Mike's Health

1996 started having cluster Migraines, symptoms were head pain, nausea, pain in left eye

November 1998
Bad back pain in lower spine (lower thorax (thoracic) area) diagnosed as Scheurmans Disease at hospital in
November.

Aug 1999 discharged from hospital assumed he would grow out of problem. Blood test revealed raised enzymes in blood usually caused by overactive bones

17 October 2000 had a fall in PE, hurt neck, went to see osteopath Dan who recommended visit to hosipital who said it was severe muscle spasm. Continued weeklyosteopath treatments.

16th November 2000 woke with pain in his side, nausea, difficulty breathing, went to see GP had thorough examination and water test.

25th January 2001 saw hospital consultant, took blood tests went for MRI scan all negative

Scheuermann's Disease
Scheuermann's disease is considered a form of juvenile osteochondrosis of the spine. It is found mostly in teenagers and presents a significantly worse deformity than postural kyphosis. Patients suffering with Scheuermann’s kyphosis cannot consciously correct their posture. The apex of their curve, located in the thoracic vertebrae, is quite rigid. The sufferer may feel pain at this apex, which can be aggravated by physical activity and by long periods of standing or sitting; this can have a significantly detrimental effect to their lives as their level of activity is curbed by their condition and they may feel isolated or uneasy amongst their peers if they are children, depending on the level of deformity. Also, the decreased level of height will emphasize body fat around the intestines, making the person with Scheuermann's kyphosis seem more heavy-set than normal. This can make children even more uneasy, with a possibility of being harassed by peers, since they appear to be "fatter" than other children. Whereas in postural kyphosis the vertebrae and disks appear normal, in Scheuermann’s kyphosis they are irregular, often herniated, and wedge shaped over at least three adjacent levels.
Even so, in the majority of cases, Scheuermann's Disease presents only very mild or no symptoms. The condition is not all that uncommon by medical standards, either; It has been proposed that 3-8% of the general population may be correctly classified as having the condition, and a great majority of those who have it were never officially diagnosed.
The seventh and tenth thoracic vertebrae are most commonly affected. It causes backache and spinal curvature. In very serious cases it may cause internal problems and spinal cord damage, but these cases are extremely rare. The curvature of the back decreases height, thus putting pressure on internal organs, wearing them out quicker than the natural aging process. A possibility of organ failure increases with long periods of time.
Scheuermann's disease is self-limiting after growth is complete, meaning that it generally runs its course and never presents further complication. Typically, however, once the patient is fully grown, the bones will maintain the deformity. For this reason, there are many treatment methods and options available that aim to correct the kyphosis while the spine is still growing, and especially aim to prevent it from getting any worse.
While there is no explanation for what causes Scheuermann's Disease, there are ways to treat it. For decades there has been a lot of controversy surrounding treatment options. For less extreme cases, manual medicine, physical therapy and/or back braces can help reverse or stop the kyphosis before it does become severe. Osteopathic manipulative medicine is also a viable treatment modality. Because the disease is often benign, and because back surgery includes many risks, surgery is usually considered a last resort for patients. However in severe or extreme cases sometimes patients may be treated through an extensive surgical procedure, in an effort to prevent the disease from worsening or harming the body.
In Germany, a 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.^[8] The method has been shown to reduce pain and decrease kyphotic angle significantly during an inpatient treatment program.