Weighing Out Your Scoliosis Treatment Options

Scoliosis is a type of spinal abnormality that results in sideways curvature of your spine. Scoliosis can result in painful or even debilitating symptoms.

Spinal abnormality can be identified and diagnosed at different points in your life. Scoliosis can be diagnosed during adolescence or may not be correctly identified until later. Spinal curvature can also worsen over time as you grow or age.

Once you know you have scoliosis, the next step is to consider your treatment options. Dr. Beejal Y. Amin supports new and existing patients with scoliosis treatment from locations in Hinsdale and Woodridge, Illinois. What are your options for treating this spinal condition? Let’s review the pros and cons of approaches to treating and managing mild or severe scoliosis. 

Conservative approaches for mild scoliosis

The degree of curvature in your spine makes a big difference when deciding on the right treatment path for your scoliosis. 

If you have a mild case, your spine is slightly out of position, although curvature may worsen as teenagers grow into adults. Many children with mild scoliosis don’t need treatment, just ongoing monitoring to detect any increase in the severity of spinal abnormality.

For young patients growing up with scoliosis, bracing can help prevent spinal curvature from worsening. Children may need to wear a brace for 13-16 hours a day to control progression.

Dr. Amin recommends starting with conservative treatment protocols when dealing with mild cases of scoliosis. Explore non-surgical treatment options for scoliosis with Dr. Amin’s expert support. Physical therapy helps to mitigate the impacts of spinal curvature on your body. You may also benefit from spinal injections to maintain flexibility and comfort.

Severe scoliosis puts a lot of pressure on your body. The more dramatic s-curve of the spine means that your body’s weight gets improperly distributed, harming your biomechanics. In some severe cases, scoliosis even reduces the space available in your chest cavity for your heart and lungs.

Spinal surgery may be the right treatment path for you when you’re dealing with severe scoliosis. Dr. Amin may also recommend that you consider spinal surgery if your scoliosis worsens or if conservative treatment approaches are no longer working well enough to give you symptom relief.

Often, patients with severe scoliosis benefit from spinal fusion surgery, connecting their spinal bones with a graft so that their spine stays straight and becomes less flexible in the treated area. 

Or, in cases of rapid scoliosis progression in younger patients, surgically implanted expanding rods or vertebral body tethering can provide needed spinal straightening and support.

You don’t have to deal with scoliosis alone. Dr. Amin guides you as you decide on your treatment plan. If you do need spinal surgery, he keeps your procedure as minimally invasive as possible, minimizing your recovery time and your risks.

To learn more about the best treatment options for your spinal condition, call Beejal Y. Amin MD, today or schedule your initial consultation appointment online.