Finally, a diagnosis

[officerandgentleman]

Hi , started posting fairly recently re. Left sided rib pain, radiating to groin and into back, of 3 years duration. Turns out I have mild scoliosis and thoracic spine osteoartritis. Now the long wait for an NHS orthopaedic referral begins. Good to finally find cause of pain, but what a pity the NHS is no longer fit for purpose.

[johnsmith]

There have been a number of reports that yoga has been helpful for mild scoliosis. "Thoracic spine osteoarthritis" can be helped by looking into moving with more fluidic movements. Yoga may help with this. What is not known is how bad the "Thoracic spine osteoarthritis is. The stiffness associated with arthritis is a brain problem not necessarily a bone problem. BY developing better movement strategies it should be able to reduce pain and discomfort. Making sure you get enough sleep is important as lack of sleep reduces the ability to fine tune muscle movement.

Worth seeking the advice of an Alexander Teacher. Note: you cannot understand what Alexander Technique is about by reading books.

[officerandgentleman in reply to johnsmith]

Thankyou johnsmith. I shall certainly try the yoga

[cyberbarn]

I agree that the NHS needs to be overhauled. I believe Matt Hancock is making a statement today about it. But i am afraid it will be too little and too late.

There is a lot of evidence that patients are presenting time and time again to their GPs but they are being fobbed off, sometimes for years, before they are referred for treatment. For example it takes on average 4 years for a man to be diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos, and 16 years for a women. That is an awful lot of appointments with the GP trying to convince them that something is wrong!

I am glad that you finally have an answer. But don't stop looking, you might want to know why you have mild scoliosis! (hint, have a look at the information on Ehlers-Danlos and see if it fits)

[Pepper2nd]

I waited six months for a referral and a Mir scan. I gave up and paid for my own. Nothing shows up on the Mir scan. Injections haven't done a thing. Now have a six month wait for an appointment to attend a pain clinic on NHS. False economy because some people won't be able to work and have to claim benefits