What is Scoliosis in Portland, OR?

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. What makes it abnormal is the direction of the curve, which is side-to-side instead of front-to-back. Ideally, there is no side-to-side curve at all, but many people have at least a little bit of one. It gains the name "scoliosis" when the curve is 10 percent or greater.

What Does Scoliosis Do to the Body?

The most obvious symptoms are changes in how you stand. Since your spine is curved, your torso will lean to one side. One hip can be higher than the other, and one shoulder blade is typically more prominent. If there is a twist as well as a curve, one side of the rib cage can stick out more than the other side.

Since the body's nerves go through the spine, numbness, muscle weakness, and abnormal reflexes are also common effects.

How is the Condition Diagnosed?

While advanced cases can be spotted just by looking, X-rays are usually used for diagnosis. If an unusual cause, such as a tumor, is suspected, other types of scans may be performed as well.

Who is Most Likely to Get Scoliosis?

Typically, the condition starts in children during the growth spurt just before puberty, but it continues until growth has stopped a few years later. Since it is an ongoing process, it can get worse during that time.

There are several risk factors involved. Not everyone with risk factors gets the condition, and in fact, most often do not. However, it's worth having youngsters with these factors checked on a regular basis:

• Females get scoliosis more often than males.
• Family history of scoliosis. Sometimes it runs in families.
• Maturity: The chance of progression lowers after growth has stopped.

What Treatments Are Available?

In many cases, children are fitted with back braces that are worn until the danger of worsening has passed. This can take a few years. Back braces have improved over the decades, so it is much easier to wear one than it used to be.

Chiropractic care can help both child and adult scoliosis sufferers eliminate pain, maintain or restore mobility, and improve posture. While it does not reverse scoliosis itself, these improvements can do much to help with quality of life.

Contact Us Today

For help with your scoliosis, just make an appointment with us here at City Chiropractic in Portland, OR. We have a new patient special, so it's easy to get started.