Hi there,
As a sufferer of chronic back pain (arthritis, yuck!), I can certainly
feel sympathy for your plight.
First and foremost, its vitally important that you consult your
physician for treatment options that will be best suited for your
case. Google Answers Researchers can only provide general information
to help you make your health care decisions - please do not take
anything in this answer as a diagnosis or definitive care plan. Only
your physician is qualified to provide those.
According to at least one study, the curvature will continue to worsen
with age:
"Adult patients with scoliosis have pain and/or progression of
curvature. For adults who had an adolescent curve pattern that began
before skeletal maturity, history is of utmost importance. Queries
should be made to document all previous treatment. Time of diagnosis,
Cobb angle, end vertebral body at initial assessment, and progression
during adolescence are important topics to cover. Previous treatment,
such as observation or bracing or previously recommended surgery, must
be known to the present treating surgeon. Most patients now in their
40s and 50s with adolescent-type patterns were told that at the end of
their growth their curve would cease to progress. This is obviously
not the case. At the time they were treated, however, data from the
long-term study of Weinstein and Poncetti3 were not available."
Treatment of Adult Scoliosis - JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN ORTHOPAEDIC
ASSOCIATION
http://www.smaservicesinc.com/soa/jsoafl96/jsoafl10.htm
How quickly the curvature will progress and to what extent depends
largely on your personal history. Your physician will be able to
provide a thorough assessment based on your patient records and past
treatments. How you should go about treating your problem is
dependent on your physician's findings and recommendations.
There are several non-surgical treatment options available, depending
on the severity of the curvature and the degree of degeneration:
"Medications
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are frequently helpful in
patients with painful scoliosis. While there are several non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory agents on the market, other considerations including
renal, hematologic and gastrointestinal side effects need to be
considered before making a choice. The Cox-2 prostaglandin inhibitors
are expected to have much less gastrointestinal side effects compared
to its predecessors. Narcotic pain medications do not have a place in
the chronic management of painful scoliosis. However, they can be used
on selected occasions for periods not more than 72 hours during active
exacerbation of the pain.
Physical Therapy / Exercises
A low impact aerobic exercise program including walking, swimming,
cycling and selected weight training exercises can help improve
cardiopulmonary reserve, promote endorphin production, control weight,
and possibly delay or retard onset of age related osteoporosis. While
this program can be initiated in a hospital setting by a professional
physical therapist, it is important for patients to make these
activities a part of their regular routine on a life-long basis.
Orthotics
Orthotic use in adults is for pain control. There is no evidence that
prolonged brace wear in adult scoliosis changes the natural history of
progression. Braces are mostly used for pain control in those patients
where surgery is not indicated or where medical contraindications
preclude surgical treatment. It should be used on an as needed basis;
patients should be encouraged to engage in activities without a brace
in order to avoid undesirable deconditioning of the trunk and
abdominal musculature."
Adult Scoliosis: Evaluation And Treatment
Sunday U. Ero, M.D. and Peter Blessey, M.D.
http://www.dcmsonline.org/jax-medicine/1999journals/june1999/scoliosis.htm
(Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, include aspirin,
ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen:
NSAIDs
http://www.coreynahman.com/arthritis_drugs_database_nsaids.html )
According to SpineUniverse, bracing is used only rarely, and it will
not correct scoliosis:
"Treatment
The following symptoms may be used to determine treatment options:
persistent pain that cannot be alleviated, deformity progression, and
reduced cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) function (rare). Conservative
non-surgical treatment may include: moist heat, medication for pain
and inflammation, and exercise. Bracing is rarely used to help control
pain. It will not correct or cure scoliosis. Most patients with adult
scoliosis do not require surgery."
Scoliosis in Adults
http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article1436.html
Physical Therapy and exercise comes highly recommended as a way to
manage pain associated with scoliosis:
"Physical Therapy is an excellent way to improve function,
flexibility, endurance, and decrease pain. Usually the therapist will
work with patients toward becoming less symptomatic, and maintaining
the improvement with an active home exercise program. Working out in
a supervised environment with the help of a physical therapist is the
best way to achieve it. On average, therapy lasts 2 - 3 times per
week for 4 - 8 weeks.
It is very important that adult patients with scoliosis get into the
habit of doing a daily exercise routine. This will improve the
strength of the trunk muscles and take some of the stress off from the
spine. Often when pain occurs, it is because the patient is not doing
his or her exercises."
Sonoran Spine Center Guide to Adult Scoliosis
http://www.sonoranspine.com/scoliosis.htm
Some patients find chiropractic care useful in controlling their back
pain, in which practitioners manipulate the spine to reduce stress on
the spinal nerves. There is no formal data indicating efficacy of
such treatment either way, but anecdotal evidence indicates that it is
at least worth looking into:
"Chiropractors do not treat disease, scoliosis included. But they do
correct spinal nerve stress - a condition that interferes with the
proper functioning of the nervous system and the body as a whole. A
body without spinal nerve stress is in a better position to resist
abnormalities and diseases of all kinds, including scoliosis.
Recent research suggesting that scoliosis may be caused by a
neurological defect reinforces the validity of the chiropractic
approach - the nervous system must remain free of structural damage in
order for the body to be healthy.
Scott Banks, D.C., former editor of the journal Spinal Manipulation,
states that the role of chiropractic with scoliosis is supported by a
"long history of empirical evidence..."
Fred Barge, D.C., author of a text on scoliosis has stated that
"traditional chiropractic concepts and techniques...have shown decent
clinical results in scoliosis control, reduction and correction."
Scoliosis and Chiropractic
http://www.sfchiro.com/Scolioss.html
"Chiropractic management of scoliosis has classically consisted of
spinal adjustments or manipulation sometimes augmented with exercise
and postural counseling, as well as heel lifts. Electrical stimulation
has recently come into the chiropractic armamentarium as well.
Virtually no formal research exists documenting chiropractic's
effectiveness in managing scoliosis, although anecdotal reports
abound. Several well-conducted case studies suggest that chiropractic
is, indeed, effective in managing scoliotic curves, but the definitive
studies are lacking. It is widely stated that chiropractic care is
effective in alleviating the pain and discomfort associated with adult
scoliosis, however, no studies to date have adequately documented this
effect."
Chiropractic - National Scoliosis Foundation
http://www.scoliosis.org/resources/medicalupdates/chiropractic.php
I was unable to locate any information as to why your pain increases
when you haven't had enough sleep, nor information pointing towards
vitamin intake as the reason behind the lessening of your symptoms.
For accurate information, you would be best served by consulting your
physician, who will have access to your personal medical history and
will be able to advise you about changes to your diet and their
effects on your symptoms.
For additional information, journal publications, and scoliosis
support mailing lists:
National Scoliosis Foundation
http://www.scoliosis.org/index.php
Scoliosis Research Society
http://www.srs.org/
The Scoliosis Association
http://www.scoliosis-assoc.org/
Scoliosis World
http://www.scoliosis-world.com/
Scoliosis Mailing List
http://www.ai.mit.edu/extra/scoliosis/scoliosis.html
I hope you find this information helpful! If you need further
assistance, please just ask for clarification. I'll be glad to help.
--Missy
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