Bent Out of Shape?

The spine adapts throughout life with a variety of curvatures, beginning at birth. When these curves become bigger than usual, this condition is called scoliosis. Medically, it is usually first treated with physical therapy. When the curves become bigger, bracing techniques are used to try to slow the progression. When curves get even bigger, you become a candidate for surgery, with all kinds of potential complications. All this for a condition with a cause that is largely unknown.

WOAH! We need to step back a moment before we can step forward with the right perspective. No matter what anyone decides to do from a treatment route, whether with children or adults, we need to ask a crucial question: Are these curves a normal adaptation of your intelligent body or not? Spinal subluxations will decrease your body’s ability to physically react to any of the demands placed on it. They interfere with nerve communication that controls all the muscles that maintain your spinal curves. This is done within the posture and balance systems that give your brain feedback relative to gravity, all through your spinal cord. In order for these curves to be exactly as your intelligent body requires, there can be no interference to this process. Otherwise, these curvatures can be different, worsened or caused completely by nerve interference.

Many scoliosis symptoms are considered relatively minor, such as decreased range of motion, tightness or posture issues. The main concern for these people is the curvature itself, not usually pain. This is a real testament to how the body can adapt in all kinds of ways without resulting in obvious symptoms until it becomes bad enough, whatever that is for each individual person. The temptation by therapists is to just try and stretch or manipulate the muscles and joint into what they think is normal, based on how they think the body should adapt. This never addresses why the curvatures are there to begin with, and the results show this. This is like trying to barricade a runaway truck with the foot still on the gas and just hoping to slow the truck, which often ends up rolling over the cliff anyway.

What happens to a snake when there is a stranglehold on its neck? It coils up, even around the very hand holding it. Can you imagine observing all the curvature the snake uses to adapt to this situation, and then just trying to straighten out the snake with the other hand? It doesn’t make much sense, does it? Well, this is kind of like what happens to many people with scoliosis. For the best intentions, most things done to assess these people never addresses their body’s ability to react appropriately, curves or not.

Only a chiropractic assessment and regular chiropractic adjustments will get your body working again the way it was designed. For any the uncertainties associated with scoliosis, one thing is for sure:  You definitely don’t want spinal subluxations complicating the very curves your body uses to survive. Get checked today and make sure the curves in your road are exactly as they should be.