Scoliosis and Chiropractic Care - Pilot Study Shows Promise

According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, scoliosis affects two to three percent of the population, or an estimated 6 million people in the United States. Currently, there is no cure, and despite physicians trying to treat this spinal deformity for centuries, 85 percent of the cases are classified as idiopathic. Consequently, a scoliosis patient's life is exacerbated by many unknowns, and treatments therefore that are often ineffective, invasive, and/or costly. Scoliosis patients also have increased health risks due to frequent x-ray exposure.

Scoliosis is a multi-factorial disorder and requires multidisciplinary research and treatment.

Chiropractic and Orthopedic Study Reveals Some Spinal Curve Moderation

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) remains the most common deforming orthopedic condition in children. As a result, parents continue to seek complementary and alternative therapy, including chiropractic treatment.

Now, what people want to know is - how effective is chiropractic treatment when it comes to scoliosis? A pilot study reported on in the January 2006 issue of Chiropractic & Osteopathy explored issues of safety, patient recruitment and compliance, treatment standardization, sham treatment refinement, inter-professional cooperation, quality assurance and outcome measure selection.

Six patients participated in a six-month study, five were female. One female was braced. The average patient's age was 14, and the mean Cobb angle (a term used to classify sagittal plane deformity, especially in the setting of traumatic thoracolumbar spine fractures) was 22.2 degrees. The study design was a randomized, controlled clinical trial with two independent and blinded observers. Three patients were treated by standard medical care (observation or brace treatment), two were treated with standard medical care plus chiropractic manipulation, and one was treated with standard medical care plus sham manipulation. The primary outcome measure was Cobb, and the psychosocial measure was Scoliosis Quality of Life Index.

Orthopedic surgeons and chiropractors were recruited and worked cooperatively throughout the trial. Patient recruitment and compliance was good. Chiropractic treatments were safely employed, and research protocols were successful.

In this case series, the clinical results for three distinct types of scoliosis patients was reported. And, while no firm conclusions relative to cause and effect can be made from these results, the moderation of the spinal curves may have merit. Overall, the pilot study showed the viability for a larger randomized trial. This pilot confirmed the strength of existing protocols with amendments for use in a full randomized controlled trial.

Asheville, NC Chiropractor Screens First

Dr. David Nygaard, owner of Atlas Family Chiropractic Asheville, NC says that when they screen a child for scoliosis, these are the symptoms they look for:

• Your child's head is not centered over his/her body;
• One shoulder is higher than the other; one shoulder blade is higher or stands out more than the other;
• Hips are uneven or one is more prominent than the other; and
• Spine is obviously curved when viewed from both a standing straight and bending over position.

"We use specific adjustments and exercises to help reduce the degree of curvature in your child's spine," explains Dr. Nygaard. "And, these adjustments can achieve significant success in many children when their scoliosis is discovered in its early stages."

According to the Scoliosis Research Society, "Alternative treatments to prevent curve progression or to prevent further curve progression such as chiropractic medicine, physical therapy, yoga, etc. have not demonstrated any scientific value in the treatment of scoliosis. However, these and other methods can be utilized if they provide some physical benefit to the patient such as core strengthening and symptom relief."

For more information visit:
http://atlasfamilychiropractic.net

About the Author

Bryan Sullivan is the Executive Vice President of Write Away, Inc. - Editorial and content firm based in Weaverville, NC. He is Editor of Grilled Magazine. He also often writes for regional & national publications about local history, farming, culture and food. He graduated with a degree in communications from Alfred University in New York State and then went on to attend culinary school in NYC where he graduated in the top percent of his class. He proceeded to work in high-end restaurants in New York City, Martha's Vineyard, MA and Naples, FL. Bryan currently lives in Asheville, NC with Liisa his wife and their Black Lab, Annie.

For more information visit:
http://atlasfamilychiropractic.net

Author (bsullivan). Submitted on Tue, 5 Apr 2011 Time: 4:42 AM

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