Scoliosis and Medical Cannabis


Scoliosis is a medical condition where the person has an abnormal bend in the spine. In this health condition, the spine curves sideways. In simple words, a person who is suffering from Scoliosis will have a spine that looks more like a letter “C” or “S”. It is often diagnosed during childhood or early adult age. If we talk about America, approx two to three per cent of people at the age of sixteen are diagnosed with Scoliosis.

Causes of Scoliosis

The causes of Scoliosis medical conditions are obscure but may be occurred due to several reasons. Causes of Scoliosis may include idiopathic, neuromuscular, or congenital.

  • When the generation of the health condition is due to idiopathic, it includes unknown causes, juvenile, adult, or infantile.

  • When the generation of health condition is due to the neuromuscular reason, it includes cerebral palsy, physical trauma spinal muscular atrophy, or as a secondary symptom because of some other health condition.

  • When the generation of health condition is due to congenital reasons, it includes vertebral anomaly.

Associated Conditions

Scoliosis is sometimes associated with some other conditions. The several health conditions that might cause the Scoliosis include Charcot Marie Tooth disease, cerebral palsy, connective tissue disorder, and spinal muscular atrophy, congenital diaphragmatic hernia craniospinal axis disorders, Prader Willi, Marfan, Amniotic Band syndrome muscular dystrophy, and many more. Scoliosis associated with the well-known syndromes is classified as syndromic Scoliosis.

Types of Scoliosis

Adult scoliosis: Adult scoliosis is developed due to a degenerative joint issue. In several cases, this medical condition is developed early during childhood which couldn’t be diagnosed at that time.

Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis: Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis is a health condition that is developed during the age of three to ten years.

Idiopathic Scoliosis: Idiopathic Scoliosis is a coon type of Scoliosis. Females are mostly affected by this health condition, and out of 10, 8 are approximately diagnosed with the disease.

Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis: Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis is a type of Scoliosis that is developed before the age of three. Boys are commonly affected by this health condition.

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is developed during the growth spurt. Girls are commonly affected by this health condition.

Symptoms of Scoliosis

Scoliosis is classified based on the severity of the condition. Scoliosis can be a minor, severe, or moderate one. The symptoms of a health condition may vary from person to person. Few of them are:

  • A shoulder skewed down towards a raised hip

  • Prominent ribs

  • Uneven musculature

  • Protruding shoulder blades

  • Skewed waist

  • The curve is more pronounced when the child bends forward.

  • Dealing with Scoliosis can be a pain in the back.

Treatment of Scoliosis

The treatment of treating this health condition varies based on the cause of the disease. The size of the curve, location of the curve, etc., are analyzed before prescribing the medications. Several idiopathic Scoliosis needs no treatment and must be follow up and check in every six months. The child who is still in the growing stage, whose curve is already in a worse condition, may require bracing to slow down the progression of the curve.

  1. Bracing:
    Several types of braces include in treating the health condition. Types of bracing include Charleston Brace, Wilmington Brace, Boston Brace, and Milwaukee braces that are named for the centres where these are developed. Each mount looks different and must be used appropriately. The selection of mounting depends on many factors, together with the specific properties of the curve. Though, the braces don’t reverse the spine but help in straightening the spine. However, bracing doesn’t work for neuromuscular or congenital Scoliosis and is considered a less effective treatment for the juvenile and infantile types of Scoliosis.
    A curve of 40 degrees or more requires the surgery in terms of the treatment. Surgery engrosses the correction of the curve and fusing bones in the bend together. One or two metal rods are held down with the screws and hooks are used for treating bones to be held in place and until the bone heals together. The treatment of imposing the braces may be emotionally challenging.

  2. Spinal Fusion with instrumentation:
    Spinal Fusion is well known and most performed surgery for treating Scoliosis. Spinal Fusion includes the grafting of the bone to the vertebrae that helps in healing and forms one solid bone mass by making the vertebral column rigid. This procedure facilitates preventing the worsening of the curve.

  3. Thoracoplasty:
    Thoracoplasty is considered an alternate surgery for treating Scoliosis. This surgery facilitates diminishing the rib hump. A rib hump is regarded as the most affecting factor to scoliosis patients with a thoracic bend. Thoracoplasty is responsible for the eradication of four segments of adjoining ribs that protrude. This surgery includes risks like pain in the rib area.

    The complications of getting into the risks of undergoing surgery for treating the Scoliosis are five per cent only.

Medical Cannabis and Scoliosis

A person who is suffering from Scoliosis suffers from chronic pain. The more bent the spine, the more painful the condition is. The traditional treatments that are used for treating Scoliosis endow with the short-term relief for alleviating the symptoms and steadiness in the curve of the spine.

Traditionally anti-inflammatory medications are used and prescribed to people suffering from Scoliosis. However, these medications may develop a high risk of dependency and include several negative side-effects as well. Medical Cannabis has constituents that can help to mitigate the pain and also helps in the proper treatment of the medical condition. Medical Cannabis can possess during, before, or after treatment.

Medical Marijuana has proved itself as an effective remedy for treating chronic pain. While suffering from Scoliosis, the ache in the back is a common symptom mostly experienced by the users. Pain relief becomes essential to treat the medical condition. Although the research is ongoing on the consumption of Medical Cannabis for treating several health conditions, its health benefits give an advantage in treating the pain. However, it is not the medication for treating the curvature but helps to relieve the pain. Let us check what the researchers have to say in concern of Medical Cannabis concerning Scoliosis.

Researches on Medical Cannabis say!!

  • According to the recent study, consumption of Medical Cannabis is prescribed to patients suffering from Scoliosis, and the study concluded with a reduction in the pain with the consumption of medical cannabis. The results were significant as twenty-seven per cent of patients experienced pain relief with the same level and that too without opiate-based pain medications.

  • In 2015, a review of twenty-eight studies of cannabinoids was conducted on around 2500 participants. The investigation is concluded with improved results on the pains that are the patients suffering from the health conditions reported improvement in the aches.

Benefits of Medical Cannabis

  • Alternate to opiate-based pain medications

  • Safe

  • Affordable

  • Fewer or no side-effects

What are the Risks?

The Medical Cannabis plant is comprised of more than 100 diverse constituents known as Cannabinoids. The two most popular and primary concern of attention is THC and CBD. THC is the primary constituent that produces the “High” feeling experienced by the patients. However, the CBD does not give that high feeling to the patients. The effects of both constituents may vary on the different patients and may include fewer or no side effects. CBD dose side effects are uncommon and include Dry mouth, lightheadedness, and nausea. In contrast, the higher THC level dose side effects include dizziness, anxiety, increased heart rate, drowsiness, and increased appetite.

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