For this term, I took a class called “disease”. We learned about different body systems, different areas that can be affected by the disease, and most importantly different diseases. My action project is about scoliosis. This means there is a curvature in the spine. Yes, it’s supposed to be curved. However the kind of curvature patients experience when having scoliosis, is harmful. Scoliosis can make one leg longer than another, making sitting up straight quite a task, and making people with it have fewer opportunities for physical activities. There are a few ways to treat scoliosis; however, not everyone has access to them. This is often an environmental disease if long exposure to bad posture or lots of physical labor can cause the spine to abnormally bend. It can also run in a bloodline, making it genetic.
Of all Jack’s medical struggles, his back issues are the most relevant. His skeletal system is the most affected by scoliosis - specifically his spine. The nervous system and circulatory system are also affected in some cases if the spine is pinching nerves causing them to be hypersensitive or numb. What can also happen is your spinal cord is pinched by the vertebrae, which is not good for a few reasons. Annoying doctor’s appointments aren’t the only downside of scoliosis. Back pain, terrible posture, limping, numbness or tingling in the legs, or trouble sleeping are symptoms of scoliosis, as well. Other things that can be a result of scoliosis are difficulty doing physical labor, back pain, unstable posture, and internal issues with nerves, or the spinal cord. You can then get an X-ray, or MRI, see where there is curvature, the severity of the curvature itself, then diagnosis. Scoliosis does not discriminate; anyone can get scoliosis, and more often than not people who have relatively physically demanding jobs. But also just normal people can have scoliosis as it can be genetic. Although I do suppose places with less medical technology wouldn’t be able to treat it, it might be more of a problem there. Since it affects such an important part of the body, it can be a serious condition. It’s a pretty common one in one thousand adolescent kids have it? Scoliosis usually occurs early on in life. Scoliosis is not contagious or controllable other than treatments. It is not transferable. However, it is a genetic disease that can be passed down in a bloodline. I’m not exactly sure what the cause of Jack's back problems was, but one of his vertebrae is wedge-shaped, not as it’s supposed to be shaped. So, the orthopedist sent Jack to physical therapy. he’s gone a few times, for his lower back. Those muscles need more strength to give the support needed for his back. Being in the city, access to physical therapy is somewhat easy, however, he has to walk around a lot. This makes his back act up, but he’s kept up with his exercises so he’s all good.
This illustration is showing wherein the body can be most affected by scoliosis. The red portions are what are most affected by worse cases of scoliosis. The darker red is colored, the more affected that area usually is. The lower vertebrae in the spine are usually the most affected by scoliosis. This tension caused by the spine curving can pinch the nerves in the lower spine causing numbness or tingling, and if left unnoticed, can cause one to become paralyzed from the waist down. Luckily, Jack has been to the doctor for it and has treated it to the best of his ability. Good job, Jack. I met with jacks mother, and I asked “how has your overall look on Jacks situation changed since the beginning of his diagnosis” her response:
“I feel more relaxed since things have not changed for the worse over the last 2 years. There is always the chance that your back could get worse, but it seems like it is manageable right now. I still worry that you won't be able to do things you want to do, or that you will do something (unintentionally) that makes it worse. There is still the worry that you could end up paralyzed but I am more hopeful that it won't come to that, or that you would be able to have surgery that would prevent that.” -Jacks mom, 2021
It seems like Jack can live happily and not have this be an issue for his whole life. Luckily, he can, and it’s not a severe case of scoliosis.
Works cited:
health, better. (2021). Scoliosis. Scoliosis - Better Health Channel. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/scoliosis
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