Scoliosis can be reversed through chiropractic treatments

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Scoliosis is misunderstood and affects approximately 10 million Americans. Most people never find out about it until they develop pain as an adult.

People ask us, “Does my child have Scoliosis? How do I check for it? What treatments are available?”

Most people rely on the school system to check their child for scoliosis, but unfortunately schools have a lot of children and check them quickly. This leads to things being missed and the child grows up with an incorrect side curve in their spine that leads to pain and degeneration.

The conventional medical treatment for scoliosis is bracing, therapy, waiting it out, or even surgery where they place rods and screws in the spine. However, there is a better option.

Scoliosis can develop from repetitive stress on one side of the body, a one-time injury from a fall, a sports injury that doesn’t heal correctly, or a misshaped vertebrae.

Kids carry backpacks that are heavier than they should carry (no more than 10% of their body weight). They are in more sports than previous generations, and there are more kids in schools who need to be checked. All of this leads to the possibility of more children being affected by scoliosis.

We can check adults and children by looking at the spine in a few different ways. If something looks odd, we order X-rays to find out the degree of curvature. Generally speaking, 7 degrees or less is mild, 8-14 degrees is moderate and 15 degrees or above is severe.

If we discover you have scoliosis, our practice generates an outcome-based treatment plan. Sometimes we are able to reduce the curvature. Sometimes we are able to maintain the function of the spine and secure the curvature. Most of the time we are able to avoid any invasive actions.

The earlier in life scoliosis is discovered the more likely it can be reversed. Females less than 14 years old and males less than 18 years old should be checked annually. PC Wellness Centers provides free checks as a service to the community.

Dr. Gregory Pursley, DC is the owner of PC Wellness Centers.