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Adult scoliosis treatment
The treatment of scoliosis adults previously did not exist.
Doctors recommended to their patients the use of painkillers to treat pain and any form of exercise when they were not in pain.
As for the deformities caused by Scoliosis in the body, the solution was surgery with extensive spinal fusion.
Of course, neither the solution of the drugs, nor the exercise in general did not help to treat it.
And we are not talking about the surgery with its various complications.
Treatment of adult scoliosis with the Individual Model
The system of the Individual Model in Adults is one holistic treatment system
1- First of all, the patient starts with the exercises of the Schroth and SEAS methods, at first gently, with easy exercises that do not cause pain, wearing the brace after the exercises. Later the exercises become more intense and difficult.
2- Also trained in analgesic pain relief exercises such as the Mc Kenzie method.
3- The patient should enter a nutritional program for weight loss. Its weight should be less than normal.
4- Should be trained in lifestyle change instructions (weight lifting, crouching with bent legs, etc.) and sleep (mattress change, etc.).
5- The correction of concomitant coditions such as Thyroid gland, hormonal disorders, osteoporosis etc should be balanced with the right treatments.
Exercises for Adults from 19 years old
up to the Elderly.
The exercises are usually done in one-hour seminars. All the exercises that are suitable for the specific patient and his condition are taught.
Special type of scoliosis brace for adults Rigo- Cheneau
Clarifyingly, the brace does not function as in adolescents like a mold in which the adolescent grows and scoliosis is corrected.
But as a tool that holds and makes permanent the result of the exercises.
So the use of the brace in adults makes sense if the exercises have been done before it is applied.
It should be applied immediately after the exercises for at least 8 hours.
It can be applied in the morning, in the afternoon or at night, as long as the exercises are done.
The first results are visible to the patient within a quarter and the treatment lasts as long as the scoliotic angle stops shrinking.
At the end of Adult Scoliosis treatment the patient receives a maintenance program with exercises lasting 15 minutes.
This program should be applied throughout his life daily.
A few words about the basis of the adult scoliosis treatment
In adult scoliosis the biggest problem of both pain and intense deformity is in the degeneration of the intervertebral discs.
In the middle side (the concave) of the scoliotic curve.
There the disks receive the largest loads through the movement of the center of gravity, resulting in a wedge-shaped deformation.
Based on the laboratory-proven theory of Wuertz (J Orthop Res. 2009 September; 27 (9): 1235-1242) but also of O’Connell, on the biomechanics of the intervertebral discs, where they emphasized that:
“Restoring the height of the disc depends on the width and duration of the weight applied to the surrounding area (muscles and ligaments)“,
but also that: “Physical activity is able to promote the correction or postponement of disc degeneration“.
SPONDYLOS in 2009 for the first time in the world tried the combined therapy, with exercises of the asymmetric exercise programs Schroth and the specially designed braces of SPONDYLOS for each patient.
144 patients participated in the treatment of adult scoliosis and its results were presented at the international conference on Spinal Diseases SOSORT in Chicago in 2013.
After 6 months of treatment
Surgical treatment of adult scoliosis
Surgical treatment is intended for patients who have:
- Failure of conservative treatment
- Permanent sciatica and loss of spinal balance
- Limited functional activities and overall significantly reduced quality of life.
The goals of surgery are to restore the balance of the spine and reduce pain by decompressing nerve pressure.
Decompression with wide laminectomy.
It is usually used only on one or two vertebral levels in patients with pain in the legs from stenosis and smaller curves (<30 degrees).
In patients with more than two levels of stenosis and longer curves> 30 degrees, decompression without spinal fusion runs the risk of destabilizing the spine.
Surgical stabilization
It involves placing hooks, wires or screws on sections of the spine and using metal rods to connect the hooks together.
Spinal fusion
Patient bone grafts, cadaver or synthetic bone grafts are used to “stabilize” the spine in a straight position.
Osteotomy
A process in which the vertebral sections are cut and redefined.
Spine resection
Entire spine segments are removed before the spine is re-aligned.