What Is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is an exaggerated side-to-side curvature of the spine. This condition usually affects children during growth spurts, but it can also affect adults due to the spinal degeneration that often occurs along with the natural aging process. In adults, the condition is referred to as degenerative scoliosis.
What does it feel like to have scoliosis?
The symptoms of scoliosis can vary widely. Some people are aware of the condition only because it is visually apparent, which is often the case in children. When discomfort occurs, it can range from mild to debilitating. Degenerative scoliosis symptoms may take the form of:
- Back pain that worsens when the body is upright and improves when the body is prone
- Electric shock-like sensations in one or both legs
- Numbness in one or both legs
- Muscle weakness in one or both legs
In many cases, the discomfort is more pronounced in the morning, then gradually improves with activity and worsens again over the course of the day.
How is scoliosis treated?
In children, the focus of scoliosis treatment is usually to prevent moderate-to-severe spinal curvature from worsening. A back brace may be recommended for this purpose. Typically, a child would wear a brace until his or her bones stop growing.
In adults, the focus of scoliosis treatment is usually to address the degenerative changes that have caused the spinal curvature, rather than to correct the curvature itself. Nonsurgical treatments such as physical therapy, strengthening and stretching exercises and pain management may provide effective relief from mild-to-moderate symptoms. If degenerative scoliosis has resulted in spinal stenosis (narrowing), surgery may be recommended to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or an affected nerve root. To create space for compressed nerves, a surgeon may perform a laminectomy to remove a portion of the lamina (the bone that forms the “roof” over the spinal canal). In some cases, a surgeon may also perform a spinal fusion to help stabilize the spinal column.
At Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston, Texas, we offer a full spectrum of scoliosis treatments. If you’ve been diagnosed with scoliosis, you can consult with our neck and back pain specialists, physical therapists and in-house chiropractor to learn about your options for pain relief. We can recommend a customized treatment plan to help you achieve the best possible outcome and quality of life.
To request an appointment, contact Advanced Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine of Houston, TX, today.
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1Professional Building II At North Cypress Medical Center
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2North Cypress Professional Building At Lakewood Crossing
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3North Cypress Professional Building At Towne Lake
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4Advanced Orthopaedics Memorial
What Our Patients Are Saying
This Hospital/clinic is the best that will take care of your pain and ailments. I will never trust any one else but Dr. Alain Elbaz to heal my body. The staff is awesome, polite, respectful and as professional as the team that works with Dr. Elbaz. I recommend him and all the doctors in the clinic because of their experience and honesty.
I have been fighting chronic knee pain for ten years following a knee replacement, a bone infection, and subsequent knee revision surgery. After a number of failed solutions to pain relief, Dr. Patel introduced me to RF nerve ablation procedure which has been very effective in improving my quality of life. Dr. Patel’s professionalism and proficiency are sincerely appreciated.
Dr. Mohr and his staff are very friendly people. They treated my father very well and made him feel comfortable in his uncomfortable situation.
Yes, I would certainly recommend Advanced Orthopedics & Sports Medicine to family & friends. My wife and I both have been going to see Dr. Mills for the past year, and both of us have had hand surgery performed by same. He is always very polite, and will discuss all options with you, and will not cut you short of time. He listens, he’s very professional, and bottom line is he is a great doctor. Plus all the staff that we have had contact with are very polite, and professional. Dr. Mills assistant Ms. Alexia Wilburn gets an AA ++
She has been very professional & helpful getting us through our surgeries. Thanks goes out to everyone at Advanced Orthopedics & Sports Medicine for taking care of both of us
Dr mills is exceptional. I would recommend him to anyone
All the staff performed in a professional manner.All of my questions and concerned where explained to me so i could understand them. Great job all around. Thanks
Always treated promptly and kindly at AOSM. Thanks to Dr Mack and his team.
Dr. Bacon is hands-down the best doctor I have ever had (skills, knowledge, bedside manner, and more,) Garrett is an intelligent P. A. who is very approachable and answers any and all questions promptly, and Jose is warm, incredibly compassionate and genuinely shows great concern for the patients. He represents the practice very well. There are so many more positives to say about them, but not enough room! I highly recommend Team Bacon!
Doctor Brooks is the best. His advice to get lubricant injected into my knees has made my life so much better. Kudos!
They are very professional and attentive. I was having shoulder pain. The wait was short and staff very kind.Dr. Fehsenfeld examined gave me a shot in shoulder, and it is much improved.