Treatment of Scheuermann's Disease and its Symptoms

Jalan Marcy, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Email: Jalanmarcy@gmail.com

Received: 15-Nov-2022, Manuscript No. JCMEDU-22- 82551; Editor assigned: 18-Nov-2022, Pre QC No. JCMEDU-22- 82551 (PQ); Reviewed: 02-Dec-2022, QC No. JCMEDU-22- 82551; Revised: 09-Dec-2022, Manuscript No. JCMEDU-22- 82551 (R); Published: 16-Dec-2022

Description

Scheuermann’s disease is a self-limiting skeletal disease of childhood. Scheuermann’s disease describes a condition where the vertebrae grow unevenly relative to the sagittal plane; that is, the rear angle is often greater than the front. This uneven growth results in the typical “wedge” shape of the vertebrae, causing kyphosis. It is named after the Danish surgeon Holger Scheuermann.

Treatment

Scheuermann’s disease goes away on its own after the growth is complete, meaning it usually runs its course and never presents with further complications. Usually, however, once the patient is fully grown, the bones retain the deformity. For this reason, there are many treatment methods and options available that aim to correct kyphosis while the spine is still growing and, in particular, aim to prevent its worsening.

Although there is no explanation for what causes Scheuermann’s disease, there are ways to treat it. In less extreme cases, manual medicine, physical therapy, and/ or back braces can help reverse or stop kyphosis before it becomes severe. Because the disease is often benign, and because back surgery involves many risks, surgery is usually considered a last resort for patients. In severe or extreme cases, patients may be treated with extensive surgery in an attempt to prevent worsening of the disease or damage to the body.

In Germany, the standard treatment for both Scheuermann’s disease and lumbar kyphosis is the Schroth method, a system of specialized physical therapy for scoliosis and related spinal deformities. The method has been shown to reduce pain and significantly reduce the kyphotic angle during an inpatient treatment program.

Bracing can be used to prevent progression and in some cases to reduce the Cobb angle of hyperkyphosis. Conservative treatment of Scheuermann’s hyperkyphosis is generally considered an effective treatment approach in the international literature. Physiotherapy and orthosis are the first-line treatment for this condition.

Braces such as Scolibrace (kyphobrace) and Kyphologic braces have been shown to be effective in treating Scheuermann’s disease.

Symptoms

Scheuermann’s disease is considered a form of juvenile osteochondrosis of the spine. It occurs mostly in teenagers and represents a significantly worse deformity than postural kyphosis. Patients suffering from Scheuermann’s kyphosis cannot consciously correct their posture. The peak of their curve, located in the thoracic vertebrae, is quite stiff.

Scheuermann’s disease is known to cause lower and mid-level back and neck pain that can be severe and disabling. The sufferer may feel pain at the top of the curve that worsens with physical activity and periods of standing or sitting; this can have a significantly detrimental effect on their lives as their activity level is limited by their disability. The affected person may feel isolated or restless among their peers if they are children, depending on the level of deformity.

In addition to the pain associated with Scheuermann’s disease, many patients with this disorder have a loss of vertebral height and, depending on where the apex of the curve is, may have a visual “hump” or “round back.” Curves in the lower thoracic region have been reported to cause more pain, while curves in the upper region present more visual distortion. However, it is usually pain or cosmetic reasons that prompt sufferers to seek help for their condition. In studies, kyphosis is better characterized for the thoracic spine than for the lumbar spine.

The seventh and tenth thoracic vertebrae are most often affected. It causes back pain and curvature of the spine. In very severe cases, it can cause internal problems and damage to the spinal cord, but these cases are extremely rare. The curvature of the back reduces height and thus puts pressure on the internal organs, which wear out faster than the natural aging process; surgery is almost always recommended in this case.

Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share A like 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.