Pain Physicians NY (Brooklyn & NYC) provides a full range of advanced pain management services including Scoliosis Diagnosis & Treatment. We help our patients return to a healthy and pain-free life style. We provide the most effective Scoliosis treatments available.
What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine on one side, which usually occurs just before puberty. Most cases of scoliosis are mild, but sometimes it can be very severe and it even intends to get worse as the child grows. Severe scoliosis can be disabling, causing also other health problems, especially problems with the lungs. Severe scoliosis is also extremely painful.
What causes Scoliosis?
The real cause of Scoliosis in most of the cases is not known. However, heredity seems to play an important role.
Risk factors for developing Scoliosis include:
- Sex – girls usually develop worse curves of scoliosis, which require treatment when compared to boys. However, both girls and boys can develop scoliosis at about the same rate.
- Age – scoliosis usually develops just before puberty, during growth spurt
- Family history – genetics seems to play an important role. Scoliosis tends to run in the families, so normally having someone in your family with scoliosis, puts your child at a higher risk of suffering from scoliosis.
Signs and symptoms of Scoliosis
Scoliosis signs and symptoms include:
- Uneven shoulders
- Uneven waist
- One hip higher than the other
- One shoulder blade more prominent than the other, etc.
In severe cases of scoliosis, the spine will also rotate and twist making the ribs, become more prominent on one side of the body.
How is Scoliosis diagnosed?
A detailed anamnesis combined with a physical examination is necessary for the correct diagnosis of Scoliosis. A neurological examination is also routinely performed in these cases, when the doctor check’s your child for any numbness, muscle weakness, abnormal reflexes, etc.
X-rays of the spine are routinely performed, during which scoliosis and its severity are revealed.
How is Scoliosis treated?
Most children with mild cases of scoliosis require no treatment. However, they do require regular check – ups every four to six months in order to keep a track of the progression of the spinal curvature.
Treatment is usually required more in girls than boys. Larger curves are more likely to worsen with time. S-shaped curves and double curves tend to get worse more than C-curves. Curves located in the thoracic region of the spine are more likely to get worse than curves located in the upper and lower parts of the spine.
Once the bones of the child stop growing the risk of the curvature to get worse are lower.
In all the above mentioned cases treatment is usually required, as the curvature may progress and sometimes even lead to serious complications.
Braces are a treatment option for scoliosis in cases when the bones of the child are still growing. Wearing the brace won’t cure scoliosis and won’t reverse the curvature, but it can stop its progression. Braces are invisible under the clothes and they are typically made of plastic. Braces are worn during night and day. The effectiveness of the braces will be higher if the child wears it as much as possible during a day.
Surgery is another treatment option in cases when the curvature of the spine is severe and it continues to progress. Spinal fusion is the most common type of surgical treatment, during which two or more bones are joined together so they are fixed and can’t move separately.
Pain Physicians NY (Brooklyn & NYC) provides a full range of advanced pain management services to help our patients return to a healthy and pain-free life style. Our approach to pain care is individualized, and we providing the most effective treatments and utilizing the latest technologies available in USA. The pace at which technology is growing can make last year’s methods obsolete. Our team is always at the top of their game and at the head of the pack.
We always consider a non-invasive treatment options first before we turn to more invasive procedures like minimally invasive surgery.
Pain Management Brooklyn
2279 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11223
(718) 998 – 9890
Pain Management Downtown Brooklyn
26 Court Street, #309, Downtown Brooklyn, NY 11242
(718) 998 – 9890