Part of the dilemma is that non-surgical scoliosis treatment information is not readily available. As a result, you may feel like surgery is a bad idea yet think there are no other options. The ScoliSMART™ doctors want you to know that both children and adults have scoliosis treatment options with much better results than surgery.
We use neuromuscular retraining to treat the entire scoliosis condition, not just the spinal curve. Most cases of scoliosis are idiopathic, meaning they have no known cause. Over 80 percent of children with scoliosis have idiopathic scoliosis that occurs between ages 10 and 18. Some children are born with congenital scoliosis, which develops while they are in the womb. It’s often difficult to see at birth and not detected until they are older. A few children develop infantile scoliosis between birth and age three (which may correct itself). Others develop juvenile scoliosis between ages 3 and 10.
It’s important to mention that most doctors will use the outdated Cobb angle to measure your child’s spinal curve. The Cobb angle is the amount of lateral bending visible on an x-ray. We don’t rely on this two-dimensional measurement because a scoliosis curve is three-dimensional. It’s a twist and bend that creates torque causing more twisting, bending and buckling of the spine. We call this self-feeding loop a “coil down effect.” MRIs, three-dimensional posturography, and surface topography provide much more relevant information about your child’s scoliosis.