Frequently Asked Questions About

Scoliosis Treatment

Part 3

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Continued from: Frequently Asked Questions About Scoliosis Treatments - Part 2

Do you know of any scoliosis doctors in (Alaska, Wisconsin, etc.)?

Sorry, I do not have any information regarding scoliosis doctors. For doctors who use mainstream medical treatments for scoliosis, you can try the doctor listing at the Scoliosis Research Society. If you are interested in holistic doctors, I have a section on my website called Finding Holistic Doctors that may be of interest.

I have scoliosis and a heart murmur/heart palpitations/mitral valve prolapse. My doctor says the two conditions are unrelated, but I think there might be a link.

Just like there is a link between pectus excavatum and heart problems, there is also a link between scoliosis and heart problems, especially heart murmurs and mitral valve prolapse. Check out the following study abstracts below for more information on this association:

• Incidence and risk factors for mitral valve prolapse in severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. "Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is known to be associated with thoracic skeletal anomalies. To determine the incidence and risk factors for mitral valve prolapse in the adolescent population with severe idiopathic scoliosis (IS), a prospective follow-up study on 139 adolescent patients with IS from the Pediatric Orthopedic Service was undertaken. MVP (mitral valve prolapse) was persistent in 10 of the 19 patients reevaluated by echocardiogram 2-4 years after spinal surgery. We conclude that MVP is four times more common in patients with severe IS (idiopathic scoliosis) than in the normal adolescent population, and is associated with a lower body weight in IS patients with MVP than in IS patients without MVP. The persistent nature of MVP, even after corrective spinal surgery, may be related to factors other than geometric changes of the heart caused by abnormal thoracic curvature.
• Mitral valve prolapse syndrome and associated thoracic skeletal abnormalities. "Clinical characteristics of 60 (41 males, 19 females) patients with echocardiographically proven mitral valve prolapse were analysed, with special interest in the associated thoracic skeletal abnormalities. There was a male preponderance (2.2:1) and 91.7% of patients were symptomatic--atypical chest pain, palpitations, exertional dyspnoea and easy fatiguability being the major symptoms. Sixty seven percent had an asthenic body habitus, and 55% had high-arched palate. Thoracic scoliosis (55%), straight back syndrome (50%), flat chest (46.7%), and pectus excavatum (20%) were seen in association with the condition, with 81.7% having any one or combination of these features."
• Thoracic skeletal abnormalities in young men with mitral valve prolapse. "Young National Servicemen were screened for cardiac murmurs and 74 cases of mitral valve prolapse were diagnosed. PA and lateral Chest X-rays were taken. 18% of the subjects had straight back, 24% had scoliosis, 38% had sternal abnormalities while 58% had one or more thoracic skeletal deformities. Comparisons were made with other series......The significance and aetiology of this association is discussed. Mitral valve prolapse should be excluded in patients with thoracic skeletal abnormalities, especially those presenting with cardiac murmurs."
• Early echocardiographic and pulmonary function findings in idiopathic scoliosis. "Billowing of the mitral leaflets, termed mitral valve prolapse, was demonstrated in 25% of the subjects. Our findings suggest that cardiopulmonary and thoracic changes in idiopathic scoliosis may develop in parallel and may be expressions of a common collagen defect."

.For more information, see my section on heart palpitations.

The book that I found the most helpful for my scoliosis was:

Back Care Basics : A Doctor's Gentle Program for Back and Neck Pain Relief

Visit my connective tissue disorder page and use my search feature and site map for more information on pectus excavatum, scoliosis, Marfan syndrome and related topics.  

Also see my main section on Scoliosis and my complete index of all the scoliosis related pages.

Related sections of interest:

Mitral Valve Prolapse - common in women with scoliosis

Marfan Syndrome - scoliosis is a common feature of this syndrome

Pectus Excavatum (sunken chests) - occurs frequently with scoliosis

TMJ: Diet and Exercise Treatment - covers the many factors that played a role on my recovery from temporomandibular joint disorder pain.

Zinc - examines the potential links between zinc deficiency and scoliosis

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