Treatment of chronic pain in adult scoliosis
Barrios, C.; Lapuente, J.P.; Sastre, S.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 88: 290-303
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0926-9630 PMID: 15456050 Document Number: 549034
One of the most important sequels of scoliosis in adults is pain, caused either by muscular overuse and imbalance or by nerve root compression. This is a very difficult sequel to treat because of the failure of the common analgesic drugs and physiotherapy treatments. We studied 30 patients with degenerative scoliosis of different origins. There were 24 women and 6 men. Patient age ranged from 25 to 55 years old. The initial Cobb angle ranged from 25 degrees to 65 degrees with a mean of 35 degrees. The mean Schöber back score* at the beginning of treatment was 1.32. The number of sessions with the F.E.D. method were between 20 and 60 with a mean of 45 sessions. All the patients had a case history of NSAIDs, muscle relaxants and physiotherapy. The final average Cobb angle was 33 degrees and Schöber score* 2.88. After treatment, only two cases required NSAIDs, muscle relaxants and physiotherapy. The F.E.D. method seems to be a promising alternative for treatment of painful sequels in adult scoliosis, since in our study disappearance of symptomatology was seen in the majority of cases. The F.E.D. method also had a permanent effect over time if patients followed a home physiotherapy program. This analgesic effect has a direct relation with the improvement achieved in the flexibility index.