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  • #16
    Aterry ~ I have pm'd you. I believe you must sign in and look at the message box in the upper right.

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    • #17
      Chiropractor, for sure!

      Hi! I am the mother of a son who had scoliosis. Our pediatrian diagnosed him when he was ten. He had an s-curve and a twist in his spine. His only symptom was headaches. The pediatrician said there was nothing he could do, and that they would "watch" his back and later put him in a brace, then he would have to have surgery when he stopped growing.

      Refusing to believe nothing could be done, I took him to what I call a holistic chiropractor, that is, one that you see for years, not just six weeks for pain. You have to find a chiropractor who treats the whole body, not one that fixes one pain and kicks you out the door when your insurance runs out. There is a huge difference between chiropractors. Maximized Living chiropractors are a great place to start.

      Anyway, my son started treatment right away, and got adjusted three times a week and began specific exercises. Within a few months, his headaches went away, and after a year of adjustments and exercises, his back was straight! You would never know he had scoliosis. Of course, he will need to keep being adjusted so his curve does not come back. He just turned 12.

      The scary part of this story is what happened when we went back to the pediatrician the next year. I told him that Mark's back was now straight, and he said, "That's impossible!" Seriously, that's what he said!! So, I showed him the before and after x-rays. He looked at Mark's back and the x-rays for ten minutes. He never said a word to us. Never! I told him to stop giving bad advice to the parents of his patients with scoliosis, and to start referring his patients to this chiropractor in the same town. I left him a stack of cards. I doubt he ever referred anyone there, and what a shame for those kids.

      So, please do not be scared of all the chiropractic horror stories you hear from doctors. The medical industry refuses to believe, even in the face of solid evidence, that chiropractic works for scoliosis (and other things!). Mark is proof enough for me! He will never wear a brace or be subjected to that surgery. It has been such a blessing to us. Keep searching!

      Comment


      • #18
        Hi ATK2112....

        If your son had curve(s) that disappeared, he would have had functional scoliosis as opposed to structural scoliosis. They're entirely different things. Functional scoliosis is usually a soft tissue response to some sort of injury or trauma.

        While chiropractic treatment may indeed have helped your son, it's also entirely possible that he would have gotten well on his own.

        --Linda
        Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
        ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
        Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

        Comment


        • #19
          Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
          While chiropractic treatment may indeed have helped your son, it's also entirely possible that he would have gotten well on his own.

          --Linda
          Yes exactly.

          I posted some statistics where a plurality of kids with smaller curves saw spontaneous decreases in their curves and about 10% IIRC resolved completely spontaneously.

          It is as likely atk2112's son would have spontaneously resolved without doing a lick of chiro.

          Again, when there are no controls there can be no knowledge.
          Last edited by Pooka1; 05-16-2009, 07:18 PM.
          Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

          No island of sanity.

          Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
          Answer: Medicine


          "We are all African."

          Comment


          • #20
            Originally posted by atk2112 View Post
            Hi! I am the mother of a son who had scoliosis. Our pediatrian diagnosed him when he was ten. He had an s-curve and a twist in his spine. His only symptom was headaches. The pediatrician said there was nothing he could do, and that they would "watch" his back and later put him in a brace, then he would have to have surgery when he stopped growing.

            Refusing to believe nothing could be done, I took him to what I call a holistic chiropractor, that is, one that you see for years, not just six weeks for pain. You have to find a chiropractor who treats the whole body, not one that fixes one pain and kicks you out the door when your insurance runs out. There is a huge difference between chiropractors. Maximized Living chiropractors are a great place to start.

            Anyway, my son started treatment right away, and got adjusted three times a week and began specific exercises. Within a few months, his headaches went away, and after a year of adjustments and exercises, his back was straight! You would never know he had scoliosis. Of course, he will need to keep being adjusted so his curve does not come back. He just turned 12.

            The scary part of this story is what happened when we went back to the pediatrician the next year. I told him that Mark's back was now straight, and he said, "That's impossible!" Seriously, that's what he said!! So, I showed him the before and after x-rays. He looked at Mark's back and the x-rays for ten minutes. He never said a word to us. Never! I told him to stop giving bad advice to the parents of his patients with scoliosis, and to start referring his patients to this chiropractor in the same town. I left him a stack of cards. I doubt he ever referred anyone there, and what a shame for those kids.

            So, please do not be scared of all the chiropractic horror stories you hear from doctors. The medical industry refuses to believe, even in the face of solid evidence, that chiropractic works for scoliosis (and other things!). Mark is proof enough for me! He will never wear a brace or be subjected to that surgery. It has been such a blessing to us. Keep searching!

            What a beautiful sharing. Congratulations - very happy for you and your son, and sending best wishes for continued success. Over the last 40 years or so - it has been the well-skilled chiropractor that has pulled the bunny out of the hat for me (severe rotational lumbar scoliosis), when no one else could. My current Orthopedic specialist recommended the chiropractor i go to now. Do you know what exercises your son was given? Curious to know if they are/were Schroth based. Best 2u&yours!

            Comment


            • #21
              Functional VS Structural

              Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
              Hi ATK2112....

              If your son had curve(s) that disappeared, he would have had functional scoliosis as opposed to structural scoliosis. They're entirely different things. Functional scoliosis is usually a soft tissue response to some sort of injury or trauma.

              While chiropractic treatment may indeed have helped your son, it's also entirely possible that he would have gotten well on his own.

              --Linda
              Dear Linda and others reading this thread-

              Please see the following definitions of functional vs structural scoliosis:

              "Functional scoliosis: A structurally normal spine that appears to have a lateral curve (scoliosis).

              Nonstructural scoliosis involves a temporary change of spinal curvature. This is caused by an underlying condition such as a difference in leg length, muscle spasms, or inflammatory conditions, (e.g. appendicitis), which may produce muscle spasm. Functional scoliosis is treated by correcting the underlying problem. The spine itself needs no treatment.

              Functional scoliosis is also called nonstructural scoliosis as opposed to structural scoliosis in which there is a fixed curve of the bones of the spine (the vertebrae)."


              Contrary to the information you gave, my son did have structural scoliosis. It is rather rude to tell me what my son had without any actual information. Please stop telling parents that either type of scoliosis cannot be improved or completely healed by chiropractic. My son had no trauma, no underlying causes that were treated. Structural scoliosis CAN BE REVERSED!!

              Furthermore, it was our pediatrician's opinion that my son's back would require a brace and spinal surgery in the future. Certainly not the diagnosis one would get with simple functional scoliosis.

              As a moderator, please give total disclosure next time so as not to confuse parents.

              Thanks, Lisa

              Comment


              • #22
                I stumbled across this when looking for some progression curves...

                Heary and Albert, p.95 (bottom right)

                A 5-year prospective study of 85,622 kids found 1,436 kids with scoliosis.

                Results over an average observation of 3.2 years:

                Progression - 14.7%
                Spontaneous improvement of at least 5* - 27.4%
                Complete spontaneous resolution - 9.5%

                Here is yet another reason why controls are needed. About twice as many kids improved compared to the kids who got worse. And significantly, almost 10% of the kids in this study had a complete spontaneous resolution of the scoliosis.

                We can't assume that any child getting chiro would not have completely resolved on their own absent the treatment.
                Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                No island of sanity.

                Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                Answer: Medicine


                "We are all African."

                Comment


                • #23
                  Hi Lisa...

                  I seriously doubt that any pediatrician would be able to differentiate between structural and functional scoliosis.

                  I'm delighted that your son's scoliosis resolved. If you think it's because of chiropractic treatment, great, but that doesn't change the fact that there's no proof.

                  Regards,
                  Linda
                  Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                  Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by atk2112 View Post
                    So, I showed him the before and after x-rays.
                    Can you post these to the group please?
                    Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                    No island of sanity.

                    Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                    Answer: Medicine


                    "We are all African."

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Two things.

                      Based on the posts in this thread and other threads on this site; what our second ortho told us; and what I've read in some links; it seems that the terms "functional" and "structural" and "postural" are used differently by different indiviuals; parents, doctors, researchers. And it also seems that this lack of uniform definitions holds in other areas of the scoliosis universe. It often seems in dueling posts that the posters are talking about different things. Since scoliosis is not a new condition by any means, I wonder why this persists?

                      Pooka, this is just a question. How does one post X-rays? Is it possible to get them in electronic form from doctors? Or are you suggesting scanning them? I'm a techno phobe and I don't really understanding these things.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        If they are digital and you can link to them on a web page (or possibly post them directly).

                        If they are film you would need to take a digital picture against a window with daylight in the background. You could also take a film picture and scan it into the computer.
                        Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis

                        No island of sanity.

                        Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
                        Answer: Medicine


                        "We are all African."

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          "And it also seems that this lack of uniform definitions holds in other areas of the scoliosis universe"

                          In a scoliosis universe that can't even decide on the spelling of their own field (orthopedics, orthopaedics) it seems highly likely.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Originally posted by aterry View Post

                            Based on the posts in this thread and other threads on this site; what our second ortho told us; and what I've read in some links; it seems that the terms "functional" and "structural" and "postural" are used differently by different indiviuals; parents, doctors, researchers. And it also seems that this lack of uniform definitions holds in other areas of the scoliosis universe. It often seems in dueling posts that the posters are talking about different things. Since scoliosis is not a new condition by any means, I wonder why this persists?
                            I have a large collection of scoliosis textbooks. Functional scoliosis is rarely mentioned in any of them, and does not appear in any of the late 20th century and 21st century texts. I think that the definitions that I've seen are essentially all the same, even though they may use different terms.

                            In Scoliosis Ascending the Curve, functional scoliosis is defined as "A curvature that is the result of muscular or gravitational pull on the spine. This curve is nonstructural and usually corrects."

                            In Scoliosis A Manual of Concept and Treatment, Stanley Hoppenfeld wrote "a lateral curvature with elements of rotation which occurs in function without structural breakdown. The patient may actively correct this curve by changing his posture or habit of posture. There is no structural asymmetry in functional scoliosis; however, the function is asymmetric."

                            In Curvatures of the Spine Emil D. W Hauser states "Functional scoliosis has been defined as one which the individual can voluntarily correct."

                            In The Spine Dictionary A Comprehensive Guide to Spine Terminology, Christopher J Centeno defines it as "a reversible scoliosis of the spine which is not caused by bony changes. A functional scoliosis is usually due to one-sided muscle weakness or functional tightness which can be a compensatory mechanism for biomechanical problems elsewhere. And, for "Nonstructural Scoliosis," he writes "A lateral curvature of the spine which is secondary to soft tissue imbalance and not to bony changes (structural). This is defined by a curve that corrects on forward flexion or recumbent side bending x-rays.

                            Enough?

                            Regards,
                            Linda
                            Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                            Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Functiona vs Structural scoliosis

                              I learned in my studies that Adam's forward bending test could help in differentiating between structural and functional scoliosis.

                              Here is link that is useful

                              http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=...cover#PPA22,M1
                              A practitioner seeking answers to enhance the treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis

                              Blog: www.fixscoliosis.com/

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Your daugther's case sounds a lot like mine. I have a 20 degree curve but it has been misread. I think it does get worse thoughout the day then sort of bounces back to 20. I have heard of that happening as weird as it sounds.
                                Anyway yeah I used to have like a 1/4 inch difference, now it is barly noticable except my shoulders are really off, but my hips are almsot even. I wore a wedge, it was fantastic! I don't have to wear it anymore. My 2nd doctor mentioned a surgery where should would close the growth palte of my longer leg and wait for the other to catch up, then close off that one. But it is was not bad to begin with and it got better, I think doctors go to the surgery option too quickly.

                                here is a link to all sorts of wedges, they even make them for your sandals so you don't miss out on the fun of wearing sandals
                                Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions or anything.


                                http://gwheellift.com/heel-lift-shoe-lift.html

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