Scoliosis - how to understand that your spine is screaming for help

Scoliosis of the 3rd degree is one of the most serious back diseases, leading to multiple disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the appearance of a large rib hump, curvature of the spinal column and human skeleton, and even disability. As a result of displacement and twisting of the vertebrae, deformation of the chest and spine, a violation of posture, noticeable to the naked eye, and a distortion of the entire body occur. Internal organs may also undergo negative changes: they are displaced and their functions are disrupted.

Scoliosis of the 3rd degree has a pronounced deformation of the spinal column: from 26 to 50-60 degrees. Without proper timely treatment, the disease can progress. In addition to the increasing curvature and pronounced asymmetry of the shoulders and shoulder blades, the patient may complain of:

• severe headaches;
• pain when moving the body and other parts of the body;
• tingling/numbness of the lower/upper extremities;
• limited mobility;
• loss of sensation in any part of the body;
• nervous system disorders;
• impaired functioning of internal organs;
• labored breathing.

Signs and symptoms of grade 3 scoliosis in children and adolescents

• The most basic symptom of third-degree scoliosis is the so-called rib hump, which is visible to the naked eye.

• Another obvious sign of this disease is the retraction of the ribs on the side opposite the costal hump.

• Obvious asymmetry of the pelvis.

• The mammary glands of teenage girls are located asymmetrically.

• With scoliosis of the third degree, the torsion of the vertebral bodies at the apex of the curvature arc is very pronounced and noticeable during an external examination of the child.

• With this disease, muscle deformations are also noticeable - an uneven and asymmetrical arrangement of muscle cords, humps and ridges on the child’s body.

• With the third degree of scoliosis, the muscles on the child’s abdomen are usually very weakened.

• The anterior costal arches protrude greatly.

• On the side on which the spine is concave, the ribs are close to the ilium.

• Third degree scoliosis is characterized by severe and persistent back pain.

CLASSIFICATION OF SCOLIOSIS:

Depending on origin:

I Idiopathic (dysplastic)

II Congenital

III Neurofibromatosis

IV Neuromuscular (poliomyelitis, SMA, Charcot-Marie, Friedreich's disease, spastic paralysis, myelomeningocele, arthrogryposis)

V Mesenchymal pathology (Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome)

VI Rheumatoid diseases (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis)

VII Traumatic deformities (fractures, post-laminectomy deformities)

VIII Due to contractures of non-vertebral localization (empyema, burns)

IX Osteochondrodysplasia (achondroplasia, multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia)

X-ray classification of scoliosis (according to orders of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation):

1st degree. Curvature angle 1° - 10°.

2nd degree. Curvature angle 11° - 25°.

3rd degree. Curvature angle 26° - 50°.

4th degree. Angle of curvature > 50°.

Currently, the Lenke classification is the most widely used:

There are 6 main types of curvature:

Type 1 – the main thoracic curve is structural, countercurvatures are not structural

Type 2 – two structural arcs of curvature in the thoracic region

Type 3 – two structural arches in the thoracic and thoracolumbar (lumbar) regions

Type 4 - three structural curves, two thoracic and one thoracolumbar (lumbar)

Type 5 – structural curvature in the thoracolumbar (lumbar) region; anti-curves are not structural

Type 6 – the main structural curve is lumbar (thoracolumbar) and it is greater than the structural thoracic curvature by 5 ° or more, the upper thoracic countercurvature is non-structural.

For what reasons can scoliosis progress and go into the third degree?

As doctors know, there are no causes of scoliosis as such. A disease that is observed in the early stages in two children, given the same workload, lifestyle, and nutrition, in one child may disappear with age, and in the other it can progress to third-degree scoliosis, which is very difficult to treat conservatively and usually requires surgical correction. There are no reasons for this progression, but there are factors that contribute to the rapid development of the disease.

Both parents and children need to know about these dangerous factors in order to avoid them as much as possible:

1. Excessive physical stress experienced by the child’s spine: frequent and prolonged static position in one position, lifting and carrying various weights, playing certain sports with stress on the spine, etc. 2. A metabolic disorder in which the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus suffers - this often happens with diseases of the endocrine glands. 3. Injuries of the spine, back muscles, blood vessels, ligaments, nerves, intervertebral discs. 4. Changes in muscle tone on the child’s back.

What it is?

During normal development, the human spine has four curves. They help compensate for the load on the axial skeleton and act as shock absorbers. Normally, the human spine should not have lateral bends, and any such deviation is a pathology and belongs to the category of scoliosis. The disease occurs in four stages.

Scoliosis of the third degree is not just a slight stoop, but a serious curvature of the ridge. The disease is a common cause of disability at a young age.

The deformation is accompanied by pronounced symptoms. Visually you can notice a huge hump and sunken ribs. There is a skewed pelvis, as well as weakness of the abdominal muscles. There is a pronounced stoop, as well as asymmetry of the shoulder blades and shoulders.

Curvature of the spinal column can be localized in the neck, chest and lower back. The pathology tends to progress, resulting in changes in the location of the vertebrae. Curvature of the ridge affects the functioning of internal organs. Scoliosis of the third degree is often accompanied by torsion, or twisting of the spine.

On a note! The angle of curvature of the spinal column at the third stage is 26–50 degrees.

The pathology can be congenital or acquired. Patients are often diagnosed with “idiopathic (dysplastic) scoliosis,” meaning that the true causes of the deformity are unknown.

Scientists put forward etiological theories. They can only guess what could cause the curvature. Scoliosis can be neurogenic, post-traumatic, or dystrophic in nature. Among the hypotheses put forward by doctors are the following:

• disruption of the production of a substance that reduces the elasticity of muscle fibers;
• impaired absorption of calcium, which leads to increased contractility of skeletal muscles;
• abnormal bone growth, which may cause some vertebrae to grow faster than others.

The term “idiopathic scoliosis” indicates the unclear nature of the pathology.

Can grade 3 scoliosis in children and adolescents be treated?

With second degree scoliosis in children, it is especially important that the disease, if present, is diagnosed as early as possible - after all, second degree scoliosis can be treated in the initial stages of its manifestation. In older adolescents and as it progresses, therapeutic, restorative and preventive measures are aimed not at correcting scoliotic spinal deformity, but at stabilizing the condition and strengthening the muscular corset of the abdomen and back.

Prevention

The following recommendations will help you avoid spinal curvature:

• avoid injury;
• move more;
• do exercises in the morning;
• take a walk in the fresh air, walk more;
• alternate work and rest;
• watch your posture;
• lead a healthy lifestyle;
• properly equip your workplace;
• enrich your diet with vitamins and microelements;
• Treat orthopedic diseases in a timely manner.

Regarding the prevention of scoliosis in children, it is important for parents to ensure that correct posture is maintained. You should not plant infants before they can do it themselves. Take a walk with your baby every day, this will help saturate the child’s body with vitamin D. Enroll your child in a sports section. Physical activity has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

Hygiene

For wearing comfort, the body should be wearing a cotton T-shirt that does not create raised folds and fits snugly to the body.

You should carefully monitor the condition of the skin under the corset. Regularly inspect and treat it with antiseptics.

Constant contact with the polymer (even through fabric) can lead to irritation and diaper rash. To avoid this, you need to carefully care for the skin in the corrected areas. Proper care will keep your skin soft and healthy even when wearing a corset for a long time.

Surgery

Surgical intervention is indicated in particularly advanced situations when other methods of treating the spine have failed. Surgical treatment restores the natural shape of the spinal column and ensures the preservation of its growth.

Spinal fusion

Spinal fusion is a type of surgical intervention on the spine, which is aimed at immobilizing the vertebrae to relieve pain. During the operation, a special design is introduced, thanks to which individual segments of the spine grow together and lose mobility. A very effective procedure for pronounced painful manifestations of scoliosis.

Wearing a corset

The technology involves wearing a corset for about 22 hours every day; you need to get used to it gradually.

On average, it takes 10-20 days to get used to the Chenault corset. The duration of wearing gradually increases every day, up to 22-23 hours a day.

You also need to sleep in a corset; the remaining hour of the day is devoted to treating the skin, changing underwear and correcting fasteners. In total, you can spend no more than 4 hours without a corset during the day.

Puts on while standing, fastens while lying down. To fasten the corset, you need a second person to properly tighten the fastenings. The corset must be tightened exactly as prescribed by the doctor; loosening is unacceptable. Otherwise, if the corset is not tightened properly, the corrective function will not be performed at all, and the corseting becomes meaningless.

In the first hours of wearing, the corset puts maximum pressure on the “necessary” zones; it feels very uncomfortable. But it is precisely at this time that the main “work” of aligning the spinal column occurs, and all subsequent hours the spine simply adapts to the shape of the structure.

How does a corset work?

The corset immediately affects 50 areas in three planes. Inside the corset there are pressure zones, opposite which there are expansion zones that look like chamber openings. These chambers accommodate tissues that are displaced during the correction of the position of the vertebrae.

Roughly speaking, the corset compresses and deforms the spine in such a way as to bring its position back to normal.

With proper creation and wearing of a corset in combination with gymnastics, you can correct the position of the spinal column by 10-15 degrees in a few months without surgery.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of scoliosis includes medical history, examination and neurological status. The medical history may include questions about the parents' genealogy. Has anyone in your family had scoliosis? If so, was any treatment given? In addition, the patient’s age and the onset of puberty are important to determine how many years are left before the completion of skeletal formation. As a rule, the progression of scoliosis less than 40-45 degrees stops after skeletal formation is completed. If the degree of curvature is more than 40-45, then progression can continue after maturation. Examination and neurological status allows us to establish a starting point for monitoring the development of the disease. A typical examination looks like this: