Scoliosis - Back pain - Dr Gert Ferreira - Chiropractor in Centurion

Scoliosis - Dr Gert Ferreira - Chiropractor in Centurion

Defined as a lateral bending and or rotary deformation of the spine. It is a fairly common condition and is considered to be normal to have a small right scoliosis sround the heart. There are two main types of scoliosis: Functional and Structural, both will be discussed later in the article. Normally females are at higher risk to males with a 6:1 ratio. It affects 1 in 200 people.

Functional scoliosis is a non-structural, non-rigid lateral deviation. It can be from a leg length inequality, anatomical asymmetry, muscular imbalance and it can usually be corrected by stretching, strengthening, joint manipulation and postural retraining.

Structural scoliosis is normally anatomical, and rigid. It usually requires bracing or surgery in severe cases. It is normally picked up in the adolescent and 90% of the cases it is genetics. There are a whole array of other conditions that can cause structural scoliosis

In terms of treatment there can be a couple of ways of treating a patient with scoliosis. Up to 25 degrees one can be treated conservatively and not need a brace. From 25-50 degrees conservative treatment can still apply but bracing will be strongly recommended to prevent the condition from worsening. More than 50 degrees it is strongly recommended to have surgery. Conservative treatment includes massage therapy, spinal adjustments, relax/stretch muscles on the concave side and strengthen muscles on the convex side.

For more information please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments. Keep an eye open for our next blog post that will be discussing Scheuermann's disease.

Regards

Dr Gert Ferreira

Chiropractor in Centurion

012 663 1572