Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that often causes the spine to look like the letter “S” or the letter “C”. These abnormal curves in the spine affect the middle of the back (the thoracic region), and the lower back (the lumbar region). The neck is also likely to lack its natural curve, affecting the balance and posture of the entire body.
It is also possible for the scoliosis curves to affect the body in other ways. For example, the spine may develop a “third” curve, often referred to as a compensatory curve. This is actually the spine’s way of helping the body counteract the “S” or “C” curves as it attempts to keep the body balanced. The spine may also rotate or twist inwardly on itself, in a spiral-like manner, compressing the vertebrae together over time.
Even the mildest case of scoliosis can affect a person’s overall health, self-esteem, and confidence. Issues with muscle control and strength, pain and discomfort, posture, flexibility, and appearance affect the emotional health of individuals with scoliosis, reducing their quality of life.
So what? I am not even in pain.
Scoliosis is not always associated with pain, although it commonly may be. Even in people without pain, however, the function of the heart & lungs is compromised. According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, scoliosis is associated with reduced life expectancy. On the average, people with scoliosis suffer a 14-year reduction in their life expectancy due to the strain upon the heart & the reduced amount of oxygen supplied to the body. Scoliosis is also associated with headaches, shortness of breath, digestive problems, chronic disease, and hip, knee, & leg pain.
The mechanics of scoliosis
The body needs curves in order for it to function properly. There should be a natural curve in the neck and other natural curves in the spine itself to allow the body to function properly. If one curve is missing, the body attempts to compensate. This is what is happening in people with scoliosis, the body, the spine specifically, is trying to compensate for a missing curve. Scoliosis could therefore be described as the body’s natural and innate response to the loss of mechanical function.
It is easy to understand the concept of mechanical advantage for yourself. Find a heavy weight, about 10 to 20 pounds, and hold it in your hand. Most likely, your elbow will come close to your body, and your palm will be up, with your fingers facing away from you. This is very similar to how your spine supports the weight of your head with the curve in your neck. Now try removing the curve from your wrist; rotate it 180 degrees and bend it forwards with the weight still in your hand. Your elbow will swing out to the side to replace the lost stability. This is very similar to what happens in your spine when the curve in your neck is lost; the body develops scoliosis because a straight spine is extremely unstable. Essentially, scoliosis is a biomechanical reaction to the loss of the curve in the neck, and it develops due to pressure & interference on the nerves responsible for maintaining posture & symmetry during growth.
How can we help scoliosis patients?
Scoliosis is an incredibly complex condition involving much more than the spinal column. There is no one magic adjustment or therapy which will work in every case. This is the reason why understanding our protocols & especially the science behind them is important. Scoliosis treatment must be customized to the particular, specific needs of each individual patient. However, there are certain key aspects of our protocols which are integral to achieving consistent, measurable success in scoliosis treatment.
The first step will be a series of x-rays to determine the specific curvatures of your spine and all the affected areas. Each curve and angle will be measured to assure the proper implementation of adjustments and therapies. Once this step is done your treatment plan will be started.
Even though each patient is different, there will always be key components. Prior to receiving chiropractic adjustments, the patient is required to warm up their spine using devices such as the wobble chair (which sits upon a ball-and-socket joint and flexes in every direction to put the spine through a full range of motion) and the Repetitive Cervical Traction (which is used actively by the patient to achieve gentle, repetitive spinal traction). It is important to understand that if the warm up protocols are not followed, the intervertebral discs will be rigid and inflexible, and it will be difficult if not impossible to effect structural changes to the spine.
Mechanical adjusting instruments and specialized drop pieces enhance the precision & effectiveness of chiropractic care, while simultaneously reducing the amount of force required to correct the spine. We utilize Mirror Image Adjustment techniques and prescribe specific exercises for home care. Follow up x-rays should confirm correction of these areas.
Immediately after the adjusting is completed, the spine needs to be "set" in its corrected position to ensure the permanency of the changes. This involves spinal weighting protocols (typically on the head & hips), whole-body vibration therapy and/or the Berry Translation table. In addition to the home exercise program, exercises should be done in the clinic on the whole-body vibration platform (which has been shown through research to increase the effectiveness of exercise by 2-3 times).
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