How can Chiropractic Help with Scoliosis

By: Dr. Dean Lombardo DC

What is Scoliosis?

• Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine.
• The American Chiropractic Association estimates up to seven million Americans suffer from scoliosis.
• As the degree of curvature increases, the excess curvature can cause other health problems.

What causes Scoliosis?

• Nationwide, about 3% of the U.S. population has some form of scoliosis.
• Some who are born with it, and some who get scoliosis as they age.
• Scoliosis often begins between the ages of 10 and 15
• Females are more likely to suffer from progressive scoliosis.

Scoliosis and Health Problems:

Breathing difficulty and reduced lung capacity. In milder cases, scoliosis may not be easily noticed by the person or their family. Detecting scoliosis early in children is especially important because some forms of scoliosis keep progressing.

Identifying Scoliosis:

Some ways to identify scoliosis:

• Increased spinal curvature
• Uneven Hips
• Rib Hump

Scoliosis surgery:

The operation for scoliosis is a spinal fusion. The basic idea is to realign and fuse together the curved vertebrae so that they heal into a single, solid bone.

Scoliosis Causes:

About 90% of scoliosis patients have a spinal curvature that is not severe enough to require surgery. Yet it is extremely painful because of how it affects the body’s anatomy.

Chiropractic Adjustments:

With Chiropractic adjustments they can:

• Minimize or relieve pain
• Strengthening exercises to support joints
• Increasing the ability to take deep cleansing breath
• Procedures and ideas to stay active without increasing the symptoms.

Putting it together…

• Loss of normal movement leads to…
• Changes in how all tissues involved are stressed and replenished, which causes…
• Chemical changes within those tissues and…
• Predisposes them to mechanical failure giving us..,
• A good reason to restore normal movement through spinal adjustment

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic care centers around the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of neuro-musculoskeletal system disorders.

Some of these conditions include:

• Neck and Back pain
• Headache
• Sciatica
• Stiff Joints
• Sprain/Strain injuries
• Herniated Nucleus pulposus
• Sports related injuries
• The list goes on……….

Why is Chiropractic so effective?

• Restores Normal Function
• Remove Nerve Pressure
• Reduce Inflammation
• Use of Adjustments, Therapies, Modalities
• Exercises
• Lifestyle Changes
• Many conditions respond best with a multi-disciplinary approach

Back Pain Treatment:

Among 23 options for treatment of low back pain, spinal manipulation and the use of NSAIDS had the most beneficial effect.

Conclusion:

• For the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, Chiropractic is a conservative first step that should not be overlooked.
• If a problem can be corrected with minimal risk, and without the use of drugs or surgery, it makes sense to do it