Scoliosis is an abnormal side-to-side curvature of the spine. Adult onset scoliosis, also known as degenerative scoliosis, occurs in patients over age 50. The condition develops when the facet joints and intervertebral discs in your spine degenerate with age. One study cited by Spine-health estimates that 60 percent of Americans over age 60 have at least mild adult scoliosis.
Often, degenerative scoliosis has no symptoms, but if your condition starts to cause backaches or shooting pain down your legs, it’s time to seek medical intervention. Here’s a look at your adult onset scoliosis treatment options.
Physical Therapy
The purpose of physical therapy for adult scoliosis is to keep the joints and soft tissues limber, as well as strengthen your back muscles. Regular physical therapy sessions can reduce the pain of scoliosis.
Weight Loss
A healthy weight promotes a healthy back by decreasing the pressure along your spine. If you’re overweight, set a goal to lose a few pounds, and you may find the pain from adult onset scoliosis decreases.
Pool Exercises
If you’re looking for a safe, effective way to get physical exercise and lose weight with scoliosis, the pool is a great place to go. Your body is naturally buoyant in water, which helps to offset the effects of gravity. You can exercise by yourself, in a class, or with the assistance of a water therapy expert.
Improved Nutrition
Eating better is another effective way to lose weight. Plus, eating anti-inflammatory foods and taking the nutritional supplements your doctor recommends can help reduce the inflammation associated with scoliosis. Also, make sure you drink enough water to keep your spinal discs lubricated for pain-free movement.
Ice and Heat Therapy
While they’re not permanent solutions for scoliosis back pain, ice and heat therapy are useful for controlling your symptoms. Applying an ice pack wrapped in a towel for 10 to 15 minutes a few times per day helps to reduce inflammation that may occur after increased physical activity. Then, applying a heating pad or hot water bottle provides relief for stiff muscles by increasing blood flow to your back.
Adult Onset Scoliosis Treatment at Spine Correction Center
We offer non-surgical, non-bracing adult onset scoliosis treatment options at our Fort Collins office. Whether you live in Northern Colorado or Southern Wyoming, or you’re willing to fly in for one of the best scoliosis treatment programs in the country, we can treat you!
Standard Treatment for Northern Colorado/Southern Wyoming Residents
We encourage patients who live within a three-hour radius of Fort Collins to try our standard scoliosis treatment program. This is considered the standard program because it follows a comfort schedule, with 30-minute to two-hour appointments stretched over three or four months. A combination of muscle warm-ups, spinal manipulation, active body orthotics, and other rehabilitative procedures “retrain” your brain to more effectively hold and stabilize your spine in the proper place.
Intensive Treatment for Out-of-Town Patients
People come from all over the US, and even from around the world, to participate in our intensive scoliosis treatment program. We invite you to stay at a nearby hotel for the duration of the program, which is intensified and shortened to just seven to 14 days. Treatment involves undergoing one to three sessions per day. The results are amazing – our patients experience an average curvature reduction of 25 to 50 percent after completing our intensive program!
Receive Adult Onset Scoliosis Treatment at Spine Correction Center
The goal of both our standard and intensive treatment programs is to relieve your pain, stabilize and reduce your spinal curvature, and return you to a healthy way of life. If you’re interested in learning more, please schedule a free scoliosis consultation at Spine Correction Center in Fort Collins today! If you live out of town, call us at (970) 658-5115 for a fee initial phone consultation.
