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Many theories exist as to the potential etiology of scoliosis. The recent genetic testing and research from axial biotech has isolated DNA that contributes to scoliosis and most likely cause and progressive nature of the disease. The majority of theory that describes possible mechanisms of producing scoliosis in children often include a brain- body scheme dysfunction where input (information from the environment) via the spinal cord and output (motor control of spinal muscle balance) also via the spinal cord are confused causing a lack of balance between the two communicating systems.

The research study attached describes the involvement of both systems in the production of scoliosis in rabbits. Granted the translation of animal studies to humans is always a source of probable validity issues I feel in this case the information is most likely applicable to humans. The study discusses how when the afferent system, the sensory mechanism of our body is damaged by itself will not produce scoliosis. This is important because it allows important information regarding probable spinal cord or central nervous system pathology must include both input and output control in order to produce scoliosis. Deafferentation, the removal of just input, is not sufficient enough to cause the scoliosis deformity. The deformity involves both sensory and motor control pathways.

This information can then be utilized to design a system of rehabilitation (scoliosis exercises) that involves both the afferent and efferent system to stimulate a reconnection and strengthening of this communication mechanism. The continual advancement of the neuromuscular retraining techniques where spinal cantilever weighting systems create changes to input and sensory afferent input causing a direct response of the body’s righting reflexes to adjust its motor control to achieve balance will inevitably become the standard of care for children and adults with scoliosis. The fact that we can alter spinal alignment utilizing sensory and motor control at a subconscious level is a major breakthrough in how we approach scoliosis exercise.nmrdeafferentation_and_scoliosis.pdf

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"Three dimensional automatic correction of the spine” a term until today you have most likely never come across. Let me start by explaining the 3-D part. The spine is a complex organization of matter primarily consisting of bone, discs, ligaments, nerves, and muscles. When we view a spine from the side view(dimension one) it is a series of forward and backward curves creating a precise balance of head torso and pelvis centers of gravity, the front view (dimension two) reveals a straight spinal column also demonstrating balance between the three c enter masses of the head torso and pelvis, the top to bottom view(dimension three) would be similar to looking at a snowman from top down where the centers of the three spheres line up with gravity to create balance. The body has a system innately built in called the sensorimotor system of posture and balance. This system is a complex reflex control between incoming messages from our environment that are sensed primarily by our body, our head, neck, eyes, and inner ears creating an informational dialogue that precisely determines where we are relative to gravitational forces. In addition motor control of muscles are hard wired to these incoming messages so that split second adjustments can be made in order for those three center masses head body and pelvis can stay in line with gravity creating tremendous efficiency in movement and balance. These righting reflexes are responsible for the organization of what is referred to as body scheme an outward projection of what our posture looks like to the rest of the world.
This reflex organization has been labeled by scoliosis etiology theorists as Brain-Body Scheme. There are two general types of muscle that layer the spine, pelvis, and legs termed tonic muscle and phasic muscle.Tonic muscle is very resistant to fatigue and has both fast and slow twitch speeds whereas phasic muscles are highly fatiguable with faster twitch speeds. The muscles of our body contain a mixture of these fiber types in fact no one muscle is made up of 100% of one fiber type. The body also has the ability to change a muscle to encourage a phasic function(movement) or a more tonic function (antigravity) support.
There are a number of cadaveric and in vivo studies that have conclusively demonstrated intrinsic tonic muscle length differences in scoliosis patients suggesting that the bone alignment on the x-ray is certainly influenced and may even be entirely controlled by length differences in tonic musculature, especially the deeper muscles connecting segment to segment. Tonic antigravity muscles are controlled by the brain, so the imbalances are initiated by the brains output to the muscle. Muscle tone is completely regulated by the central nervous system. The body takes information in from three primary sources, eyes(occular system), inner ears(vestibular system)and body(somatosensory system)and organizes theses incoming signals (termed sensory integration) then creates an outgoing message in response to these incoming signals and reflexively organizes the body relative to gravity. Scoliosis patients have a definite problem with this organizational system.
3-D auto-correction works on reorganizing or changing the incoming and outgoing messages. It works by using specific x-ray and posture analysis, called vector analysis where the doctor can measure each individual lever arm (the groupings of vertebrae that function together as one unit to create antigravity support) and where these lever arms pivot on one another to create movement and balance. This analysis can also demonstrate which portion of the body alignment is furthest away from gravity, either the head, torso, or pelvis. Once these lever arms and pivot points are determined, a specific amount of weight is the added to a portion of the body, either head, torso , or hips which will cause the bodies reflex control to reorganize the body masses to gravity. This re-action is done through subconscious control mechanisms discussed earlier. As the body reorients to gravity it takes these lever arms with it and creates a new body scheme, if done correctly, this new body scheme will have much less scoliosis in it. After several weeks the subconscious body scheme has been altered and the patient will stand and move differently and posture, x-rays, and function will be measurably improved.
Summary:
• Scoliosis is controlled by nervous system
• The nervous system takes in information from the environment
• The nervous system sends a message to the body in response to the environmental input which creates the body scheme in gravity(spinal alignment and posture)
• The 3 mechanisms that control this are
1. Eyes(ocular system)
2. Inner ears (vestibular system)
3. Body (somatosensory system)
• By using appropriate knowledge of body pivot points weight can be added to the head, body, and hips to alter mass (how heavy something is in gravity) of these regions
• The body responds to changes in mass by altering its output to the tonic antigravity muscles
• This process of changing body scheme via re-acting to mass change is extremely effective at reducing and stabilizing scoliosis
• Because it is subconscious it is done automatically by the brain and becomes a permanent change
• The earlier we start a 3-D auto correction program with the child the better the result will be.