It is agreed that very little is known about the cause and cure of the scoliosis patient. Obviously, there is no cure for the disease, or no one would have it. However, an effective system of treatment for the reduction and stabilization of scoliosis has emerged on the scene. The fight against scoliosis is being lead by the doctors of the CLEAR(Chiropractic Leadership Educational Advancement & Research) Institute, who have developed a system of neuro-muscular rehabilitation, chiropractic adjustments, and vibration therapies that essentially “reverse engineer” the condition. This treatment provides a viable alternative to the traditional bracing and surgical treatment choices.
Clear-Institutes highly advanced protocol consists of three primary functions in its ability to reverse engineer scoliotic spines; the first being what’s referred to as the MIX component, the second component termed FIX, and lastly a SET component designed to secure the changes taking place. The MIX component is designed specifically to cause a relaxation of the scoliotic spine by using bio-mechanical and bio-chemical reactions created from cyclical motion, heat, pressure, and specific vibrational frequencies. The MIX component is critical because the amount of reduction of a spinal curvature is in most cases directly proportional to the curves flexibility. The MIX component is designed to enhance the flexibility of the spinal curvature.
The FIX component involves a very sophisticated analysis of the patients spinal biomechanics using both static and dynamic x-rays. The global spine is then broken down into 6 primary functional units using vector analysis which is commonly used in the engineering field. CLEAR doctors are trained extensively in this process and are able to consistently create a spinal adjusting sequence to match the patient’s biomechanical needs. Spinal adjusting is a combination of techniques using instrumentation, drop mechanisms, and hand contact force. A critical part of adjusting protocols which differs from the general chiropractic profession is that P-A thoracic spine adjusting is contraindicated in the scoliotic patient and is never performed by CLEAR doctors.
The SET component is a combination of fixing and setting the spine. It involves traction coupled with de-rotation and vibration. The primary weapon utilized to accomplish this unique combination of therapies is the scoliosis traction chair or “STC”. The STC provides the scoliotic patient an opportunity to workout in a decompression environment. The STC has the ability to create global spine traction, de-rotation using a specific ratchet system with strapping, and vibration based muscle reeducation similar to the very publicized whole body vibration fitness craze. The SET component continues with specific spinal isometric exercises in addition to gait and proprioception re-training.
Due to the coupled motion (lateral bending and rotation) of spinal movement patterns, scoliosis creates a twisting of the spine around its own axis. Much like twisting a rubber band from the top and bottom, the middle of the rubber band is susceptible to buckling into a curved and rotated position which is the beginning appearance of the spinal curvature.
The twisted and bent position of the spine creates a tremendous amount of torque which then further drives the existing spinal curvature into more twisting and bending and results in further buckling (increase in the spinal curvature). This becomes a self feeding loop which is often referred to as the “crankshaft phenomenon”. Often at this point the spinal deformity starts becoming outwardly apparent in the form of a torso translation or a rib hump.
A large scale, medically peer reviewed study clearly shows that curvatures under 30 degrees (measured with the Cobb angle method) in early spinal development (Risser’s sign of 0-1) will see their spinal curvature progress 68% of the time. (1) Since the majority of spinal curvatures under 30 degrees are diagnosed in pre-adolescents, a progression of the spinal curvature can be expected over 2/3 of the time!
The current medical standard for the treatment of scoliosis does not recommend any treatment for spinal curvatures until they progress to a lofty 25 degrees Cobb’s angle. At that point, spinal bracing is recommended which has not been showed to effect the progression of the curvature until it reaches a measurement above 30 degrees Cobb’s angle. (2) While there have been no research attempts to introduce the concept of highly invasive surgery into the early intervention of scoliosis, one study shows a worse outcome for patients whom had the surgery at a younger age than patients whom were older at the time of the surgery. (3) Spine Cor has attempted to introduce bracing into the realm of early scoliosis intervention with little to no success. (4) Despite early scoliosis intervention in terms of patient age and size of curvature, both bracing and surgery have shown poor results.It is apparent that a non-surgical, non-bracing early scoliosis intervention for the treatment of spinal curvatures and idiopathic adolescent scoliosis is long over-due.
What CLEAR trained doctors are finding out is that curvatures under 30 degrees when treated using their protocols respond even better than curves over 30 degrees. In most cases of curvatures under the 30 degree mark, full correction to under 10 degrees is not only obtainable, but fairly common. Spinal curvatures reduced to below 10 degrees are no longer considered a scoliosis by most authorities meaning it would be defined as a cure. The bio-mechanical reasoning for this response is most likely due to a lack of “coildown phenomenon” being present in curves at this smaller level. Radiographic review of smaller curves, under 30 degrees, demonstrate much less visible spinous process rotation at this level indicating less torque, and therefore more flexibility.The higher the degree of flexibility of the curve the greater amount of correction is possible.
CLEAR recommends that chiropractors refer any curvatures detected to a properly trained doctor that can apply these protocols in either an expanded treatment schedule over the course of several months or if a certified doctor is not within driving distance for the patient an “Intensive Care” program can be administered which generally is done in one week with smaller curves under 30 degrees. CLEAR doctors will then work with the referring chiropractor and coordinate treatment plans together to better serve the patient.
There are several ways to identify smaller curvatures including visual posture analysis demonstrating a tipped shoulder, high hip, or even translation of the skull or pelvis,
scoliometers can detect even relatively small curvatures. The most reliable and definitive test would be to take a full spine standing x-ray. Other factors to consider when suspecting a possible curvature are forward head posture or sway back type postures.
- Lonstein & Carlson, The prediction of curve progression in untreated scoliosis during growth, J Bone Surg Am 1984 Sep;66(7):1061-71
2. The etiology of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Am J Orthop 2002 Jul;31 (7) :387-95
Ahn et al, New Hampshire Spine Institute
3. Brace treatment during pubertal growth spurt in girls
with idiopathic scoliosis (IS): A prospective trial
comparing two different concepts
Pediatr Rehabil 2005 Jul-Sep;8(3):199-206 (ISSN: 363-8491)
Weiss HR; Weiss GM
4. Hawes M., University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. Pediatr Rehabil. 2006