The spine is a series of vertebrae extending from your skull to your lower back. It provides support for your skeletal structure, and ensures safety for the spinal cord. Having a straight spine is the normal situation for most of us, but there are people whose spines are not straight. These people are diagnosed with scoliosis. Scoliosis is not a disease, but is a term that is used to define a person with an abnormal spine. A normal spine typically appears straight. When the natural straight pattern of your spine is disrupted, it affects certain areas of your back more than others.
The most common areas that are affected are the chest, which is known as thoracic scoliosis; or the lower part of the back also known as lumbar scoliosis. Scoliosis will cause the spine to curve in one of three ways. It will either, curve to right, forming a single curvature depicting the shape of a backwards letter C; which is called dextroscoliosis. The spine can also curve left, when this occurs the spine will form a single curvature, similar to the letter C; also known as levoscoliosis.
Most often the spine will curve either right or left, although in some cases, it curves both left and right forming a shape similar to the letter S. This type of scoliosis has multiple names. There are three sections of the spine: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar. The top area of your spine is known as the cervical. The middle back is known as the thoracic, and the lowest part of your spine is known as the lumbar. Depending on the location of the curve, it can be classified as single thoracic, single lumbar, thoracolumbar, double thoracic, or double lumbar. This differentiates the conditions of the spine. Scoliosis can appear in many forms, Congenital, Neuromuscular, Degenerative, and Idiopathic.
Congenital scoliosis is caused by an abnormal bone appearance, which occurs from birth. Neuromuscular scoliosis is caused by abnormal muscles or nerves. Degenerative scoliosis will usually occur from injuries or illnesses that lead to the collapsing of a bone, osteoporosis which is the thinning of a bone can also be a cause, as well as people who have had back surgeries in their past. Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common type of scoliosis, which is caused multiple different things. How Does Scoliosis Affect Us? About 2 – 3% of Americans at the age of 16 have scoliosis.
Less than 0. 1% have curves in their spine that measuring greater than 40 degrees. Although, children may obtain scoliosis at an age as low as the age of 12 and as old as the mid years of adulthood. Scoliosis could last for years or last your whole life. Scoliosis occurs in three different configurations. The most common type of scoliosis, also known as Idiopathic, is a condition that affects those between the ages of 10 through 16. Idiopathic scoliosis may progress during the “growth spurt” years, however, it usually will not continue into adulthood, if treated properly.
Most spinal curvatures are usually detected during school screening exams, by the school’s nurse. Some indications that a child may have scoliosis include uneven shoulders, a prominent shoulder blade, uneven waist, or leaning to one side. The diagnosis of scoliosis and the determination of the type of scoliosis are then made by bone exams and sometimes even X-rays to evaluate the magnitude of the curve. If back pain is present, it will usually occur in a mild form and will not limit the patient from taking on any activity.
Although, in some cases patients can have more than the average amount of back pain. Patients who suffer more severe back pain are carefully evaluated in search for other causes not limited to scoliosis. Elderly patients with scoliosis usually have greater back pain due to arthritis or disc disease in the spine. The majority of children with scoliosis that have no known cause are observed at regular intervals of four to six months, including a physical exam and sometimes low-radiation X-rays, for observational purposes. Treatments for scoliosis include, but do not pertain to, braces and surgery.
If the patient has moderate scoliosis and the bones are still growing the doctor may recommend a brace. The purpose of bracing is to limit the progression of a curvature, although it will not reverse the effects. Braces are usually worn all the time, including at night. The more hours per day the patient wears the brace the more effective it tends to be. Although, bracing will not limit a patient’s activities, if they want to take part in any physical activity, the brace may be removed. Bracing is a very effective yet expensive choice to help correct spinal curvatures.
The price of a back brace ranges from 100 to 300 dollars. A brace can be plain white plastic or patterned according to what a child wants. A back brace is made up of plastic molded to shape the spine back into a straight line. A layer of compressed foam one centimeter deep lines the inside of the brace. Another option for treating scoliosis is an operation. It is sometimes advised for people who have curves beyond 40 degrees to 50 degrees. The aim of the operation is to make sure the curve does not get worse, stabilise the spine and also to fuse the curve, better known as joining the vertebrae together permanently.
However, surgery may not perfectly straighten the spine. If this is the case, metallic implants or rods are used to correct the remaining curvature and hold it in place, until the bone graft becomes stronger. A back brace creates an economic impact due to its prices and the fact that insurances may not cover it. As stated before, a back brace is very costly for a piece of plastic with foam and velcro. Another way the back brace is a problem, is all the plastic being used to make it due to plastic not being good for the environment.
Also, a back brace is not very comfortable in the opinion of many that have scoliosis. The key to making the back brace a better piece of technology is to make it more comfortable, better for the environment, and to lower the cost. Instead of using a thin layer compressed foam and plastic frame, a back brace can be made with a metal or wire frame on the inside of memory foam and thin plastic shell on the outside to keep the shape. To fasten the brace, velcro would still be acceptable to use like in the original design. Although you cannot create a completely environment friendly back brace.
You can limit the use of materials that are bad for the environment. For the plastic part of the brace, companies can have their manufacturers use reuse recycled plastic items to help our Earth. Instead of obtaining new metal, we can use metal scraps put together to form the frame by a machine that would make the frame with new and unused metal. If you cannot lower the cost of a back brace, kids and adults can work together to get more insurance companies to cover the price for a back brace so kids who can’t afford a back brace themselves, can get their scoliosis treated.
