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Scoliosis And Chiropractic Care

The National Scoliosis Foundation reports that around 2 to 3 percent of Americans suffer from the spinal disorder known as scoliosis, which in whole numbers figures as nearly 7 million people in the United States. 

The nature of this disease affects the spine by creating a sideways curve in it. The shape of the curve is either in a “C” or an “S” formation. Diagnosis is most often accomplished by looking at family history and performing a physical examination, including X-rays of the spine.

Scoliosis most commonly begins in childhood around the pre-teen years of ages 10 to 12 years old, although it can be contracted later in life as an adult. For some reason, girls are more susceptible to contracting scoliosis than boys but the exact reasons for this remain unclear.

What is known is that scoliosis is caused by several different factors, with the main one being genetic. For this reason doctors recommend that families with a history of scoliosis in parents and siblings, have pre-teens checked out early so that treatment can begin before the disorder becomes complicated with other symptoms.

Other factors that contribute to the development of scoliosis are classified into two different categories labeled as structural or non-structural. Non-structural scoliosis is the category for cases where the scoliosis condition has nothing to do with the actual shape of the spine. This sort of case can be more easily dealt with than others because the causes of the malformed spine are not rooted in the bones of the spine themselves. Structural scoliosis, however, has everything to do with the structure of the spine which can be effected by injury, infection, disease, or defect.

Treatment of scoliosis varies depending on the severity of the curvature in the spine. If the curving of the spine is slight, treatment might require nothing other than regular check up to observe and make sure that the spine doesn’t worsen over time. If the curve of the spine is more pronounced, treatment determining what type of procedures to follow becomes subject to a number of factors which include:

  • Type of scoliosis
  • Age of patient
  • How much more will the person grow
  • Degree of curvature and pattern

Traditional treatment usually involves the person wearing a back brace to hold the spine in the correct position. Chiropractic care offers a valuable alternative, however, with research showing that patients with scoliosis who received chiropractic care over 6 months showed significant improvement in levels of pain, levels of disability, and the angle of the curve in their spines.

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Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Ian D. Keating

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