There are many problems that can happen with the back, one of which is scoliosis. This is a common back problem during adolescence and even adulthood if it is not corrected early-on. A healthy spine follows a straight line with even pressure on the joints. With scoliosis, the spine curves to the left or the right. This can slowly affect posture and your ability to move correctly. We can help you to know the signs of scoliosis and the proper methods to help correct this condition.
Scoliosis 101
Your spine is the central structure that holds up your back and all the limbs connected to your torso. Because of all the work your back does, it’s one of the most common areas that people experience pain and injuries. Scoliosis is a condition where the spine doesn’t follow proper, straight alignment. There are common causes of spinal misalignment such as birth defects, bone growths, infections, leg length inequalities, tumors and more. However, the most common type of scoliosis in at least 50% of cases is idiopathic scoliosis, meaning there is no known cause. It can happen to some children and not others—even in the same family.
Scoliosis is when the spine starts to take on a C or S shape, especially towards the central and lower part of the back. This can cause not only back pain, but difficulty breathing, spinal aches, problems with walking and movement, hip and shoulder misalignments and more. The problem can progress over the years until patients become hunched over, unable to properly support their back. Studies show that girls are 8 times more likely to develop scoliosis compared to boys. Children should be screened at least throughout the years leading up to age 18.
How Common Is It?
Scoliosis is a condition that only affects about 2-3% of people in the United States according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. However, if you do the math, that equals out to about 9 million people with scoliosis. There may be even more that don’t realize their back issues stem from this condition. Scoliosis can happen to anyone no matter their age, even though it is more common in children. Signs of this condition most often happen at a younger age, which is why it’s important that children have a spinal check early. When diagnosed during the childhood years, it’s easiest to fix the problem to prevent permanent problems.
Children can receive spinal braces that can help direct their spine into a straighter path over time. There are about 30,000 children each year that wear spinal braces to correct their spinal curvature. In even more cases (about 38,000), children underwent spinal fusion surgery. However, we would prefer natural methods for spinal correction over surgery or invasive procedures, as this can cause more harm than good for some. Surgery involves cutting into muscles, tendons, skin and more, all of which can damage or kill nerves in the body. Healing time can take months or longer and the condition may not actually be fixed. It’s always best to start with natural treatment methods before moving on to something so intense.
What Are “Natural” Treatments?
When we say “natural” treatment or therapy, we don’t mean drinking herbal substances or getting healed by nature. We mean treatments that help boost your body’s inherent ability to heal itself from damage. People have healed naturally for centuries, and natural healing methods were the way to go before modern technology took over. At our facility, we try every non-invasive treatment needed to help you avoid surgery and narcotic use for pain.
We have various chiropractic manipulation treatments that seek to help realign the spine and keep it in place over time. When your back doesn’t follow a straight line, back pain, injuries, nerve damage, muscle weakness and more can happen. We relieve pressure on joints that receive uneven pressure from everyday actions. Our spinal adjustments also involve proper stretching, traction treatments and adjustments to keep pain at bay while the spine straightens out. In some cases, back braces and other support systems are needed for more severe scoliosis cases. Those braces can help provide gentle pressure in areas to start molding the spine curvature back into its natural curve.
Often, this pressure and manipulation through therapy and support devices can do just as good of a job—if not better—than surgery and other invasive options can do. Throughout treatment, muscles can be tense and tired, which is why we also help muscle relaxation with massage and electrostimulation. Posture and balance training is also key to help your back hold you up correctly so the spine is properly supported. In many cases, simple posture, nutrition, and lifestyle changes can go a long way at strengthening and supporting your back as our natural therapies correct your spinal alignment. Over time, your back can become straight without damaging surgery. You reap all the benefits without mounting bills and time taken off work for recovery.
Do You Have Scoliosis?
It can be hard to know what a natural spinal curve looks like and what scoliosis looks like. If you have the condition, it can worsen for years until it starts to cause you health problems. We see patients for both consultations and exams, as well as treatment therapies to straighten the spine.
Spine Correction Center of the Rockies has actually gone through extensive training and certification to become one of only a few clinics in the United States that operates as a Scoliosis Treatment Center. This classification allows us to treat scoliotic curvatures that vary from 5 degrees to curvatures in the 70- and 80-degree range. If you believe you have scoliosis, or you have back pain, call Spine Correction Center of the Rockies at (970) 658-5115 for your free consultation!
