Ask the Expert

I have a scoliosis at the bottom of my spine. I also have lumbar disc degeneration and arthritis of the spine and in both knees. The pain is bearable but it is the awful feeling I have in both legs when standing still. I can only stand in one place for seconds at a time without having to move about. The sensation is hard to explain. My doctor has now prescribed Gababentin but I feel no better. Please could you suggest something that may help?

If keeping moving helps you and brings relief to your pain, you may benefit from some manual treatment. Before prescribing the medicine did your GP refer you for physiotherapy? If not, you shuld seriously think about finding a local Osteopathic or Physiotherapeutic practitioner to offer you somr treatment. Sometimes the answers do not only come from medicines taken into the body. A mechanical problem requires a mechanical solution. if your scoliosis relates to a short leg or a pelvic rotation, the curve in the spine may be functional. I have had patients where the inclusion of a correctly placed heel lift does the trick!