Chiropractor

[Writer]

Nervous, note that folks who are touting non-surgical treatments are talking about relieving PAIN, NOT stabilizing or reducing your curves.

If a non-surgical treatment can relieve pain then that is great. I would go for that depending on the onerousness of the treatment. There is no evidence any non-surgical treatment will stop or reduce your curves.

But if you have two large curves that are progressing and are virtually guaranteed to progress the rest of your life, the only proven treatment is surgical fusion.

This is the standard pitch that the orthopedists will tell you, but if you consult the literature objectively, there is plenty of evidence that exercise therapy, including Schroth, can not only halt progression but often reverse curves. Here's an abstract of an article by Martha Hawes, who has published several other articles together with Joe O'Brien, our NSF president. If anybody would like to see the whole article, PM me and I'll send you the PDF.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

[nervous]

Writer - do you have scoliosis and are you planning on/or had this surgery? Just trying to learn a little more about you.

thanks!

[Pooka1]

This is the standard pitch that the orthopedists will tell you, but if you consult the literature objectively, there is plenty of evidence that exercise therapy, including Schroth, can not only halt progression but often reverse curves. Here's an abstract of an article by Martha Hawes, who has published several other articles together with Joe O'Brien, our NSF president. If anybody would like to see the whole article, PM me and I'll send you the PDF.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

If there was proof for these claims in the form of objective medical findings (i.e., radiographs over time and in the long term), we would have heard it by now, someone would have gotten the Nobel in physiology/medicine, and nobody would be having surgery.

None of these results are obtained. Therefore we can doubt the claims of Schroth and Hawes, the latter of which is on record with some demonstrably wacky claims.

Schroth and Hawes are not evidence driven.

[txmarinemom]

First post:

Okay - I'm taking Aspirin daily....all day, because I am in pain. I do this so I can continue to work....otherwise, I would need to be home laying on the couch or sitting on a chair with my feet propped up. Even then, I need Tylenol to tolerate the pain. The doctor's have tried prescribing me pain killers to help the pain...but again, I have to work; therefore, I need to be in the right state of mind.

Later clarification:

Also, I stand corrected - I have not been taking Aspirin, I have been taking Tylenol (Extra Strength) for the past two weeks. From what I was told...it is okay to continue to take this until my surgery....just no Aspirin/Ibuprofin, etc.

Out of curiousity, how does one think they're taking aspirin vs. Tylenol when they're self-medicating? That puzzles me; both are OTC meds you've chosen over rx'd meds. You should DEFINITIVELY know what you're putting in your body.

And, nervous? If you're 2 weeks out, seeing a chiro AND wanting to hear what Writer has to say - DEFINITELY cancel. Free up your surgeon's schedule for someone who's ready. If you're not, that's fine; let him/her take care of people who ARE.

[LisaMS]

Dear Nervous,

I have seen a chiropractor for years, and he's been very helpful. I think his treatment (and exercises he taught me--very similar to PT) have really helped me to not have much pain over the years. When it came time to have surgery, he was supportive and even said that the surgeon I had chosen was a good one. I will continue to see him (he works on my neck problems too), and he also does acupuncture and Chinese herbs that have helped very much with my MS.

Not all chiropractors are quacks, but many are. Beware when you're choosing one, and trust your gut!

I am three months out from surgery, and was very nervous and not sure I should do it. But now I'm already much better than before surgery and am SO GLAD I had the surgery. Not only do I already feel better, but it's an investment in my future.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

[nervous]

Thanks for the advice, Lisa!

I agree, I think some chiroprator's are okay; we just have to be careful to choose the right ones.

Have a wonderful week-end!
Rachel

[mariaf]

there is plenty of evidence that exercise therapy, including Schroth, can not only halt progression but often reverse curves.

Sorry, Writer, but I had to say that I think it's irresponsible to post that and offer false hopes to anyone who might be hoping for a way to avoid surgery. There is NOT plenty of evidence that exercise can halt or reverse curves.

I'm with Sharon with regard to Hawes and Schroth - while we all "wish" there was a way to fix scoliosis with exercise, there isn't. I'm not buying any of it.