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...
For people recently diagnosed with scoliosis, they have a lot of questions, one of which is how best to treat the condition. Reversing scoliosis means reducing the size of the unnatural spinal curve as this is addressing the condition’s underlying structural nature. The two main scoliosis treatment approaches offer a surgical, or non-surgical response. For those...
Bone spurs make affected bones larger than normal, and the excess space used by the bony overgrowth is taken from somewhere. If a bone spur forms on the spine, it can cause issues related to nerve compression, and where along the spine a bone spur is located will determine its effects. Continue reading to learn what effects are associated with bone spurs in the...
When it comes to maintaining optimal spinal health, the spine’s natural and healthy curves need to be in place. Kyphosis refers to the spine’s outward curve at the thoracic section, and if this curve becomes excessive, it can cause a roundback appearance. Kyphosis involves the development of an excessive spinal curvature of the thoracic spine; treatment needs...
Scoliosis is a highly-prevalent spinal condition that’s been around for hundreds of years. As our understanding of the condition has grown over those years, so too has our experience with different types of treatment. We also understand what a right- versus a left-bending scoliotic curve indicates; continue reading to learn why the difference is important. A...