Why are spines curved

Scoliosis is not a single disease. It falls along a spectrum, from mild to moderate to severe. Symptoms include pain or stiffness in the mid-to-lower back, and numbness or weakness in the legs or feet. Not all adults with degenerative scoliosis experience pain. When pain does occur, a pinched nerve is typically the cause, not the curvature.

In more severe cases, scoliosis can cause shooting pain down the leg sciatica , an inability to stand up straight, and an inability to walk more than a short distance.

Symptoms of severe, progressive scoliosis are similar to those of stenosis, but with visible spinal imbalance. This imbalance can result in strain on the hips and knees, the inability to walk a straight line, and falls. Patients with kyphosis have lost their ability to stand up straight. Hunched over while standing, they may become quickly fatigued and have difficulty talking to others or maintaining eye contact.

They also may have difficulty lying flat. As you get older, your bones undergo degenerative changes that are part of the natural aging process. When joints deteriorate, arthritis can develop and the spinal column can shift sideways. Other conditions that might cause degeneration include:. The aging of joints, combined with a fracture at a level above a previous fusion, can also cause a significant deformity.

Simply removing material from the spine can cause a problem down the road. It may reduce or eliminate pain in the near term, but symptoms can return later because of instability of the spine. Think of the game, Jenga. When you remove a block from the tower, other blocks can be affected. Like the Jenga tower, what goes on globally in the spinal balance and pathology is important.

Mild to moderate spinal deformity is common in older adults, but it can also affect adults in their 50s and younger. X-rays create images of the bones in your spine and show whether any of them are too close together or whether you have arthritic changes, bone spurs, fractures, or slippage of the vertebrae.

Special flexion and extension x-rays will be taken to measure misalignment of the bones and curve progression Fig. Computed Tomography CT scan is a noninvasive test that uses an x-ray beam and a computer to make 2-dimensional images of your spine. It may or may not be performed with a dye contrast agent injected into your bloodstream.

It is useful for viewing changes in bony structures. Magnetic resonance imaging MRI scan is a noninvasive test that uses a magnetic field and radiofrequency waves to give a detailed view of the soft tissues of your spine. Unlike an x-ray, nerves and discs are clearly visible. MRI is useful in evaluating soft-tissue damage to the ligaments and discs, and assessing spinal cord injury.

Myelogram is a specialized X-ray where contrast dye is injected into the spinal canal. A fluoroscope then records the images formed by the dye. Myelograms can show a nerve being pinched by a disc, bony overgrowth or stenosis. The dye gives a picture of the spinal canal, spinal cord, and nerves in detail. A CT scan follows the test. Treatment for mild to moderate spine deformity in adults is determined by the severity of the symptoms, not the size of the curve.

It begins with a trial period of pain management, physical therapy, and nonsurgical options. If pain is caused by inflammation of the facet joints, treatment involves facet joint therapy. If the curvature is mild, the deformity is not treated. While other approaches might respond by watching and waiting to monitor for progression; I believe that as progressive conditions are going to worsen naturally over time, waiting is wasting valuable treatment time. When scoliosis is diagnosed early, before the condition has progressed significantly, there are fewer limits to what we can achieve treatment-wise.

An important aspect of treatment to understand is that when a condition, like scoliosis, is structural, it has to be impacted on a structural level to achieve any form of long-term correction. Here at the Center, our end goal is achieving a curvature reduction while preserving function. My approach is also integrative, combining multiple treatment disciplines so patients have access to the benefits that different treatment modalities offer; this also enables full customization of each and every treatment plan so the individual characteristics of both the patient and their scoliosis are addressed and responded to accordingly.

I combine scoliosis-specific forms of treatment: chiropractic care, in-office therapy, custom-prescribed home exercises, and specialized corrective bracing. As we work towards a curvature reduction, we monitor for progression and adjust our treatment plans accordingly. While a healthy spine has natural curvatures that make it stronger, more flexible, and better able to handle mechanical stress, the spine can also develop unhealthy curvatures.

Common examples of spinal conditions that involve the development of an abnormal spinal curvature include abnormal lordosis, abnormal kyphosis, and scoliosis.

When the spine loses one or more of its healthy curves, the body responds by putting in counteracting unhealthy curves, and as these curvatures increase over time, related symptoms tend to become more severe and noticeable.

Here at the Scoliosis Reduction Center , we provide patients with access to multiple forms of treatment under one roof. What Is Not Normal? Basic Anatomy of the Spine The spine is an important structure in human anatomy.

Parts of the Vertebrae The individual bones that make up the spine have several parts. Abnormal Kyphosis When a person has an abnormal kyphosis, this means they have an excessive outward curve, most commonly found in the thoracic spine, but like lordosis, it can also affect the cervical spine.

Scoliosis Scoliosis is a highly-prevalent spinal condition, affecting close to 7 million people in the United States alone, and that number only includes known diagnosed cases; if we were to add the amount of people living with the condition unaware, around the world, that number would increase exponentially. Scoliosis is also the leading spinal condition affecting school-aged children. Condition severity ranges from mild to moderate and severe to very severe. Cobb Angle Cobb angle is a measurement obtained via X-ray that determines how far out of alignment a scoliotic spine is.

Scoliosis Reduction Center Treatment Here at the Center, we prioritize a proactive response to the development of abnormal sideways spinal curvatures. Conclusion While a healthy spine has natural curvatures that make it stronger, more flexible, and better able to handle mechanical stress, the spine can also develop unhealthy curvatures.

More About Me Contact Us. Nalda to chiropractic care. SpineUniverse explains that this curve is normally only visible when viewed from a side aka lateral view.

The spine then typically shifts outward around the chest and hips. This outward movement is called kyphosis, and the inward movement is called lordosis.

In fact, it may seem confusing to hear them referred to as normal movements of the spine, because those terms are usually used to indicate spinal pathologies — and with good reason. Normal spinal bends can become diseases when angles grow too extreme. Scholarly round-up site ScienceDirects notes that a lordotic curve of more than 35 degrees in the neck and a curve of more than 60 degrees in the lower back likely indicates a problem.

ScienceDirect also points out that a kyphotic curve greater than 45 degrees may benefit from treatment. Additionally, a loss of the typical lordotic curve may lead to conditions such as flat-back syndrome. When viewed from the back aka posterior , it can also shift to one side or another. This is not a normal movement.

Any deviation to the left or the right by more than 10 degrees meets the definition for scoliosis. SpineUniverse accurately states that about 3 million cases are diagnosed each and every year in the United States. However, very few of these cases require surgical intervention. Other sorts of curves in the spine may arise from a variety of diverse causes.

Lordosis can be caused by osteoporosis, bone cancer, obesity, and spondylolisthesis a condition that occurs when a vertebra becomes displaced.