Medical App & Medical Advice with Hello Doctor

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a chronic condition in which your spine twists and curves to the side. If you have scoliosis, you might find it difficult to move in one direction because of the curve.

This sideways curvature usually occurs during the growth spurt period just before puberty. Due to this, children aged 10 to 15 are most at risk for developing this condition.

Common symptoms for scoliosis include:

  • Uneven shoulders
  • One shoulder blade that appears more prominent than the other
  • An uneven waist
  • One hip being higher than the other

What causes scoliosis?

There is no single cause for scoliosis, but some conditions and factors may increase the risk for developing it. Common risk factors include genetics. age and sex (girls are more likely to develop the condition).

Some conditions that increase the risk for scoliosis:

  • Neuromuscular conditions, like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy
  • Birth defects affecting the development of the bones of the spine
  • Injuries to or infections of the spine

Can scoliosis be treated?

Scoliosis can’t improve without treatment. In mild cases, however, discomfort is minor and there is no need for a serious interventions. .

Treatment for scoliosis depends on your age, the likelihood of the condition worsening and how severe the curvature is.

  • Babies and toddlers with scoliosis may not need treatment as their spine is still developing so may improve with time. Your doctor may fit a plaster cast or plastic brace on your child’s spine to stop the curve from worsening as they grow.
  • Older children may also have to wear a back brace to prevent the curve from worsening. In severe cases, surgery may be done to straighten the curve once the spine has stopped growing.
  • Treatment in adults may include spinal injections, painkillers and in rare severe cases, surgery.

Managing scoliosis

Before making any lifestyle changes to manage scoliosis, talk to your doctor. There are certain rehabilitation exercises, which if done correctly, could help restore spinal imbalances and reduce any symptoms of discomfort. However, its important to always talk to your doctor before trying any new exercises.

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Is your backache due to scoliosis? How to find out.

A constant pain in the back can place a real dampener on your day. This pain can stem from sports injuries or simply bad posture. But if yours persists, you may have scoliosis.

A curve that hurts

Scoliosis is the condition where your spine curves and rotates sideways in an unnatural way (almost like an S- or C-shape). This can affect your posture and movement, and cause pain and discomfort. There’s no known cause for scoliosis. In some cases, it may have been caused by an impact injury, an infection or disease. In other cases, the curve is only temporary and improves with age.

Do I have scoliosis?

If you have mild scoliosis, you won’t notice it immediately. It’s only when the condition progresses that you may notice your clothes hanging unevenly, that one hip or shoulder is higher than the other, or you struggle to sit up straight. While there’s nothing too much to worry about when you have scoliosis as a child, it can become more painful and visible as you age. If the scoliosis gets worse, your hip may rotate at the waist, causing your rib to abnormally stick out further than usual.

Treating the condition

Your doctor will review your family’s health history and your experience of pain and discomfort. You will most likely be referred to a back or spine specialist, who will do a spine examination to get an idea of how the curve of your spine is affecting you. Pain caused by scoliosis can be controlled with medication and spinal injections, and surgery in rare causes. There’s no need to wear a back brace.

Perfect your posture

  • Choose a backpack rather than a sling bag. Avoid carrying heavy loads.
  • Do exercises to strengthen your back and improve your posture.
  • Make sure your desk area is ergonomically friendly – that means comfortable, but also functional for your posture.
  • Sit up straight with your feet flat on the ground when you work at your desk.
  • Give Pilates a try. A study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies has shown that Pilates improves flexibility and pain in young adults suffering from scoliosis.

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Psoriasis, sclerosis and scoliosis: Know the difference

Confused about these medical tongue-twisters? Although the names sound similar, they are very different condition. Don’t get them confused!

Psoriasis affects the skin

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition which causes your skin cells to build up faster than normal, forming red, scaly patches on the surface of your skin. Psoriasis typically develops on your knees, elbows, and scalp, but can also develop on your hands, feet, neck, scalp, and mouth.

The causes

The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown, but these two key factors may be linked to its development:

  • Genetics. If someone in your family has psoriasis, you have a high risk for the condition.
  • Immune system. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are conditions in which the body attacks itself. In the case of psoriasis, your immune system mistakes your skin cells for intruders and attacks them. This causes new skin cells to develop too quickly, and build up on the surface of your skin as red, inflamed patches.

Psoriasis can also be triggered by a number of environmental factors, including:

  • Stress.
  • Smoking.
  • Heavy alcohol consumption.
  • Infections like strep throat or thrush.
  • A skin injury, e.g. a cut, scrape, or sunburn.
  • Certain medications, including those used to treat blood pressure, malaria, and bipolar disorder.

How it’s treated

There’s no cure for psoriasis, but topical creams and ointments can help. Your doctor may prescribe the following medications:

  • Biologics to alter your immune system and prevent interaction between your immune system and inflammatory pathways.
  • Cyclosporine to prevent your immune system’s response.
  • Methotrexate to suppress an overactive immune system.
  • Retinoids to reduce skin cell production.

Light therapy can also help ease psoriasis symptoms. This treatment uses ultraviolet or natural light to kill the overactive white blood cells that are attacking healthy skin cells.

Lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, drinking less and managing stress may also help.
Scoliosis affects the spine

Scoliosis is a condition that causes your spine to curve sideways. The letters “C” and “S” may be used to describe the curve. Scoliosis can affect any part of your spine, but most commonly the chest area and lower back. Scoliosis usually develops during the growth spurt before puberty.

The causes

  • Cerebral palsy, a group of neurological conditions that affect movement, motor skills, muscle tone, and posture.
  • Muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic disorders that cause weakness and loss of muscle mass.
  • Birth defects affecting the development of the bones of the spine, e.g. spina bifida (the incomplete development of the spinal cord).
  • Genetic conditions like Marfan syndrome (a disorder of the body’s connective tissues) and Down syndrome (a chromosomal disorder that causes developmental delays).
  • Injuries or infection of the spine.

How it’s treated

Most cases of scoliosis are mild and don’t need treatment. In severe cases, a back brace or surgery may be necessary to reverse or prevent the condition from worsening. Stretching exercises and physical therapy can also help improve flexibility and strengthen the back muscles.

Sclerosis affects the inside

Sclerosis is a general medical term used to describe the hardening of tissues, vessels, or organs from inflammation, overgrowth of connective tissue, or an increase in interstitial tissue. 

Types of sclerosis

Common conditions involving sclerosis are:

  • Multiple sclerosis: an inflammatory disorder that eats away at the protective coating of the nerves. This lifelong and often disabling disease attacks your central nervous system, affecting your brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a progressive and degenerative nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells, weakens muscles, and causes disability.
  • Systemic sclerosis: an autoimmune disease where there’s abnormal growth of connective tissue. This chronic disorder causes the skin and connective tissues to tighten and harden.
  • Tuberous sclerosis: a rare genetic disorder that causes non-cancerous tumours to develop in your brain and on other vital organs.
  • Lichen sclerosis: a chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes thin, white patches of skin, mainly in the genital area.

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