Although scoliosis is a spinal condition, its effects aren’t just limited to the spine alone. An unnatural spinal curve can affect the entire body, along with the spine and its surrounding nerves and muscles; for example, a muscular imbalance can develop as the spine’s surrounding muscles struggle to support its unnatural bend and twist. Scoliosis is...
While it’s important for everyone to be mindful of spinal health, for those living with a progressive spinal condition like scoliosis, it can be particularly important. Understanding spinal health and function is the best way to approach living with, and treating, scoliosis. When it comes to scoliosis dos and dont’s, we’re talking about how best to lead a...
There are three main spinal sections, each with its own characteristics, roles to play in how the spine functions, and type of spinal curvature; the spine’s ability to maintain its natural curves is important because they facilitate a wide range of motion and flexibility, make the spine stronger, and help it to handle mechanical stress from impact and...
Although scoliosis is a spinal condition, it doesn’t just affect the back; it also impacts the spine’s surrounding nerves, muscles, and the rest of the body. Continue reading to learn how an unnatural spinal curve can cause a muscular imbalance and what can be done about it. The uneven forces of scoliosis disrupt the spine’s alignment and the body’s...
What patients should know about being diagnosed with scoliosis is that the way a diagnosis is responded to can have far-reaching effects. Treatment results can never be guaranteed, but particularly with early detection, a chiropractic-centered treatment approach can have a number of benefits. As a progressive condition, scoliosis can’t technically be cured...
A Harrington rod for scoliosis is instrumentation used in spinal fusion; it's attached to the spine with the goal of holding it in a straighter position so its vertebrae can't become more tilted over time. Harrington rods implanted are permanent, and if one fails or malfunctions in some way, there is no reversing the procedure. Surgical intervention for scoliosis...
If the spine becomes excessively straight, this is contrary to its natural curved design. It's the spine's healthy curves that keep it flexible, strong, and able to handle stress from impact and movement. The position and alignment of the spine affects body position and posture, so one of the main effects of straight-back syndrome is postural deviation. The...
As scoliosis was first described and documented in the ancient world, the medical community has had many years to observe how it progresses, what triggers it to do so, and how the condition responds to treatment. Swimming can’t treat scoliosis, and while recreational swimming can offer some therapeutic benefits, certain aspects of swimming, and/or swimming...
No two cases of scoliosis are the same, which is why treatment plans need to be 100-percent shaped around a patient’s individual condition characteristics. When scoliosis is diagnosed, classifying conditions further based on specific patient and condition variables is part of the process, and different curvature types and locations are important. As a...
A spine with its healthy curves in place will appear straight from the front and/or back and have a soft ‘S’ shape when viewed from either side, and if those curves fall with a healthy range, this means that the spine’s vertebrae are aligned as they should be. If an unnatural spinal curvature develops, the spine is no longer aligned and can cause a number of...
The spine’s natural and healthy curves are key to preserving optimal spinal health, strength, and function. If the spine loses one of its healthy curves, the biomechanics of the entire spine are disrupted as the health of each spinal curve is affected by the condition on the other spinal curves. Lumbar refers to the lower back, and lordosis refers to a spinal...
There are a number of spinal conditions that cause the development of unhealthy curves, but structural spinal conditions involve abnormalities within the spine itself, and this involves its vertebrae (bones). Continue reading to learn why scoliosis can’t simply correct itself, along with what progression means. As a progressive structural spinal condition, the...