In order for the spine to perform optimally, it has to maintain its natural curvatures and alignment, and this is facilitated by the spine’s intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs generally show the first signs of spinal degeneration, including disc desiccation. Keep reading to learn more about disc desiccation causes, symptoms, and treatment. The spinal...
Scoliosis and scoliosis pain will feel different from one patient to the next. Factors like patient age, causation, curvature location, and condition severity will shape a person’s experience of life with the condition. Particularly when it comes to pain, scoliosis feels very different for young patients who are still growing, versus adults. Scoliosis is a...
The spine’s natural curvatures make it stronger, more flexible, and better able to absorb/distribute mechanical stress; the spine’s optimal health and function depends on its ability to maintain its natural curvatures and alignment, and there are a number of spinal conditions that involve a loss of the spine’s healthy curves, such as a straightening of lumbar...
The body needs ample nourishment from a range of food sources to function optimally. As a spinal condition, it might not seem like scoliosis would have a clear effect on the digestive system, but as the brain and spine work in tandem to form the body’s central nervous system, its effects can be felt throughout the body, and not just in the back. The digestive...
Also referred to as lateral pelvic tilt, uneven hips caused by scoliosis can involve one hip sitting higher than the other, and/or one hip appearing more rounded than the other. As an abnormal spinal curvature develops and progresses, it is exposing the spine to uneven forces that can affect the body’s overall symmetry. While no two cases are the same, uneven...
Everyone needs sleep to reset, rejuvenate, and restore. For people facing the additional challenge of life with scoliosis, it’s particularly important to develop healthy sleep habits so the body can cultivate an environment that’s conducive to healing and responsive to treatment. While having scoliosis doesn’t guarantee sleep problems, it can increase the...
When scoliosis is diagnosed, it’s further classified based on a number of important patient and condition characteristics. While most scoliotic curves bend to the right, away from the heart, they can also bend to the left, towards the heart; this is classified as levoscoliosis and can have a number of causes. Levoscoliosis refers to abnormal spinal curvatures...
There are many different types of scoliosis, based on causation, and there are also different curvature patterns. Scoliosis can develop anywhere along the spine, although the thoracic spine is the most commonly affected. In most cases, scoliotic curves bend to the right, away from the heart, but in atypical cases with underlying causes, the curve can bend to the...
General exercise can improve a patient’s overall health, but can’t impact scoliosis on a structural level; scoliosis-specific exercises (SSEs) have corrective potential, especially when combined with other effective scoliosis-specific treatment disciplines prescribed by a CLEAR-certified scoliosis chiropractor. While the prescription of SSEs will vary based on...
Every case of scoliosis is unique and will affect patients differently. Variables like patient age and condition severity help shape a person's experience of life with the condition. Treatment plans for patients, of all severity levels, have to be designed around the needs of each patient and their specific condition; there is no generic blanket-approach to treating...
As a progressive condition, scoliosis has it in its nature to get worse over time, especially if left untreated, or not treated proactively. Scoliosis is not a static condition; if a patient is initially diagnosed with mild scoliosis, that doesn’t mean that’s where the condition will stay. As an abnormal spinal curvature gets larger, it can progress from mild to...
Just as there are different types of scoliosis that can develop, there are also different severity levels; these levels range from mild to severe and are classified based on the size of the abnormal spinal curvature. Symptoms of mild scoliosis are often subtle and don’t commonly cause functional deficits. When it comes to treatment, a proactive approach can work...