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About Scoliosis, how does One Diagnose and Treat Scoliosis

By scoliosis the spinal column is bent abd twisted, often in several directions and on one, two or three places. The deformation tends to progress but in varying speed.

By scoliosis the spinal column is bent abd twisted, often in several directions and on one, two or three places. The deformation tends to progress but in varying speed.

 

Scoliosis is a deformations in the spinal column that usually progresses from small deviations and get gradually worse. The extent of the deformations often stops at a moderate stage, but can in some cases get very severe.

The deformation can be sidewise, rotational, foreward or backward, often combined. Often there are deformations at several places in the column in opposite directions so that the severity of the disease is not always discovered before some time. Sideways bendings in a S-shape is typical.

Ideopathic scoliosis is the most common type, and of which one does not know very well the original causes. Ideopathic scoliosis starts some time in childhood, most typically at the pretpubertal stage and pogresses throughout puberty until the growth of the spine is finished, but can get more severe also later. The deformations develop due to unsymmetrical growth in the spinal column, but without any degenarative disease in the spinal structure.

Even though the causes of this kind of scoliosis is not well known, one knows that the tendency to develop scoliosis is to some extent inherited. Chiropractors and cranioscral therapists have a hypothesis that ideopathic scoliosis is caused by blockings that hinder the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the column, the blood flow alomg the column and the functions of the nerves along the colum..These blockings are often thought to be caused by stiffness or scars in the muscular layers, in the tendons and fascial layers around the column, in the meningeal membranes around the spinal cord within the column, or of misalignment in the position of the spines according to each other.

Scoliosis can also be caused by neurological and muscular paralyses or malfunctions, so that the muscles excert a different force on one side than another. Also inflammational or degenerative processes in the spines or cartilages between the spines can cause scoliosis.

The main symptoms of scoliosis is of cource the bendings and twistings in the spinal colomn, but other symptoms also appear that one often recognizes before one sees that the spinal colomn has got an abnormal shape. These symptomns are: Leaning towards ine side, one hip higher than the other. better developed muscles on one side than the other, deformities in the breast cage and unsymmetrical waist. Later one can get back pain.

The diagosis of scoliosis is fairly simple. One looks and feels along the spine while the patient is standig upright to see the curvature. Often the bendings can be seen right away. To be more sure one also lets the patient bend foreward. Where the spine is curved towards one side, one will see a bump on that side of the back, because the bent part of the spine will be pressed outward on that side. By letting the patient do other bends and twistes with the torso, arms and legs, a more complete picture can be made.

During this test the patient must be naked on the back and also on the upper parts of the buttocks. The very best for the diagnosis is a totally naked patient, so that on can also see misalignment of the buttocks that are assosiated with scoliosis, but one usually lets the patient wear underpants and pulls these down more or less at some point in the test.

It is generally recommended that children and teens are examined by such a simple test each year. In many societies this is done in school or at wellchild exams. But parents should do the test on their children themselves to detect a beginning scoliosis as early as possible, at least two times a year.

If scoliosis is detected with such simple tests, and it looks severe enough, one will often do more thorrough examinations, especially with x-ray imaging. If the scoliosis is minimal, one usually will only follow the development to see if it is developing further and how fast it is progressing. 

With somewhat more severe deformations the standard treatments are exercises and braces. By scoliosis starting very early, one sometimes uses casting to guide the growth in a right direction. Cranisacral therapists and chiropractors treat scoliosis by manipulations. The manipulations have the aim of taking away mechanical blocks thought to exists around and within the column and thereby reestabishing a healthy growth.

With a more severe development one often performs surgery, by which the cartilages between the spines are removed, the column is stretched out, metallic bars are fastened to the treated sections and bone grafts are placed between the spines so that they grow togeather.  The metallic bars will usually remain in place permanently, but can be removed later on if they cause trouble.

By surgery at a very young age, one tend to use bars that can be stretched further out throughout the growth without laying grafts that make the spine stiff.

Surgery imply many hazards for complications both during surgery and during later development,  and small or great sections of the spine gets stiff. Often late complications lead to new surgery. A common complication is neurological injuries amd even paralyses. Surgery for scoliosis is therefore not something one shall decide for after just an easy concideration.

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Knut Holt is an internet consultant and marketer focusing on health items. At his web-site you can find health advices, training supplements, natural products to enhance sexual pleasure, and natural drugs against common diseases, like: Acne and skin problems, allergy, over-weight, hypothyroidism, hemorrhoids, heart trouble, joint pain and rheumatism, depression, constipation and digestive trouble, cold, flu, men's and women's problems, and more.

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