves, generally referred to as an | | | | category. In these cases, the diagnosis of curvature |
| “S” curve. Scoliosis can be suspected from | | | | as the source of pain is obviously incorrect, since |
| visual observation and examination, but can only be | | | | patients do not respond to scoliosis treatments, but |
| accurately diagnosed using specialized imaging, such | | | | can often be cured using other types of unrelated |
| as x-ray or MRI technology. | | | | modalities. In these patients, the scoliosis is purely |
| Scoliosis is one of the most common of all structural | | | | coincidental to the symptoms, much akin to herniated |
| abnormalities in the human spine. It can strike | | | | discs or degenerative disc disease in other |
| anywhere in the spinal column and may be | | | | misdiagnosed patients. The next category of |
| insignificant or extreme. Scoliosis is measured in | | | | scoliosis sufferers demonstrate moderate curvatures |
| degrees, just like an angle, and this measurement is | | | | which are rarely to blame for pain. Some patients |
| used to diagnose potential health consequences of | | | | may have minor occasional pain or even chronic dull |
| the individual expression. There are many different | | | | aches, but most should not experience any acute or |
| types of scoliosis, including congenital varieties, | | | | severe chronic pain often blamed on their |
| idiopathic varieties, juvenile varieties and adult | | | | curvatures. Once again, the vast majority are at |
| degenerative varieties. In most cases, scoliosis | | | | least partially misdiagnosed by placing the painful |
| exists alone, but in other cases, other atypical spinal | | | | burden blame on the curvature issues. Between the |
| curvature issues may also be present. In these | | | | 2 categories of mild and moderate spinal curvature, |
| cases, the usual accompanying curvatures may | | | | this accounts for some 98% of diagnosed |
| include hyperlordosis, hypolordosis, hyperkyphosis or | | | | patients… |
| hypokyphosis. | | | | Serious and extreme scoliosis conditions are mostly |
| Scoliosis back pain is a classification of dorsopathy | | | | symptomatic. These patients may suffer from a |
| symptoms theorized to exist as a direct result of the | | | | multitude of possible painful events in the spine, |
| abnormal curvature. There is no doubt that many | | | | including spinal and foraminal stenosis, advanced |
| patients with scoliosis do have back pain, just as a | | | | osteoarthritic change and even internal organ |
| large percentage of the adult population without | | | | compression problems. Blaming these symptoms on |
| scoliosis also suffers painful spinal syndromes. Back | | | | scoliosis is generally universal and in almost every |
| pain is an epidemic in our modern healthcare system | | | | case, absolutely correct. However, just remember |
| and is becoming ever more the burden year over | | | | that this only holds true for the truly worst cases of |
| year. So, it is worth analyzing the eternal question, | | | | side to side curvature, which accounts for less than |
| “Is scoliosis the actual source of pain in these | | | | 2% of the total diagnosed population. |
| patients, or not?” | | | | To summarize, I urge all patients with mild and |
| The answer is surprisingly simple… YES and NO. | | | | moderate forms of scoliosis to reconsider the validity |
| There is no absolute answer to the question, as | | | | of their diagnostic theory if their pain has been |
| spinal curvatures are highly individualized conditions | | | | blamed wholly on their curvature issues. Patients |
| and each must be studied carefully in order to | | | | who embrace these incorrect blame patterns rarely |
| answer this query for each affected patient. In my | | | | find lasting (or any) relief and usually end up victims |
| vast experience working with back pain patients, I | | | | of failed back surgery syndrome due to barbaric and |
| come across thousands of patients whose pain has | | | | unnecessary spinal fusion procedures. |