Scoliosis Specialist Near Me
Scoliosis is a complicated, progressive spinal deformity causing significant curves in the spine when viewed from the front or back. 80% is called “Idiopathic scoliosis”, meaning the cause of the scoliosis is unknown.
Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis can occur in children ages 3-10, and infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis in babies. Adults who had scoliosis as a child risk a 1 to 3 degree curvature increase per year. Therefore, a curvature that may have been moderate as a child, can progress to a surgical need as an adult.
Other types of scoliosis that are not “idiopathic” exist, and may involve neurological or other processes. It is important to have a thorough evaluation to rule out these other causes.
The best time to diagnose and treat Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is as puberty begins. That is the time that the rapid growth phase of the spine occurs, and bracing takes advantage of the rapid growth to effect change in the vertebra so they grow more normal.
This leads to decreased wedging and decreased rotation, improving the overall scoliosis. The rapid growth phase lasts approximately 1.5 to 2 years. After that, the growth slows but curvature improvement may still be possible during this period of time.
Address
6216 S. Redwood Rd. Taylorsville, UT 84123
Diagnosing Scoliosis
Scoliosis diagnosis and treatment is best done by a professional who specializes in Scoliosis evaluation and treatment. Dr. Gary Lee, D.C. was the first Scolibrace provider in Utah. Since then, he has treated many Scoliosis cases in children and adults.
The first step is to verify if the scoliosis is a true scoliosis. There are curvatures of the spine that are not deformities, and are not considered scoliosis. Often termed “abnormal posture”, or sometimes “postural scoliosis”, these curvatures are not caused by spinal deformity and can be corrected without a Scolibrace using CBP corrective care at Elevation Health.
If the curvature is a true Scoliosis, then we know by the wedging vertebra and extreme rotation that it is a spinal deformity. This is done with full-spine x-ray evaluation. Full spine radiography has become the standard of care for detection of scoliosis. Elevation Health was the first clinic in Utah to install a full-spine digital x-ray for evaluation of scoliosis and abnormal postures.
Once the x-ray is evaluated, the type and degree of scoliosis can be determined by the spinal levels involved and the degree of curvature in each area of the spine. With this information, the type of brace for scoliosis treatment can be determined and further discussion of the treatment plan can occur.
A Scolibrace is a specialized, custom brace made unique for each patient. It is not a one size fits all approach. Since it is specific to the patient, it is effective in decreasing the curvatures. Additional modifications can be made to increase it’s effectiveness over time.
Correcting Scoliosis
Non-Surgical, Effective Scoliosis Correction. Scoliosis curvatures are known to progress 2-3 degrees throughout a lifetime.
Therefore, correcting scoliosis without surgery with the Scolibrace then utilizing the exercises daily provides the best environment to avoid progression.
How Can We Help You
With time, continued improvement can be achieved by adding additional “derotation pads” to the brace to add additional push.
Scoliosis specific exercises will be added to the scoliosis treatment plan as time progresses.
These exercises will help avoid a worsening of the curvature, and should be done the rest of the patient’s life.
finding a Scoliosis specialist near me
Scoliosis correction with Scolibrace maintains the spine in a super-corrective position, allowing it to adapt to a more normal alignment.
Additionally, in growing children, the vertebra begin to grow more normally, decreasing the wedging and the rotation that causes the curvature.
In fact, when follow-up x-rays are taken, it’s exciting to see the improvements. It tells us the scoliosis is improving.
Non Surgical Scoliosis Treatment
Often, when abnormal posture is noted in a child and the x-ray shows a minor curvature, it is suggested that a period of time be allowed to go by and a follow-up x-ray be taken in 6 months to one year to see if there is any change.
Unfortunately, this approach allows progressive curvatures to advance rapidly and valuable time for active treatment that would control or reduce the curvature is lost.
This is especially important between the ages of 10 to 15 years old. This is the period of the most rapid growth the spine will experience in its lifetime. It is the time that the scoliosis will advance the most, and also the time that reduction can be maximized.
It is best, if there are any changes in posture or on x-ray, that an appointment be scheduled immediately for evaluation for scoliosis. Again, early detection allows for the best outcomes.
Exercise Therapy
Exercise has been prescribed for years to help a child with scoliosis. General exercise has never been shown to actually reduce scoliosis. Recently, Scoliosis Specific exercises have been created to help reduce and/or stabilize a scoliosis.
Studies have shown that scoliosis specific exercises combined with bracing provide a significant benefit to children with scoliosis. Although the scoliosis exercises alone may benefit someone with a small curvature, proper evaluation and imaging are necessary to determine the best treatment plan.
Chiropractic Care
New bracing techniques that employ true mirror-image positioning achieve results that can decrease the curvatures and help stabilize them, depending on the case.
Bracing, combined with scoliosis specific exercise has been shown to be the best approach to scoliosis treatment to date. Bracing is a complicated approach to treatment. It requires a professional that understands bracing, posture, and scoliosis to be truly effective. For these reasons, Scolibrace and Elevation Health are the best choice for scoliosis treatment.
Bracing
Due to their expert understanding of the spine, Chiropractic Biophysics doctors are qualified to diagnose scoliosis in children and adults. It is important to know that chiropractic care can help reduce pain and improve flexibility.
Most Chiropractors will co-manage scoliosis cases with a Scolibrace provider and may work as part of a multi-disciplinary team on your behalf to help reduce or stabilize curvatures caused by scoliosis. The addition of Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) treatment can be helpful in reducing curvatures in some cases.
