Chiropractic and Scoliosis
Scoliosis frequently starts in early childhood, and can go unnoticed as it rarely causes problems in these early years. Many parents will take their kids to the dentist once every 6 months for a checkup, without realizing it is just as important to take their kids to a chiropractor once per year for a spinal screening. Early detection is the key to preventing further damage an pain as a result of scoliosis.
Scoliosis can be caused by some of the following underlying factors, however a large percentage of cases are idiopathic (which means there is no known underlying cause)
Some causes include:
- Back pain
- Muscle spasm
- Differing leg lengths
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Appendicitis
Chiropractic treatment can help give relief for the pain caused by scoliosis, helping a child (or adult) to stay active, which is important for general health and well-being. Regular
chiropractic care following a diagnosis of scoliosis will prevent the curvature from worsening and in some cases can correct the curvature as well --as long as the curve is below 50 degrees and chiropractic care is continuously sought. This care can prevent the need for spinal surgery.
Adults who had scoliosis as children are more likely to have chronic back pain than people in the general population. Therefore, the most important thing is to detect scoliosis quickly, and then treat it appropriately. Additionally, scoliosis is hereditary - adult patients with chronic back pain as a result of childhood scoliosis often have children with scoliosis as well. We recommend to all of our patients with chronic back pain that they bring their children in for a complimentary scoliosis screening.
