Scoliosis Treatment and Chiropractic Care

Scoliosis is a condition that afflicts 5-7 million people in the United States and accounts for more than half a million visits made to the doctor’s office annually. It can begin at any age but is most commonly seen in adolescents between 10-15 years of age. It is also more commonly seen in boys than girls and can be inherited, so children who have parents or siblings with scoliosis should be examined. Here’s what you need to know about scoliosis and chiropractic care.

What is Scoliosis?

Because we talk on both feet, our nervous system is constantly working its way through postural control and reflexes to ensure the spine remains in proper alignment. Every now and then, a lateral curvature develops in the spine. If that curvature is larger than 10 degrees, it is considered scoliosis. When it is less than 10 degrees, it is considered a postural change. Scoliosis can also come with an abnormal curvature toward the front (lordosis) or an abnormal curvature toward the back (kyphosis). The vertebrae are typically rotated.

Scoliosis often doesn’t have a known cause, but sometimes tumors, trauma, or neurological disease can be to blame. Functional scoliosis is frequently caused by intense muscle spasms, leg-length inequality, and/or postural issues and both kinds can have hidden or other causes.

Symptoms of Scoliosis

Scoliosis can affect people in different ways but symptoms usually affect quality of life by reducing activity, causing pain, afflicting heart function, or lowering lung function. Because scoliosis is most often seen in teenagers, those who have it also face being made fun of by their peers because of severe spinal deviations.

Fortunately, 4 out of 5 people with scoliosis curves are less than 20 degrees, so they are not easily detectable by the untrained eye. Those small curves aren’t usually cause for concern, especially when they don’t have any indicators of further progression. However, mild curvatures can worsen quickly in young children so frequent checkups are recommended.

Scoliosis Checks at Markson Chiropractic

At Markson Chiropractic, we treat patients of all ages, including teenagers and adolescents with scoliosis. If you would like to have your child examined or to learn more about how chiropractic care can help with scoliosis, click here to contact your local Plantation chiropractor.