Mild scoliosis of 15 degrees; 38 years old woman

[Anonymous]

I went to an orthopedic doctor since I’ve been having hip bursitis pain. He took X rays and discovered that I have a 15 degree curve scoliosis! I’m so shocked! He didn’t seem concerned and recommended PT.

Any experience or feedback you guys have?

[Anonymous]

Do the PT and keep it up with your home program. It won't get better on its own and without the strength it will curve more. DH has it. So do I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to an orthopedic doctor since I’ve been having hip bursitis pain. He took X rays and discovered that I have a 15 degree curve scoliosis! I’m so shocked! He didn’t seem concerned and recommended PT.

Any experience or feedback you guys have?

15 degrees is considered mild. Bear in mind there is a 5 degree margin of error. Schroth PT is specifically for scoliosis. If you see a general PT, make sure they understand scoliosis. You have a curve, but also a rotation. Often, the hips are involved. Stretching is important, too. You could do nothing and likely be fine until your 60's+, when pain can set in.

[Anonymous]

I wore a brace for scoliosis as a teen. My curves are in the 30-ish degree range and don't really affect my everyday life. I have some issues with flexibility and range of motion, but I attribute those to being immobilized in a brace for three years back when PT wasn't routinely prescribed for such things.

[Anonymous]

I also wore a brace (in the 90s) for 30+ degree curves (s-curve). It was recommended that I have surgery but... I didn't. I'm okay on most days, but if I fall or lift wrong, I can easily throw my back out.

I hear everyone saying "PT", but honestly? PT is a bit of a crapshoot, IME. You may find someone who's knowledgeable, but most of the time, you'll see a doc for your intact and then assistants for most of your follow-up, and I've not found a full clinic of scoli-aware practitioners in several decades of experience. Staying generally fit, at a decent weight, and understanding your personal body mechanics and what modifications you need to make to daily activities, if any, is way more important longterm than PT. If you don't know how to move, aren't in shape, or are having some kind of active flare-up or issue that requires other modalities (TENS, dry needling, etc.) then yeah, PT. But beyond that, don't expect much more than some generic exercises you'll need to commit to doing regularly for yourself.

You can spend a LOT of money on a bunch of stuff that, IME, doesn't really make much difference. Personally, I've learned to just focus on staying reasonably fit and healthy, not putting too much extra weight on my body, and limiting activities that cause me repetitive stress.

tl;dr: 15 degrees is probably a nothingburger, depending on the particulars. You'll probably be just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wore a brace for scoliosis as a teen. My curves are in the 30-ish degree range and don't really affect my everyday life. I have some issues with flexibility and range of motion, but I attribute those to being immobilized in a brace for three years back when PT wasn't routinely prescribed for such things.

Do you have "negative abs" too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also wore a brace (in the 90s) for 30+ degree curves (s-curve). It was recommended that I have surgery but... I didn't. I'm okay on most days, but if I fall or lift wrong, I can easily throw my back out.

I hear everyone saying "PT", but honestly? PT is a bit of a crapshoot, IME. You may find someone who's knowledgeable, but most of the time, you'll see a doc for your intact and then assistants for most of your follow-up, and I've not found a full clinic of scoli-aware practitioners in several decades of experience. Staying generally fit, at a decent weight, and understanding your personal body mechanics and what modifications you need to make to daily activities, if any, is way more important longterm than PT. If you don't know how to move, aren't in shape, or are having some kind of active flare-up or issue that requires other modalities (TENS, dry needling, etc.) then yeah, PT. But beyond that, don't expect much more than some generic exercises you'll need to commit to doing regularly for yourself.

You can spend a LOT of money on a bunch of stuff that, IME, doesn't really make much difference. Personally, I've learned to just focus on staying reasonably fit and healthy, not putting too much extra weight on my body, and limiting activities that cause me repetitive stress.

tl;dr: 15 degrees is probably a nothingburger, depending on the particulars. You'll probably be just fine.

The hip issue could absolutely be related to the scoliosis and op standing in her curve. Schroth pt can help. It is specifically for scoliosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wore a brace for scoliosis as a teen. My curves are in the 30-ish degree range and don't really affect my everyday life. I have some issues with flexibility and range of motion, but I attribute those to being immobilized in a brace for three years back when PT wasn't routinely prescribed for such things.

Do you have "negative abs" too?

If you mean flat from essentially being corseted during puberty, pretty much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wore a brace for scoliosis as a teen. My curves are in the 30-ish degree range and don't really affect my everyday life. I have some issues with flexibility and range of motion, but I attribute those to being immobilized in a brace for three years back when PT wasn't routinely prescribed for such things.

Do you have "negative abs" too?

If you mean flat from essentially being corseted during puberty, pretty much.

Yep. I still like wearing corsets, too. I find them both comfortable and comforting to my inner kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also wore a brace (in the 90s) for 30+ degree curves (s-curve). It was recommended that I have surgery but... I didn't. I'm okay on most days, but if I fall or lift wrong, I can easily throw my back out.

I hear everyone saying "PT", but honestly? PT is a bit of a crapshoot, IME. You may find someone who's knowledgeable, but most of the time, you'll see a doc for your intact and then assistants for most of your follow-up, and I've not found a full clinic of scoli-aware practitioners in several decades of experience. Staying generally fit, at a decent weight, and understanding your personal body mechanics and what modifications you need to make to daily activities, if any, is way more important longterm than PT. If you don't know how to move, aren't in shape, or are having some kind of active flare-up or issue that requires other modalities (TENS, dry needling, etc.) then yeah, PT. But beyond that, don't expect much more than some generic exercises you'll need to commit to doing regularly for yourself.

You can spend a LOT of money on a bunch of stuff that, IME, doesn't really make much difference. Personally, I've learned to just focus on staying reasonably fit and healthy, not putting too much extra weight on my body, and limiting activities that cause me repetitive stress.

tl;dr: 15 degrees is probably a nothingburger, depending on the particulars. You'll probably be just fine.

The hip issue could absolutely be related to the scoliosis and op standing in her curve. Schroth pt can help. It is specifically for scoliosis.

Dude... I know. I'm literally built with a snake spine, and have done Schroth and pretty much every other possible modality (and some weird woo shit, too). All PT amounts to the same thing: results may vary, and are largely dependent on your adherence to maintaining a treatment plan of long-term exercise. Schroth isn't some magical solution, nor is a schroth practitioner some sort of guarantee (the one I had was a bit shite, honestly).

But go off. I only have several decades of personal experience. What do I know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the PT and keep it up with your home program. It won't get better on its own and without the strength it will curve more. DH has it. So do I.

Sounds reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the PT and keep it up with your home program. It won't get better on its own and without the strength it will curve more. DH has it. So do I.

Sounds reasonable.

Yes this. I grew up with inadequate medical care and discovered mine as an adult. PT really works to build stabilizing muscles.

[Anonymous]

I have a similar curve, but discovered when I was an adolescent. I am significantly older than you. When you are done growing, it’s done worsening (unless you get osteoporosis and your spine starts collapsing).

I had PT as a teen but either had no effect or perhaps limited the curve a bit. Since my late 20s, I have done Iyengar yoga, which has a lot of tools for scoliosis.

This degree of curve absolutely does have implications for the anatomy of the whole trunk (you probably have one set of ribs that sticks out farther than the other, and you may be able to see this by sighting down your torso) but I have never had any pain related to it.

It’s generally a good idea to do strength training.

[Anonymous]

So sorry.

Back problems such as this are a degenerative disease and almost always get worse over time (sometimes it takes long periods of time). I had mild scoliosis for decades without knowing it. Later, I developed disc problems at the bottom of the curve, which were caused by the scoliosis. More recently, I am developing disc problems at the top of the curve.

PT cannot fix the underlying back defect. For some people, PT might help manage symptoms - especially in early stages, but for others it might not. Also, as the back deteriorates, PT is less and less likely to be helpful.

It very much matters which PT one uses. I have had PTs who would perform the evaluation (because the evaluation pays better than a regular visit) and then say they could not do anything for me. I have had other better PTs who would do the evaluation and other 8-10 sessions teach me specific exercises that helped me a bit in coping with symptoms. I do not have a specific PT I can recommend in metro DC. So far, they have ranged from mediocre to dud.

(Suggestions on specific names of PTs who are willing and able to help with back issues would be welcome.)