antalgic scoliosis as a result of prolapsed disc

Hi there

From your posts I realise there is an awful lot of stress and pain you are having to cope with. Neither of these is helpful to your recovery from spinal problems.

May I suggest you look outside the 'box' and see if there is another way of helping you to recover? There is a tapping technique called , ([url]see here[/url] also) which, when, properly applied might make all the difference to you, allowing your spasming muscles to relax. Muscles actually hold memory and these memories need releasing.

I would look to finding a [url]highly qualified practitioner[/url] to see if they can do anything to help. You can work with them on Skype or even over the phone if you know the tapping points, so you won't have to travel. While it may not change any physical damage it might make all the difference to your perspective on how to cope/deal with the problems you are encountering. The results can be astonishing at times but mostly persistence (on your part with tapping and getting rid of the 'blocks' in your system) which could turn you around.

I do expect and hope it does!

Hi Caroline

Thank you very much for your advice. I do think there is a lot of anxiety but it is mainly due to the fact I have had a twisted body for near enough six months. I saw a chiropractor who promised me I will be much better soon. I am not. Also, I find it very weird that no one who has had a prolapsed disc on this forum has had the problems I speak of. The consultants I have seen said this anatalgis scoliosis is a common problem for people with prolapsed discs. I wonder why then no one has either reported this symptom here or has mentioned how it gets better. I understand that some people cannot straighten up.
I am not sure if I am getting better or worse. I want to be free of the list. I hate it, I really hate it.
However, thanks for your advice, and I really appreciate that you have taken the time to respond. thank you, thank you, thank you.

My pleasure! Do take time to explore what EFT is about - I was astounded at some of the results - and talk to some of the paractitioners and see what they have to say. There are one or two very highly qualified HP members (I can PM you with their conact names).

Hi,

Did no one have this symptom? No one?
Please please advise me.

Regards

I A

Hi Hopehasgone, I hope you are feeling better. I have posted on the NHS forums also, I am not sure if you have been on there? I also had a antalgic scoliosis when I slipped my L4-5 disc. Despite the good care I had not one Doctor mentioned this either! It is quite an alarming symptom. I believe mine has now gone, though can't be sure until I have new X-rays. Though I am no medical expert I see no reason why this should become permanent. It seems to be just the bodies way of taking the pressure off the nerve. When it first happened it probably would have been near to impossible to correct, you just cant seem to pull the body back straight again. However I believe over time when the pressure comes off the disc the body can straighten up again. I have mentioned before that a chiropractor I see practices what is called the ABC technique. From what I have experienced it seems to be a little different to conventional methods and there is no lumbar twisting which can be dangerous for the discs. I dont know how much it helped me but it seems to have contributed to my improvement along with more regular exercise. I will be interested (or perhaps horrified!) to see my spine when I have x-rays again in the next few months! Good luck!

Antalgic simply means it releves pain. Scoliosis is curvature of the spine. I too was unable to stand up straight when I had L4/5 disc problems - and just as the paper you provided the link to suggests certain postions releive the pressure on the nerve and releive the pain.. My botfriend met me when I was in a lot of pain and he relaised he had never seen me stand up straight until after mu surgery!!

It wasnt called scoliosis - even tho it was. In fact antalgic scoliosis is recognised as a sympton in a numebr of different situations that are nothing to do with the idiopathic scoliosis as suffered by Richard 111

It should not be permanent and delaing with the disc should deal with the scoliosis.

I feel Caroline has given good advice in suggesting EFT, whihc should be very beneficial. Good luck

Hopeisgone have you had a standing mri done? or weightbearing xrays or flexion and extension ones? They should be able to help with any accurate diagnosis. Sadly the NHS does not believe that they make a difference but the position really does, as that article proves.
Often an mri will show little but the patient is in agony when they stand. Well of course they are! There was a fantastic but scarey thread here about the moving mri's they use in America.

Hopeisgone have you had a standing mri done? or weightbearing xrays or flexion and extension ones? They should be able to help with any accurate diagnosis. Sadly the NHS does not believe that they make a difference but the position really does, as that article proves.
Often an mri will show little but the patient is in agony when they stand. Well of course they are! There was a fantastic but scarey thread here about the moving mri's they use in America.

I know better than most that the NHS is not god with backs (although they are getting better) However just as their drug choices are determined by evidence. so diagnostic procedures will also be used on the basis of evidence as to which provides useful information. (Got to defend the poor old NHS. I worked for it for 34 years 🙂 )

There are two reasons I can think of why standing MRI's would not be done. One is the evidence is not there yet to support it. The other is a lack of equipment. MRI's are designed for horizontal scans and a vertical scan would need a totally different machine. The orthopaedic hospital where I work sometimes can only do horizontal MRI's - and I believe has not long had its own MRI scanner.MRI' machines are expensive and the NHS is strapped for cash. So even if there is lots of evidence the equipment may not be available to do it.

Weight bearing X-Rays are available and are done tho- but I agree X-rays may not show up a problem that an MRI can pick up

hopehasgone

I have this problem like yourself and crackerjack though I did not realise what it was called. However, the surgeon did refer to it and explained it and said the operation should put it right. It is not a well known medical name and doctors nowadays are trained (rightly) into explaining things and not using difficult medical terminology.

There are two reasons I can think of why standing MRI's would not be done. One is the evidence is not there yet to support it. The other is a lack of equipment.

There is a whole internet full of evidence! Typical NHS thinking though, rather than listening and then researching and looking they just ignore the facts and so the UK is way behind most countries when it comes to investigating back problems.

What you are right about is that they can easily do weightbearing xrays, but they don't bother. When I saw my NHS consultant last week he was his usual foggy non committed self till I pointed out and explained the difference between the NHS xray,taken with me flat on my back that he was looking at and the private self funded weightbearing xray taken with me standing that I was holding. Then he was gobsmacked as it showed several crushed discs and consequently compressed nerve roots not visible on the NHS xray when laying flat!

Hi,

My MRI was lying down. Just the usual.
Tashanie says she had the antalgic scoliosis and so does Crackerjack. For Crackerjack it seems to have resolved well enough for him to continue with his life. For me, it is still present but it appears to be my main symptom. Obviously I have some pain when I walk in this posture and I have mild sciatica, but the main issue is I can't really walk for very long because my condition gets aggravated, but I am scared of surgery and I do get a lot of anxiety because often I think about the immediate post op scenario and feel I may not be able to cope. The slight thing may cause a mega panic attack. It takes weeks to heal from the op and it would be a terrible experience for me. I already have some issues with my legs due to blood circulation disorder. If I wake up and my leg pain is worse, I may panic what is causing it. I wonder if I will reherniate my disc. Many of the people who had the op are now standing upright but a lot of them still report discomfort when sitting, walking in certain ways etc. I mean, I have the same problems they have, and they have had the operation. My life has become very limiting but at least I know where I am with this. Sure, this may get worse, but the surgery is not guaranteed either. My main symptom is the antalgic scoliosis and though a lot of people here have had success, I am worried that my nervous disposition may make it harder for me to recover from this.
I really hope more people like Crackerjack report on these forums because for those of us losing hope to recover naturally, they provide some reassurance.

Tashanie, just to recap, how long did you have your antalgic scoliosis before you had the operation, and did you try other therapies? I have read that most disc prolapses do resolve and people their outcome in five from onset of the problem is the same as those who had the surgery. If this is generally true, maybe I should hold out until it becomes absolutely necessary to have the op done?
After all, at that point I would be able to say that I only got it done due to there being no other choice.
However, I also realise that this problem can potentially get worse too.
However, I don't have bowel and bladder symptoms. I can sleep OK. Maybe if I return to some form of physical activity and try other therapies, I may be helping myself? I just think my anxiety may make the immediate post op days very hard to cope with.
Such is my anxiety, I have only talked about the possible complications, every possible thing that can go wrong and how the hospital will mutilate me and leave me worse off. I know a lot of people need to use catheters when they have their op. Well that profoundly scares me. I have a low bladder neck and if they insert one they may end up injuring me. When I am anxious I can't pass water. I think every little thing would bother me. I don't know how I will cope. The medical team have provided little reassurance over all my concerns and I think sometimes NHS doctors don't have time to go over every little thing you think of. The surgeon told me I was very worried and should stop. He felt all.my anxious questioning was not worth addressing and I think this is also the attitude of most doctors. They can't answer hypothetical questions but I know who I am and how I am likely to panic. I am not sure if they will be prepared. Obviously if I was operated on in an emergency I will have to cope. That is different, but this situation is giving me a lot of anxiety.

thanks for posting

Hi definitely I would say you need to get back to some sort of physical activity. It does take some time to recover naturally as I found. I am no expert but for me surgery would be the last resort. It took me 6 months to be able to walk for more than 5 minutes at a time. Everyone is different I know so I suppose it's hard to know what is best for an individual but there is hope! All the best.

How long was I stooped for before my op? Probably at least a year. My bofriend had known me for at least that long and when he first saw me standing upright after the op, he realised he had never seen me stand upright before.

Hopehasgone do feel free to pm me if you want to talk.

Hi,

I have looked high and low on the internet regarding disc problems and antalgic scoliosis. However, in spite of this very few people who post on forums have mentioned this symptom or whether they recovered. I know pain in the legs is the main issue for a lot of people, as is weakness, but I have a list, resembling scoliosis. It is not reap scoliosis. This is purely the body's way of moving away from the nerve to protect it. My torso leans left but the top part of my body is OK. On this link you can see what I am talking about:
Did anyone have this and did it go away. If so, how did it go? I have been told that this is a common problem for people with disc problems, yet I have not read much from people who had it. Sitting, lying in bed, I don't get pain. When I stand up, I feel as if something is crushing my right hip. I cannot stand straight. When I do that feeling of the hip being crushed becomes palpable. As a result, walking strains the hip muscles which become inflamed, go into spasm and get stiff. I sometimes get leg weakness but that resolves with time. I am considering surgery because I have a large central prolapsed disc which is protruding more on the right side, hence my body is listing to the left to take pressure off the nerve. Since surgery is a very big step, I want to know if anyone else had this because I have had it for six months and I find it quite frightful.
I have also posted another thread but I wplould like to keep this one to focus on the issue of antalgic scoliosis/gait. The other thread is more about my experience of a prolapsed disc. Some wonderful people have responded to that one, and I am very grateful to them. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it very much.
Please note, I do not have the scoliosis condition from birth. It would be helpful if only those people answer who got anatalgic scoliosis as a result of the disc prolapse. The true scoliosis is a specific spinal condition and requires different treatment so it would not be relevant here. Sorry if this sounds rude but I want to hear from people who have had a similar experience to mine.

Thank you.

Hi Hophasgone......
I hope you get this as it is a few years ago now you posted this but I am going through hell with an identical problem, no leg pain or nerve pain but am leaning right over...
Did you have surgery and if so did it work?

Crumbs, four years have gone by and I am still in pain unless I lie down flat.
Hi Benbow, welcome 🙂
Have you tried standing straighter? Have you been to a physio or osteopath to see if they can help with your posture?

Crumbs, four years have gone by and I am still in pain unless I lie down flat.
Hi Benbow, welcome 🙂
Have you tried standing straighter? Have you been to a physio or osteopath to see if they can help with your posture?

Hi Cassie it's a long story... I have a herniated disc at L4-L5 .. I had IDD therapy at the beginning of this year which decompressed the disc and all that horrible sharp shooting unbearable nerve pain (which was on the left)slowly disappeared....
This allowed me to straighten up in the end .. things felt they had massively improved but as I got straighter I felt this pressure on the right which I was hoping would just go ..
It is completely different to the pain I was in before it just feels like a massive muscle spasm which has now turned into one f these full on antalgic lean things ..
I don't get any leg pain no sciatica which is lucky but I'm having a horrendous
Time at the moment due to my posture

Sorry to hear that, I know the pain you are talking about and it is easier to lean and avoid it lol.

I hope you can get it all fixed soon. I have sadly learnt to adapt and live with my problems 🙁

Hi,

I have looked high and low on the internet regarding disc problems and antalgic scoliosis. However, in spite of this very few people who post on forums have mentioned this symptom or whether they recovered. I know pain in the legs is the main issue for a lot of people, as is weakness, but I have a list, resembling scoliosis. It is not reap scoliosis. This is purely the body's way of moving away from the nerve to protect it. My torso leans left but the top part of my body is OK. On this link you can see what I am talking about:
Did anyone have this and did it go away. If so, how did it go? I have been told that this is a common problem for people with disc problems, yet I have not read much from people who had it. Sitting, lying in bed, I don't get pain. When I stand up, I feel as if something is crushing my right hip. I cannot stand straight. When I do that feeling of the hip being crushed becomes palpable. As a result, walking strains the hip muscles which become inflamed, go into spasm and get stiff. I sometimes get leg weakness but that resolves with time. I am considering surgery because I have a large central prolapsed disc which is protruding more on the right side, hence my body is listing to the left to take pressure off the nerve. Since surgery is a very big step, I want to know if anyone else had this because I have had it for six months and I find it quite frightful.
I have also posted another thread but I wplould like to keep this one to focus on the issue of antalgic scoliosis/gait. The other thread is more about my experience of a prolapsed disc. Some wonderful people have responded to that one, and I am very grateful to them. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it very much.
Please note, I do not have the scoliosis condition from birth. It would be helpful if only those people answer who got anatalgic scoliosis as a result of the disc prolapse. The true scoliosis is a specific spinal condition and requires different treatment so it would not be relevant here. Sorry if this sounds rude but I want to hear from people who have had a similar experience to mine.

Thank you.

I wish this guy was still around he is the only person with the same problem

I don't know if you have come across the Vertetrac which is a mobile spinal decompression device which has symmetrical as well as asymmetrical mechanical traction capability for lower back problems such as sciatica, herniated or bulging discs. There is a similar device for the neck, Cervico 2000, where the ability to apply asymmetrical traction helps with wry neck (torticollis) or antalgic listing or leaning due to disc problems.

There is an attachment for scoliosis which helps to arrest the curve progression in prepubescent children and helps to alleviate pain in adults with scoliosis.

These devices aren't right for every case - it's important to understand the underlying root cause of the neck or back pain before proceeding with any form of therapy.

Hi
I know this is an old post but wondered if anyone has had any success for correcting an antalgic lean?
I’ve had sciatica problems for 10 years worsening over last 12 months. It’s gone from nerve pain in lower leg to pain in hip going all the way to toes. I’m leaning over to avoid the pain. I’ve had MRIs over the years which show slight disc bulges and slight stenosis. However the pain is more than ‘slight’! An X-ray showed a wonky pelvis and a spine like a question mark. My doc just throws pills at me which I’m reluctant to take. I do take painkillers but it’s the heavy duty stuff I don’t want. Obviously surgery is the last resort.
Success stories and treatments please? Thanks for listening.
Willothewisp.