If you're looking for some tips on how to treat your adult scoliosis, you've come to the right place!

Scoliosis is an abnormal side to side curve in the spine. It can occur anywhere along the spine and is considered a deformity. For all age groups, about 7 million people (1-2% of the US population) have scoliosis. In approximately 85% of the cases, the cause is unknown. The severity of this deformity may range from mild to severe, but most of the time it's mild.

Many people think of scoliosis as a children's health issue, but it afflicts adults as well. For some, scoliosis begins in childhood, but the pain doesn't start until later in life. For others, it actually starts in adulthood. This can occur if you were to fracture bones in your spine, if you have degenerative changes in your spine (often related to aging), or if you've had conditions such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, polio or muscular dystrophy. http://www.umm.edu/spinecenter/education/adult_scoliosis.htm

If you are an adult struggling to keep up with your straight-spine counterparts, you are not alone. There are a number of ways to manage pain and increase your ability to participate in your favorite activities. Some of them involve going to the doctor, and others are things you can do for yourself. First, you'll assess yourself and your treatment needs.Then you'll learn about your options. And finally, you'll get pro-active about taking care of your spine. Unless you have surgery, you probably won't achieve a straight spine, but you can make your life a lot easier by taking charge of your condition.

"A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step." http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/24004.html

When Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said this, he expressed that no matter how far you have to go, you'll begin right where you are. When the journey is about managing your scoliosis, it pays to be aware of the starting point.

Self-assessment means taking stock of your postural alignment, and how the deformity affects the life you live. The first thing you can do is a visual assessment. A visual assessment isn't a definitive diagnosis, but it can give you something to talk about with your doctor. Look in the mirror to do this or have a friend or family member perform the assessment for you.

• Look to see if one shoulder and/or hip is higher than the other.
• From the back, is one side of your ribcage shaped like a hump?
• Does one side of your trunk tend to collapse?

Any one of these may be a sign of scoliosis.

Another component of self-assessment is to evaluate how much the condition interferes with your life. You can do this by asking yourself a few key questions:

• Does the deformity limit your participation in family or social activities?
• Does it curtail your job performance? Limit your workout?
• How much pain do you live with every day?
• How is your general health and fitness?
• Do you feel you can breathe deeply without pain or constriction?
• Add your own questions to this list.

It can be helpful to keep a journal of these things. At the very least, write down the results from your assessment and the answers to your questions. Keep track of the right and left sides of your body. This will come in handy when you use the information to speak with the professionals you work with such as your doctor, physical therapist, massage therapist or personal trainer.

You should also get an evaluation by a doctor. She will also do a visual assessment, along with a physical exam. She'll most likely take x-rays of your spine and measure your Cobb angle. The Cobb angle is useful information that specifies how severe your curves are. http://backandneck.about.com/od/c/g/cobbsangle.htm

Okay, now that you know where you're at with your scoliosis, it's time to research your options. As an adult, your spine is what they call "skeletally mature". This means you've finished growing. It's more difficult, if not impossible, to reduce the curve in your bones once you're skeletally mature. But much of the pain of scoliosis is due to weak and tight spinal muscles that support and adapt to the curves. There's work you can do with exercise and lifestyle changes that may help you manage your pain There are also medical treatments. Here's a list:

• Physical Therapy - You'll get exercises and lessons on good body mechanics for common daily activities. You might also get manual therapy to help release tight muscles. The Scroth Method is a type of physical therapy that uses very specialized exercises and lifestyle counseling to address scoliosis. Case studies from Scroth physical therapists indicate that it may be possible to avoid surgery by using this method. Keep in mind that most of these results were noticed in young people. http://www.schrothmethod.com/clinical-scoliosis-studies Some people have good luck with Pilates based rehabilitation. If you go this route, you'll need to work one-on-one with a PT who is also a Pilates instructor, and who has advanced training in Pilates based rehab for scoliosis. Another possibility is yoga. It's more of a lifestyle fix, but yoga can help you improve your alignment and develop balance.
• Spinal epidural injections may help relieve pain. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/multimedia/transcripts/orr_adult_scoliosis_transcript.aspx
• Braces are often worn by children with 20 to 40 degree curvature. The hope is that the brace will help straighten the spine. For adults, though, its too late to try to straighten it. Instead, braces are used for pain relief (but not very often).
• Surgery should be tried as a last resort. It carries a lot of risks to your health. Usually, a doctor will only do surgery if your curve is 50 degrees or more and you are in constant pain, or if your curve keeps getting worse and you're in pain. If your curve is 60 degrees, your doctor will probably strongly recommend surgery. http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/scoliosis/scoliosis-adults Spinal fusion with hardware is usually the surgery done for scoliosis. A new surgery called osteotomy may replace the need for a brace.

You're probably seeking treatment for your scoliosis so you can control your pain. Remember, surgery poses health risks, including the possibility that it might not relieve your pain. Unless you truly are a candidate for surgery (curve is greater than 50 degrees and you're in constant pain, or curve keeps getting worse and you're in constant pain), it's best to fully invest yourself in conservative treatments and exercise. As an adult with scoliosis, its up to you to take responsibility for your pain.

Beyond the conventional medical treatment of medications, braces and epidural injections, some things to try for managing scoliosis pain are:

• Chiropractic. A good chiropractor may be able to help align your pelvis and spine as much as it will go. But if the chiropractor promises a reduction in your curves they are pulling your leg. There is no evidence from research studies that chiropractic can reverse scoliosis curves. http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2009/04/consumer-reports-survey-hands-on-therapies-among-top-rated-treatments-for-back-pain.html

• Massage. Massage can help release tight muscles and relieve muscle-related pain.

• Be active and maintain your ideal weight. Low impact aerobic activity such as swimming may be particularly helpful.

• Exercise. Exercise is a very effective way to manage back pain in general. For adults with scoliosis, exercise that also emphasizes alignment can help you work through tension and weak spots that keep you from moving as fully as you can.

• Keep your bones healthy. Build your bone mineral density with calcium and vitamin D supplements and weight bearing exercise.

• Give up smoking.

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact a doctor before using the information presented here.