Dealing with Dextroscoliosis
Posted by: Blanca on: October 11, 2008
You wake up in the morning still feeling overly tired after a long night of sleep and sometimes with a humongous headache to top it all of. You do your usual thing and feels little bone snapping here and there as you move. You also have leg or hip pains especially after a long, tiring day. You just can’t stand being on your feet too long and sitting in that same position for long periods of time. These are generally what people with dextroscoliosis usually go through.
It is a burden, literally and figuratively, having dextroscoliosis because it affects the spine which supports our body and the rib cage which protects our internal organs. Dextroscoliosis is the slow, sideways rotating curvature of the spine together with the rib cage. Well, that’s actually to put it mildly and simply. If detected early, there’s a big chance for the spine to be corrected back to its proper, normal curve through series of therapy and back braces. But if detected too late, like in my case which is 45 degrees already, series of therapy not to correct the spine but to slow down the progress of the cruve is highly recommended. Spine surgery is also the only way at this point to correct the spine. There is also dextroscoliosis, like again in my case, that have corresponding curvature at the lower back or what you call “S” curve. The lower curvature compensate for the curvature in the upper back which helps in slowing down the progress of the curve in the upper back.
There’s no scientific evidences yet that suggest that scoliosis of any kind is hereditary or is in the genes. Rehab medicine points out to the kind of lifestyle a person has as the main reason for the development of scoliosis. Improper posture, constant carrying of heavy loads, lack of exercise, strenuous activities and sometimes accidents are just some of the major culprits. There are no medicines either that can cure scoliosis. Change of lifestyle is the only cure for scoliosis. Daily exercises recommended by your rehab doctor which sometimes consist of: Strengthening exercises for the back such as stretching in the direction opposite the curve, Curl ups or crunches to strengthen abdomen which should bear the brunt of the heavy load we carry, and stretching/strengthening exercises for the hips and hamstrings of the legs are highly recommended. Scheduled therapies for the back and hips for pain management are also required. The therapy machines which have internal heating capabilities, help relax the bunched up muscles which most often causes the pains. Adapting a healthy lifestyle such as eating healthy food especially those rich in calcium is very important. Loosing weight or keeping your weight in proportion with your height should also be practiced because excess weight strains the spine.
A person with scoliosis should adapt a positive attitude. For without this, you will feel that self-management of scoliosis will just be too hard and will just be too much too handle. Self-discipline should also be developed because without that all efforts of fighting off the progress of the curve will just go to waste. For those who have scoliosis like me, always remember that our back doesn’t set us apart from others, what sets us apart is our determination to not let this thing get in our way of enjoying and embracing life and everything that it has to offer…
Vive bene’ spesso l’ amore di risata molto (live well, laugh much and love often)
31 Responses to "Dealing with Dextroscoliosis"
October 12, 2008 at 2:58 am
Thanks brad for sharing the link and taking the time to read my blogs. Will do that! godbless.:)
October 24, 2008 at 7:02 am
Hello
I really enjoyed reading your blog. Recently I was diagnosed with scoliosis and I have been looking on the net for all sort of information on non-surgical treatments for scoliosis. I found http://www.scoliosisspecialists.com the leading provider of the Spinecor brace. Spinecor has changed my life, it’s a soft, dynamic scoliosis brace and I recommend it to anyone with idiopathic scoliosis. Well anyways, I look forward to all the updates. Thanks again.
Jessica
July 8, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Hi Jessica,
Is spinecor available here in Manila?? can you pls. give us more details of your experience using spinecor.. tnx. Also thanks to Blanca for your Email.. really appreciate the info.. God bless this Blog!!
October 24, 2008 at 7:13 am
Thanks Jessica for your comment and for sharing the link here of scoliosisspecialists. I’ll do more researches that can help us scoliotics and share it here in my blogsite. Godbless.:)
January 8, 2009 at 9:40 am
hi. you have just put in words every kind of discomfort that i feel everyday as i also have dextroscoliosis. i hope however that its not too late for me since my curve is still mild based on my previous xray that i took forgranted. ryt now, the pain is getting unbearable. i want to undergo treatment but don’t know exactly what to do. can you please tell me what do do at this point. what kind of doctor should i see and what medical institution herein manila have the best experts and program for scoliosis. hopefully my health insurance will cover for it. thanks.
January 8, 2009 at 10:52 am
hi ruth, thanks for leaving a message here…will email you my medical referrals in your email account. Godbless.:)
January 8, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Hi! I’m glad i found your blog it will really help a lot. Just this day i got my x-ray result and me too have this so called DEXTROSCOLIOSIS. I need a lot of friend to consult with. Pls get in touch. I think i got this thing because i use to sleep with my right hand under my buttock. Uuupsss… I’m not doing someting bad my hand is facing down my bed. I’m good girl!!! Wholesome… tomorrow I’ll be going to hospital for my follow up check up… I know I’ll be find. The Lord has a lot of plans for me to be used for His glory… Thanks a lot… The Father, Our Lord Jesus Christ bless us all…
January 9, 2009 at 1:11 am
Hi there, thanks for leaving a message in my blog and welcome to the club (hehehe)…the good thing about having dextroscoiliosis is you are not alone because I discovered that a lot of people out there have the same case and that you can do something about it…keep the faith girl! and do get in touch..:)
February 5, 2009 at 2:54 pm
im glad i found your blog.. thanks for sharing.. i just found out 2 days ago that i also have dextroscoliosis.. im trying to be positive with it.. Goodluck and God Bless~
February 6, 2009 at 12:26 am
Hi Len, thanks for leaving your comment here..that’s right let’s be positive about our case, there’s a lot that we can do so we can manage it right…hang in there! godbless.:)
April 7, 2009 at 3:53 am
hello we found out that my daughter has dextroscoliosis she is 12.
and she has a large knot in her chest between her breastbone we ask the radioligist and he said he hasnt seen anything like that in 16 yrs we was just courious if that has to do with the scoliosis we have a appt in a few days with the dr. but we are concerned if u read this please email me thanks,
a concerned parent
April 7, 2009 at 8:49 am
hi there robbie, thanks for leaving a comment here..I emailed my reply to you. godbless.:)
April 14, 2009 at 12:07 am
Hi I was told in Aug. of 2008 that I have mild dextroscoliosis I am 32 now and I am on pain management I was allso told that I may have RH so to say the least I feel like I can’t walk with out looking like I should have a can at times.
I get stiff alot through out the week and can only turn but so far to either side. I will see a specialist in the afternoon tomorrow and will see what he has to say. I am a mother of four and I have a 2 year old and a four year old and at times I cry because I hurt so bad and can’t really get up right then or my little boy want’s me to pick him up and I can barley get my feet off the floor to go upstairs.
I just hope he is able to tell me something and do something I have been getting worse over the past year and this is now my second set of doctors about this the last one just up and stopped working did not send me to any one elses for treatment just kept giving me pain meds.
Thank you all for your ear!
April 14, 2009 at 7:31 am
Hi Tiffany, I am sorry to hear that you are that deep in pain. Have you considered seeing a Rehabilitation Doctor? Here in the Philippines, some physical therapy clinics in hospitals have a resident Rehab Doctor. After a series of tests, they will require you to go through a series of therapy, these therapys will take away the immediate pain you are feeling through the medical equipments that they have such as internal heating ultrasound and electric stimulators and along side that they will give you an exercise management that you have to do everyday to prevent stiffness of muscles that cause the pain in the dextrosciliotic side, increase flexibility to aid you in the movements and strengthening exercises so your muscles can support the loads that sometimes we’re carrying . This management exercise will prevent you from experiencing that much pain. Maybe you should ask your doctor about those options. My dextroscoliosis is at an alarming curve already, it’s 45 degrees and the doctors are recommending spine surgery as an option but since it is costly plus it still has no guarantees, I opted the total management which consists of exercises and therapys.
Dextroscoliosis can be a burden in our life if we will look at it that way but I tell you, we can do something about it. There’s a lot we can do to manage it.
I hope I am of help to you. Take care okay and update us with what is happening with you. Thank you.:)
May 26, 2009 at 12:08 pm
i just got my xray result this afternoon and i was so shocked to find out that i have this dextroscoliosis in the thoracic spine. at first i dont give any damn on it because our school nurse said that it has no big deal. i tried to google it just right now and i can say that your blog has the best explanation about it. right now, im considering to have it check by rehab doctor so no further problems will eventually occur. thanks for your post. i helped me a lot. please continue to motivate people. you’re such a blessing to us. and please, can we keep in touch always so i can share to you any progress in this condition? i know i can get a lot from you.
May 27, 2009 at 1:52 am
Thanks Karen Anne, I am glad to be of help to you…feel free to leave any message here. We will be more than happy to know any update about your treatment and progress. Let us learn from each other. Godbless.:)
June 22, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Hi! I’m a parent of 6 year old boy diagnose recently with mild dextroscoliosis thoracolumbar spine, angle of about 8 degrees. It’s complicated coz 1st he’s born premature, his motor skills, speech, bone age are delayed and as result of all evaluation and test he’s capability is only between 4 and 4 1/2 y.o. But he already knows a lot of things just his speech and motorskills are delayed. I’ve been reading a lot lately online just to be prepare and gain more information about scoliosis. Now he’s still under speech and occupational theraphy.
We’re from the philippines and I read about the SpineCor Brace is this already available here and does anyone have idea how much it cost. I know we’re still in monitoring stage but I want to be prepare now as much as possible coz my child’s been thru a lot things and I want him to grow as normal as possible it can be.
Thanks so much! May God Bless you all!
June 23, 2009 at 4:36 am
Hi Mr. Cruz, thank you for leaving a comment here. I am afraid that the SpineCor brace is not yet available here in the Philippines. I sent an email in their website inquiring about how much it costs but up until now they haven’t replied yet. But I remember before when I was about 15 years old, my rehab doctor made me wear a brace that was designed based on the needs of my dextroscoliosis. Maybe you might want to try that option also. The rehab doctors usually have contacts to the ones who make the braces for scoliosis so you might one to ask referrals from them. Hope everything goes well with your child. Please feel free to leave/share comments, suggestions and informations here that would help us. It will be truly valued. Godbless.:)
July 3, 2009 at 10:33 am
Hi Blanca,
I’m a mother of a beautiful 12 year old girl. We only found out last year she had a 13 degree scoliosis ( i forgot the whole medical term for her kind of spine curvature) . We’ve gone to 3 doctors and all advised exercise and monitor (x ray) the progression every six months. I’m really am glad that I have found your blog , cause I really am lost with this kind of thing. I don’t know where to go ( what good hospital , good doctor , the best treatment, what’s the do’s and donts and so on. Hope you can email me your referrals on doctors and hospitals .. thanks.. a lot..
July 3, 2009 at 10:41 am
Hi josephine, thanks for leaving a comment here. I will email you in your yahoo account for other informations.:) godbless.
August 5, 2009 at 9:03 am
Hi,Its been a long time that I always browse the net to see the answer to my question on what type of exercises best fits dextroscoliosis,,I just discovered I have scoliosis last 2008 before the start of my cheering competition but I consulted ortho doctor last July 2009 and I was shocked that my scoliosis has gone too far as in 27 degrees,,I really do not know what to do because I was already 19 yrs.old. May I know what are the different exercises may I perform and I must not perform to prevent further curvature of my spinal bone
August 6, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Hi kendle. Thanks for leaving your comment here. The best thing to do right now is to go consult a rehab doctor because he will be the one who can tell you the best exercise management that you can do with your scoliosis. You need to be evaluated first.. They will give you a PT management that will best suit your needs. The safest and common exercises for us scoliotics though are the stretching exercises, in the direction opposite your curve and some strengthening exercises of the abdominal muscles such as crunches (altho the type of crunches depends on your need also) and some stretching exercises for the hamstrings and legs. But like I said it is best to see a rehab doctor who really is the expert in this field.:) update us okay and godbless.:)
August 20, 2009 at 3:06 am
Hello! Just this day i have my result in my xray and found out that i have dextroscoliosis. im really bothered. i havent talk to my husband about it. im having difficulties in breathing. my ecg result will be release next week. Im worried about my kids. i dont know how to cope up with this.
August 20, 2009 at 4:36 am
Hi vicky, thanks for leaving a comment here. I understand how you feel. It is very hard to be in this situation. The good thing is there are so many treatments for scoliosis now unlike before. Management of scoliosis is much easier now. I suggest that you go see a rehab doctor so that he can give you already the different options in delaing with your scoliosis and the kind of management that you need to do in order to minimize the effects of scoliosis. Do not worry, it will get better with the proper management and treatment. keep in touch.:)
September 3, 2009 at 11:46 am
Hi, Lately my wife has been feeling a lot of backpains, headache’s and mild soreness on his right neck. At first, we thought it is just a simple case of mumps. We even consulted a ENT specialist to have it checked and was informed that it was just a lymph nodes, although his explanation is not that clear on why she had those we were given a medication for that.
But the thing is, it has some bad side effects which includes stomach ache and we also notice that everytime she took a medication she always develops a fever after an hour or so. We decided to had it checked up again but this time with a physician. There were some test that was done including an x-ray. My wife was diagnosed with Dextroscoliosis, I guess that pretty much answers all the symptoms she’s been having lately. We will be having a word with our doctor tomrrow and hopefully it ain’t that bad case of a Dextroscoliosis. I was wondering that if in case we decided to have a therapy, can you recommend some specialist located around the QC or Pasig area. Thank you and this blog really did prove us a lot of information that we need about Dextroscoliosis.
September 4, 2009 at 2:11 am
Hi, thank you for leaving your comment here. I am glad to know that your wife has finally been diagnosed. I am not familiar with the hospitals/rehab centers in Pasig and QC area. But actually, almost all hospitals have a good rehab center where physical therapies are done. You can also try healthyway branches in malls and tokyo healthlink branches bec. they have the best facilities. The only thing you need is the exercise management that would come from the rehab doctor, detailing the exercises and treatment that needs to be done on her. Hope everything turns out well. Do keep us posted. God bless
October 16, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Hi
A few months ago, my daughter 12 yrs old, has got scoliosis at 40 degree. I took her to chiropratic for 3 months, to hope for a natural way of healing but after the recent xray, there wasnt much improvement. So I seek for a second opinion and was informed to put her on Spinecor immediately. I just hope her curve can be corrected without surgery but of course there isnt any guarantee for that. Surgery will be the last resort if her curve gets worst. Today she just started on her spinecor brace. I know it is tough at her age she has to go through such discomfort and pain. Hopefully by then, her curve can be stabilised. I am glad to find this blog and wish to share with you.
October 18, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this here. I remember when I was her age, I used to wear what I would call an “armor” brace bec. it is made of steel, it was tough, very uncomfortable so I know just how it feels to wear something like that. The good thing is the spinecor brace is I heard is easier to wear altho there is still the discomfort but I guess it is a much bigger improvement than the braces of before. Your daughter is very lucky to have a supportive mom like you. Do update us from time to time, I am sure the readers would love to read something like this. Godbless.:)
November 11, 2009 at 5:07 am
Hi i was diagnosed with mild dextroscoliosis when I was 19 and i didn’t pay much attention to it. Now I’m 31 and i just found out that I gained 1 more degree in my curvature.. I didn’t realize that my curve could worsen… so now I vow to do what it takes to address my condition.
Is it okay if you share your recommended hospitals/ doctors?
By the way, thank you for making this blog. It is both informative AND encouraging. Keep up the positivity.
=)
Cheers!
November 12, 2009 at 1:00 am
Hi Vanessa, thank you for leaving your comment here. I am currently seeing Dr. Caroline Ynion of Tokyo Healthlink in Alabang. She has a clinic there every Friday at 4-5 pm. She is also one of the resident rehab medicine doctor of Healthway clinic in Alabang Town Center, I think she is there every friday and saturday at around 5:30 pm onwards. I like the rehab clinic of Tokyo Healthlink though, their theraphy machines are up to date, facilities very clean and the staff excellent.
Goodluck to us ! we can do it!:)
October 11, 2008 at 9:27 pm
If you would like to learn about scoliosis, please go to Keyborad-Culture-Scoliosis.com