Scoliosis is unfortunately sometimes poorly understood by the world at large. The simple explanation of scoliosis is that it’s a sideways curvature and rotation of the spine, a condition that may or may not is detected early on in life. 2-3% of children and teenagers have scoliosis in the United States. Worldwide, up to 30% of adults may have this condition. Sometimes it’s completely painless if it’s a mild case of scoliosis. Sometimes, though, it’s devastatingly painful and causes lifelong disability.
Many different conditions inside the body affect the development of scoliosis. For example, it’s partly caused by abnormal development, or it may be the result of weaker bones than normal. All of it amounts to one thing: it can be painful to sufferers, and if it’s painful enough, a simple diagnosis won’t be enough. It’s also a progressive disease that tends to get worse if it’s neglected, so no one should shrug off a scoliosis diagnosis. If you or your spouse know you have scoliosis, it’s time to get serious about what your disease is and find ways to combat it with treatment.
Symptoms of Scoliosis
Scoliosis generally begins to cause pain when the curve in the spine is greater than 45 degrees, but this isn’t always the case. There might be pain at any time. In addition to the pain sufferers must endure, there are also other signals that you might have scoliosis:
- Bump in the back
- Trouble remaining a straight posture
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of height
In addition to all of these symptoms, scoliosis can also cause muscle weakness, pain, and even chest pain. With so many unpleasant symptoms to cope with, it’s hard to deal with scoliosis, but it’s also hard to watch someone else you love suffering from it. You may feel helpless. Understand that scoliosis truly is a serious condition, and over the course of a lifetime, it becomes worse, so it’s also a degenerative disease that gets worse, never better, without treatment. The great news is that scoliosis does get better with treatment, and you have a large number of treatment options to explore.
Helping a Spouse with Scoliosis
Whether your spouse has had scoliosis since they were a child, or they’ve recently been diagnosed, it’s hard to watch someone you love struggle with a chronic disease. They might feel just as helpless as you, thinking there’s no help out there, and they just have to “be strong” and deal with it. Sometimes being strong isn’t enough, though, and sometimes it makes matters worse, especially when scoliosis is a disease that has many treatment options available..
Talking with your spouse about their health condition is the first step to reaching a greater understanding together. Marriage is about being a team, and this is just another mountain you both have to climb together. That mountain will be much easier to climb once your spouse realizes that there might be treatment options that can help them overcome their scoliosis and alleviate the majority of its symptoms. Back braces mimic some of the benefits of surgery, as it helps to stabilize the pain and lessen the severity of symptoms. Once someone gets used to wearing the brace, it becomes much more comfortable and almost a part of the person.
Treatment Options
Scoliosis may be chronic, but it’s not untreatable. It’s not something you have to suffer with day in and day out. Even in the most severe cases of scoliosis, spine stabilization surgery can alleviate the worst of the symptoms and give you newfound relief. If the symptoms are milder, there may be other treatment options, such as massage, physical therapy, and back braces that help alleviate symptoms. Back braces have long been one of the most helpful of all tools in dealing with scoliosis..
It’s hard to believe, but there is almost no disease on earth today that doesn’t have some kind of treatment that will at least lessen its severity. 20 years ago maybe people didn’t have as many options to treat scoliosis as they do, but today there are many options to choose from, and you can sit down with your spouse and discuss all of them. The first conversation about a serious health condition is your first step toward getting help for your spouse. The second one is for them to pick up the phone and call us for help. We can help, call now 205-637-1363.
