All articles tagged with #scoliosis
USA TODAY highlights five signs of scoliosis to watch for: back pain (which isn’t always present), visible asymmetry in shoulders or waist, a rib hump when bending forward, difficulty with the forward-bend screening test, and clothes fitting unevenly; many adolescents can have a notable curve with few or no symptoms, making routine screening and medical evaluation key to catching progression early.
Doctors are successfully treating adult scoliosis, a condition affecting 7 million people, through spinal deformity surgery. As adults age, joint and disc degeneration can cause scoliosis, leading to pain and limited mobility. Fusion surgery, which involves fusing segments of the spine together, can bring the spine back into alignment and provide relief. Age is not a barrier to surgery, with successful outcomes reported in patients well into their 80s. In addition to pain relief, surgery also improves self-image and mental health, making it a popular choice for older adults.
Crossing your legs can lead to misaligned hips, blood clots, damage to blood vessels, misaligned spine and shoulders, changed muscle lengths in the pelvis, nerve damage, scoliosis, and impact on men's sperm count due to a change in body temperature. However, leg crossing can be beneficial for those with one leg longer than the other and can reduce over-exertion of oblique muscles.
Sitting cross-legged can increase the misalignment of the hips, change the speed at which blood moves through the blood vessels in the lower limbs, and increase the risk of blood clots. It can also cause misalignment of the spine and shoulders, affect the neck, and weaken muscles in the pelvis and lower back. Sitting with legs crossed for a long time increases the likelihood of scoliosis and other deformities. However, sitting with legs crossed can be beneficial for some people, such as those with one leg longer than the other. The lotus position may be healthier.
A fin whale with a severely deformed spine, likely caused by a vessel strike, was recently filmed struggling to swim off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. The injury will probably cause the whale to slowly starve. Baleen whales rely on their enormous tails to propel themselves through the water, but the injured whale is unable to do this, which means it is probably starving. Around 20,000 whales are estimated to be killed by vessel strikes every year, due to a more than 300% increase in global shipping traffic since 1992.
A 56-foot fin whale with severe scoliosis was spotted swimming offshore near Valencia, Spain. The whale's body was contorted into a V-like shape due to a scoliosis of unknown origin that altered his natural anatomy. Scientists were limited in what they could do for the whale due to its condition and the open sea. Scoliosis is rarely seen in whales, and scientists do not often get the opportunity to observe the condition up close.