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Congenital Back Pain
Common Types of Congenital Back Pain* Scoliosis is sometimes a congenital condition. Babies born with a spinal curvature have a good chance of developing severe scoliosis. Strong spinal curves can cause pain due to uneven skeletal load, muscular stress and organ constriction. Treatment most often consists of significant spinal fusion surgery.* Spondylolisthesis is a genetically transferred condition in many patients. This condition is often blamed for unexplained back pain, but is rarely the culprit. Cases of congenital spondylolisthesis are seldom painful but should be monitored by a medical doctor. * Skeletal abnormalities can create painful conditions in the spine. Congenital Back Pain SymptomsMany congenital conditions produce an obvious physical defect or deformity. These conditions are not always inherently painful, but can act as a trigger for psychological back pain to develop. The approach used by a physician is often instrumental in the prevention or initiation of painful symptoms. Patients with obvious congenital conditions should be informed that their condition might cause a physical change, but is not likely to cause them disability or pain. A young reassured patient has a better chance of living a painfree life than a patient that has been made to fear their condition. It is also important for these young patients to receive support and positive reinforcement from family and friends. If they are made to feel delicate, easily injured, or less than, these patients are doomed to develop actual symptoms based on their perceived deficiency. It is better to allow the patient to discover their own limits and constantly push them to excel, rather than over cautioning them to beware…Recommendation on Congenital Back PainI have worked with a few patients that have suffered from some pretty severe congenital problems, including dwarfism. I have found that some conditions do indeed cause pain and physical problems based on verifiable organic mechanisms. Other conditions create a physical difference, but are not inherently painful. One patient who was an adult dwarf of about 3 feet in height suffered from psychological pain due to the nocebo effect of his stature and posture related condition. He has scoliosis and uneven leg length and had been pampered and cautioned his entire life about being careful with his back. No surprise that he began to experience pain in his early adulthood that had become rather severe. This particular patient really had no severe physical health problems and I speculated that his pain was from some other issue. After working with him for some time, he realized that his pain was truly psychosomatic and was able to defeat it with the help of knowledge therapy techniques. Last I spoke to him; this patient had started a very active lifestyle for the first time in his life. He is doing great and I am so pleased for him. It just goes to prove that sometimes the perception of a disability has just as strong of an effect as an actual disability…
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