How am I? I'm spine and dandy! Thanks for asking...

These are before and after X-rays of a scoliosis patient who underwent chiropractic treatment. Wow... what a difference!

We have the honor of conducting all of the scoliosis screenings for Wilson County’s 6th graders twice a year. I am always surprised to find out how many people know so little about this debilitating condition. Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine. It seems so simple in definition, but the effects of this condition can be severe and even fatal.

All of the systems of your body are controlled by your brain. Your brain sends the signals to the organs through your spinal cord and into your nerves. When the spine is curved or twisted in an abnormal manner, it causes swelling in the tissue around the spine. The result: putting pressure on the nerves and inhibiting nerve function. I think it can best be illustrated with a story…

One day I bought a car that I was intending to fix up. It didn’t run yet, so I parked it to the side of the driveway in the yard. Over the next few weeks, my mother started noticing that her rose garden was turning brown and dying. I told her I would take a look at it, and upon closer inspection, realized that my car was parked on the garden hose that supplied water to her roses. Oops! It took a bit of finagling, but I was able to free the hose from under the car. Within the week the roses were vibrant in color once again. Mom thought I was the “rose whisperer” or something! (Of course I didn’t tell her any different…) The point is, the problem was never with the roses… it was in the water supply TO the roses. Many times, people think their problem lies with their sinuses, kidneys, or lungs; but if they would just move the car off the hose, everything would be normal again. This principal applies not just to scoliosis, but in every spinal condition. But you understand the point I am making.

How do I know if I or my child has scoliosis?

The best way to know if you or your child has scoliosis is to be checked by a chiropractor. Most chiropractors will do free scoliosis screenings on children 0-14. Scoliosis will typically begin to show up in boys ages 0-8 (0-1st Grade), and in girls by ages 8-12 (4th-7th Grade). These are just a guideline; remember, it is never too early to have your child checked for scoliosis.

Can Chiropractic help scoliosis?

There have been SEVERAL cases of scoliosis treated by chiropractors that have yielded great results. It is like anything though; some are better candidates than others. Possibly the biggest determining factor in the overall effectiveness of treatment is the age of the patient. When a patient is younger, it increases the likelihood of more dramatic results. Why? Simple. While the spine is still growing and developing, it is more susceptible to training and correcting. You can retrain the spine with much less effort.

Now, just because the patient is older, does NOT mean that there is nothing that can be done. Chiropractic has shown great success in both treatment AND management of this condition. Chiropractic is a GREAT alternative to pain medicine and a great supplement to physical therapy. Chiropractic has saved thousands of patients from back surgery. The wonderful thing about chiropractic is that it is restorative, preventative, drug free, noninvasive, and has no side effects!

I think a quote from Robert Frances Kennedy says it best- “There are those who look at things and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

People look at chiropractic as a strange and foreign thing and ask “Why would I go to a chiropractor?” When the question should really be “Why WOULDN’T I go to a chiropractor?!”

I wouldn’t trust my spine to anyone else, and here is why…

Minimum Required Hours

Chiropractic College vs Medical School

Anatomy/Embryology: 456 vs 215
Physiology: 243 vs 174
Pathology: 296 vs 507
Chemistry/Biochemistry: 161 vs 100
Microbiology: 145 vs 145
Diagnosis: 408 vs 113
Neurology: 149 vs 171
Psychology/Psychiatry: 56 vs 323
Obstetrics & Gynecology: 66 vs 284
X-ray: 271 vs 13
Orthopedics: 168 vs 2

Total Hours for Degree: 2,419 vs 2,047