Don’t get bent out of shape over scoliosis treatment in Snellville. Just look for your chiropractic clinic to provide you with the proper array of specialties that can help you reclaim your spine.
When your back is curved, it could be caused by scoliosis. This is also known as kyphosis, when the curve comes to the center of the back, or lordosis if the curve extends from hips to head. While it’s common to think that poor posture is at the root of scoliosis, that isn’t strictly true. In a similar way to carpal tunnel, it’s difficult for doctors to pinpoint if posture causes scoliosis, or other genetic conditions. That is because people who have always had a straight spine can also develop scoliosis. So too, as people may mistreat their spines and be the culprits of bad posture, the result doesn’t have to be scoliosis.
Scoliosis is a disorder that affect old and young. 2 or 3 percent of those affected by it are less than 16, with little cause for such a condition being present. However, the scoliosis will often run parallel with additional problems. The best way to treat it is to catch it earlier than later. For those who are suffering from the ailment, the good news is that in 90% of patients, the only thing they need to worry about is keeping up with physical therapy. Keeping their backs in good shape is enough of a cure to stem the curve.
But what about those cases that don’t respond to exercise and management? In those cases there are braces that can help the spine work on getting stronger. Taken into account here are the age of the bones, their structural integrity and the gender of the person.
There are several styles of brace:
The Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis brace is thankfully called the TLSO. It’s also called the Boston brace or the underarm brace. It’s made to be worn under clothing 23 hours a day and is put on a child with a custom plastic mold designed to stop the curve from worsening by forcing pressure against it from three points. This is prescribed when the curve is in the lower part of the spine.
The Cervico-Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis is called the Milwaukee brace. It has an additional neck ring that is attached by bars to the main brace body. This brace is used to treat curves in the upper, or thoracic spine.
A third brace is called the Charleston Bending Brace, or a nighttime brace. It’s only used at bedtime. When the plastic is formed the patient lies down to the side so the pressure will act against the curve from a lying position. In some cases, a patient being treated for scoliosis is able to use the nighttime brace and still go to school or about daily business without anyone knowing they were a brace or are being treated for the condition.
The best prevention for scoliosis are still exercise, vitamin D and calcium. For the rest, contact your chiropractor.