Scoliosis is an abnormal and progressive lateral curvature of the spine, both the thoracic (central) and lumbar (lower) portions. Between 2% and 4% of the population suffers from scoliosis, with a curve of more than 10 degrees. A curve of fewer than 10 degrees is not considered scoliosis.
It can occur at any age, although it generally develops to a greater degree during adolescence, and is more common in girls. Most scoliosis is detected between the ages of 10 and 12, but the deformity begins between the ages of 5 and 8.
In most cases (80%) the cause is unknown, hence the scientific name idiopathic scoliosis (idiopathic means unknown).
The type of scoliosis is classified, according to the degree of deviation and the age at which it appears, as infantile or adolescent. The latter is the most common; statistically, people who suffer from it do not register a higher incidence of back pain than the rest of the population until they reach adulthood.
Normally, scoliosis tends to progress while the bones are still developing, especially during growth spurts. When bone maturity is reached, at about age 18, the degree of deviation normally stops increasing or, if it doesn’t, it is already at a very slow rate.
PRIORITIZE YOUR HEALTH AND VISIT YOUR DOCTOR OF CHIROPRACTIC REGULARLY.
Traditional treatments include bracing, surgical placement of rods or rods in the spine, or the use of corrective orthopedic braces, designed to slow the development of these curvatures rather than to correct them.
But every day more and more parents with children who have been diagnosed with this problem come to the doctor of chiropractic’s office in search of less invasive and more natural solutions.
Marc Bony D.C