Scoliosis

Scoliosis is more than a crooked spine on a set of x-rays. Each patient is a person, with a life and a family who has supported them on their search for help. The disease of scoliosis has a way of emotionally and/or physically victimising each patient. Scoliosis is a disease that affects the patient physically, emotionally and mentally, as well as placing enormous emotional strain on the family as a whole.

Most Common Scoliosis Postural
Patterns are

Forward head posture, right head tilt, right high shoulder, right forward hip, right foot forward.

Any abnormal postures from the front view such as a low shoulder, unlevel hips, uneven gap or opening between hips and the arms and forward head posture from the side view are signs of possible scoliosis.

Scoliosis Diagnosis and
Traditional Treatment Model

Scoliosis is defined by a one-dimensional measurement on an x-ray called a Cobb angle. A measurement of 10 degrees or higher is classified as scoliosis.

The current medical model involves observation of the patient with between 10 and 25 degrees curvature by x-rays every 4-6 months with the hope that it does not get worse.

Once the scoliosis is 25 degrees, a rigid brace is prescribed with the primary goal of only stabilising the progression of the problem. The common prescription is that it be worn usually for 23 hours per day over a period of 2 years.
The goal of the brace is to stop the progress but not improve the scoliosis.
The brace does not rehabilitate the involuntary postural centres and reflexes and has the disadvantage of decreasing the use of muscles and joint motion.

Once the scoliosis has reached 40 degrees or higher, the recommendation for scoliosis surgery is commonly recommended.

The current model does not always take into consideration: symptoms, function and structure when making the clinical decisions for deciding treatment.

PIC OF IMPLANT

PIC OF X-RAY WITH RODS

Rethinking Scoliosis

Scoliosis is more than a Cobb angle.  Scoliosis is a disease of the neuromuscular skeletal system. It is not a bone condition.  It is a 3-dimensional, abnormal spinal position composed of compression, translation, lateral flexion and rotation.

Approximately 80% of scoliosis cases are defined as idiopathic which means unknown cause. The unique thing about most idiopathic scoliosis cases is the spinal structure is not abnormal at the beginning. The bones are not abnormally shaped, the spine to be bent and rotated. Scoliosis is caused by malfunctioning of the system in charge of keeping the spine upright and straight relative to gravity.  Scoliosis in a nutshell is the brain’s misinterpretation of the body relative to gravity. It is holding the spine in an abnormal position but does not realise it.

It is our belief that the origin of the condition is not in the spine but in the brain. Posture and spinal position are controlled by the brain through involuntary postural reflexes. This is the reason you cannot correct your posture by just standing up straight. When you stop thinking about it, you go right back to your original abnormal posture.

Goal of Scoliosis Treatment

The goal of our care is to help the patient improve symptomatically, functionally and structurally and provide the patient with tools to combat their condition with less dependence on doctors. The focus of our programme is reduction and stabilisation of the scoliosis without bracing or surgery. The goal of Scoliosis treatment is to rehabilitate the neuromuscular system which controls posture and spinal position. This programme can restore hope, strength and spirit.