My son, age 21 yrs, was dx'd with scoliosis at the age of 15. Over the last six years, his pain has increased to the point where he can no longer sleep more than 4 hours at a time, without some kind of medication. He finds Xanax/Zanax (sp?) to be the best help, hates the muscle relaxers like Flexaril or Zanaflex because of the way they make him feel. He gets 'real' pain meds every once in a while because doctors think he is "too young" to be on pain mgmt medications.
Last time they did give him Xanax for a month and a shot of Toradol, which helped alot. However, the pill version of the same drug did nothing.
The degree of scoliosis is not enough to warrant surgery and he has been told to do "core strengthening exercises" and is getting help with those from his chiropractor. The DC's adjustments dont help at all but his machines that massage DO as does the exercise/diet regimen he came up with. But my son is as skinny as a rail, can eat like a ranchhand and not gain a pound. He's always had problems keeping weight on, still does.
BUT .. sometimes that pain is so severe, my son calls me from Alaska to Texas, CRYING. He has to go to the only ER room for 150 miles, they know him there and often refuse to help himn with his pain.
What is the story about pain and young people? Are they just supposed to bite a bullet if they have a conditoin that is KNOWN to produce pain, does so and then ... the docs who dx'd him just walk away, refusing to help him "become an addict." I thought people in pain did nto become addicts, but were instead dependent on a drug, and there IS a difference!
I can't figure out how to help him except to get him to move to Texas where at least he can get pain meds when needed. Is there anything ELSE that will work for scoliosis pain that is NOT an opiate/narcotic?