Self Help and Early Intervention

During the course of the disease, physiotherapy is an important aid to learn how to deal with restricted motion. However, patients can do many things on their own to preserve spine motion. This includes swimming with the breast stroke several times a week and the patient should sleep on his stomach. This helps to bend the back and delay the bending of the back forward. In addition it makes sense to go for a daily walk.

Early diagnosis and therapy improve the chances to mitigate the course of the disease. With early detection adaption to work methods and life style can be made, as well as the addition of supportive therapies.

Non-steroidal anti-rheumatics are prescribed to treat surges of pain and inflammation, which should be only used during pain episodes, to avoid side effects, which occur in long term therapies. Specific naturopathic treatment can be very helpful. Psychotherapy and autogenous training are useful for motivation to sustain self administered therapeutic treatments. When indicated, it is possible to surgically correct the malposition of the spine. However, the motion of the spine cannot be restored in cases with severe malpositions. Congenital malposition is usually discovered and treated by the pediatrician. Neglected spinal malpositions often become worse during adolescence. In adults this causes increased deterioration of the spine and can be the cause of back pain in later years

It is the duty of the parents to discover malpositions early and seek clarification the situation by a physician. Simple visual inspection of the child standing bare chested with the front to a wall, can lead to many discoveries. Close to the wall the child automatically takes the posture that the child thinks is straight. This examination should not be biased by remarks like "keep your shoulders straight".