Scoliotic disease, scoliosis

There is a word “scolios” in Greek, which translates as “curve.” With this word doctors specify the curvature of the spine, namely the lateral deviation of the vertical axis. The fact is that normally our spine is not perfectly flat. Outward and inward curvatures (lordosis and kyphosis) protect our spine from excessive loads keeping the body in a certain position while moving and carrying weights. Negative processes in our body develop only if these kyphosis and lordosis are excessive. However, even a small degree of lateral curvatures (scoliosis) of the spine is always pathology. And it’s not just a cosmetic defect, although the specific appearance with a pronounced or progressive scoliosis is always a tragedy for a person seeking to live a full-fledged life. This is especially true of young boys and girls. After all, it is in the childhood and youth period (up to 15 – 16 years) that a significant part of scoliosis is diagnosed.

The main problem is that due to changes in the configuration and chest capacity with pronounced lateral curvatures, internal organs (heart, lungs, stomach, liver, intestines, and large vessels) are always affected. Men are less tolerant to physical stress; women have problems with conception, pregnancy and childbirth. Moreover, very often the lateral deformity of the spine is just the tip of the iceberg, which is a sign of a much more serious pathology – tumor, tuberculosis, endocrine disorders.

The main causes of structural scoliosis development are:

• Prenatal development diseases leading to dysplastic violations of one or more vertebrae;
• Congenital chest anomaly – absence of ribs, additional ribs;
• Congenital connective tissue defect- neurofibromatosis, Marfan’s syndrome;
• Brain insufficiency due to cerebral palsy leading to innervation disruption of certain spinal parts;
• Osteoporosis (rarefaction of bone tissue) of the spine in rickets, parathyroid gland diseases, lack of calcium intake from food;
• Bone osteomyelitis;
• Dystrophic changes in cervical, thoracic and lumbar musculature;
• Tubercular vertebral body injury;
• Spinal injuries;
• Spinal tumours.

Recently, cases of scoliosis development of unexplained nature among young people have become more frequent. It is the so-called idiopathic scoliosis. It occurs in adolescence, in a period of rapid body growth. Moreover, girls suffer from idiopathic scoliosis several times often than boys. Apparently, this is due to the relatively weak back muscles, which is not able to enclose the spine in a full muscle frame. Not the last role in the development of idiopathic scoliosis plays an unbalanced diet with a low content of calcium salts, the rage of young people with soft drinks. As you know, carbon dioxide in the bubbles and phosphoric acid in the composition of synthetic inclusions contribute to the leaching of calcium salts from the body.

Varieties and degrees

Depending on the location, scoliosis can be cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or mixed (cervico-thoracic, lumbar-thoracic). You may have one or more arcs of curvature. In this regard, there are C-shaped scoliosis (with 1 arc), S-shaped (with 2 arcs) and Z-shaped (with 3 arcs). Most likely, the presence of 2 or 3 arcs is compensatory. With C-shaped scoliosis, the axis of the spinal column is deflected. In an effort to compensate this, the spine flexes in the opposite direction. In this regard, scoliosis is divided into compensated and uncompensated. In case of compensated spinal curvatures, the vertical line lowered from the 7^th cervical vertebra, passes through the fold between the buttocks.

Curvatures of the spine are often combined. For example, in the thoracic region, in addition to lateral curvature, pathological kyphosis is noted, or simply a hump. In these cases we mean breast kyphoscoliosis. In addition, with large degrees of scoliosis, in addition to lateral displacement of the vertebrae, torsion is noted. In literal translation, this means twisting. Indeed, with many scoliosis, vertebral bone tissue curls along its vertical axis.

Depending on the curvature arc angle there distinguished 4 degrees of scoliosis:

• 1^st degree – the angle of curvature does not exceed 10 degrees. The asymmetry practically can not be identified by the eye. Attention is drawn to stoop, uneven level of the shoulder girdle.
• 2^nd degree – the angle of curvature amounts from 11 to 25 degrees. At this stage, the torsion of the vertebrae can already be noted. There is a visible asymmetry of the shoulder girdle and pelvis. Because of the pathological muscle tension, a muscular cushion is formed in the lumbar region from the concave side, and in the thoracic region – from the convex side.
• 3^rd degree – the curvature amounts from 26 to 50 degrees. There are visible chest deformations, the retraction of the intercostal spaces from the concave side of the curvature and bulging from the convex side. A weakening of the abdominal press is also noted.
• 4^th degree – the angle of curvature exceeds 50 degrees. The cosmetic defect and all previous signs are expressed. Person has a low tolerance even for small physical exertion. In addition to the musculoskeletal system, internal organs also suffer.

The angle can vary depending on the position of the body; herewith there is stable and unstable scoliosis. In case of unstable scoliosis, the angle decreases in the lying position, when the load on the spinal column decreases. With a stable spinal curvature its value remains unchanged.

Symptoms

Nowadays, orthopaedists often use the term “scoliotic disease” and denote a set of those negative changes that occur in the body when spine is curved. As a rule, scoliotic disease develops in childhood and adolescence, during the formation of the musculoskeletal system. At this time there is a high probability that scoliosis will progress.

In case of scoliotic disease along with the spine the chest changes secondary. The so-called costal humpback appears – from the convex side of the curvature the intercostal spaces widen, and from the concave side they retract. In case of 4^th degree scoliosis the deformation of the chest is so significant that the lower ribs on the side of curvature touch the iliac crest.

Due to severe chest deformity, a full-fledged excursion during breathing is difficult. As a result, the body with severe scoliosis does not receive the required amount of oxygen – the so-called chronic hypoxia develops with a violation of all metabolic processes in the body. Pathology is aggravated by the fact that the internal volume and shape of the chest cavity changes. Because of this, blood circulation through the vessels is disturbed, the lungs are affected, and the shape of the heart changes and chronic cardio-respiratory failure develops.

Similar changes occur in the abdominal organs in lumbar and lumbar-thoracic scoliosis: the motility of the stomach and intestines decreases, followed by enzymatic insufficiency of the digestive glands. All this only exacerbates exchange disorders. These violations often lead to late puberty of young men and women. In addition, due to lumbar scoliosis, the pelvis is again curved. This creates problems for expectant mothers with pregnancy and childbirth.

The treatment of scoliosis is always a difficult and important task. The doctors of “Bersenev’s Medical Centre” have developed a special treatment program for patients with scoliosis (scoliotic disease); all the medical effects, which are used for this pathology treatment, are mentioned in this program in a certain sequence and compatibility. The attending physician should control the effect of treatment throughout the course. In our clinic only a conservative treatment of scoliosis is used – this is a unique metameric treatment method developed by Dr. Bersenev.

To make an appointment for the consultation or treatment session, please, call (044) 238-22-31.