Scoliosis FAQ

• One leg longer than the other
• Shoulders hang unevenly
• Eye or hip line is uneven
• Forward head posture
• A rib hump

• Get a risk assessment test and a neurotransmitter test for your child. The first predicts the probability of progression. The second detects chemical and hormonal imbalances that contribute to progression.
• Talk to us about ScoliSMART™ Small Curve Camp to start Auto Response Training exercises. Learn more about these exercises below where we explain our unique approach to scoliosis treatment.

Observation, bracing and surgery are the three most common treatments for scoliosis. Often, doctors will recommend monitoring curves that measure less than 25 degrees, scoliosis braces when curves reach 25 degrees, and surgery if curves progress to 40 degrees or greater. It is not the intention of ScoliSMART™ doctors to condemn the efforts of sincere and caring medical professionals who have dedicated their lives to helping people with scoliosis, but we cannot support any of these historic treatments because they all have poor outcomes.

The Cobb angle is a two-dimensional angle a doctor draws based on an x-ray, MRI or CT scan. The Cobb angle fails to give doctors all the necessary information, however, because it's a two-dimensional measurement of a three-dimensional spine. A Cobb angle doesn't account for spine rotation. Newer methods of evaluating your child's spine structure give us more reliable information. These include methods such as the Scoliometer and both the Nash-Moe and Perdriolle measurements for vertebral rotation.

The chances your child's scoliosis will progress are much lower when the curve is mild, measuring less than 20 degrees. The probability of progression with mild curves is 22 percent. The chances of progression skyrockets to 68 percent after your child's curve reaches 20 degrees. The chances scoliosis will advance rises to 90 percent once the curve exceeds 30 degrees. For this reason, the ScoliSMART™ doctors emphasize the importance of early intervention when possible.

Starting neuromuscular retraining as early as possible provides the best outcomes. Plus, the probability of scoliosis progression increases exponentially as the curve becomes more severe, as mentioned above. We want to keep your child's curve from reaching 20 degrees — or reduce it to less than 20 degrees — whenever possible.

One-sided sports, deep backbends and activities that alter the spine's position can trigger scoliosis progression. (They won't cause the condition, however, because it's genetic.) We recommend limiting activities ranging from high-impact running to frequent texting. It's important to let your child be a child, while protecting the spine. See our recommendations of scoliosis dos and don'ts for more information.

A high-quality firm or medium-firm mattress is ideal if you have scoliosis. We recommend you don't sleep on your stomach, which puts stress on your neck and spine. Using small pillows or rolled towels under your rib cage or shoulders to support your curve while you sleep on your side may be the most comfortable. You may also put a pillow or rolled towel between your knees. For more information, see our article on scoliosis sleeping tips.

We recommend your child start neuromuscular retraining immediately, regardless of curve measurement. Our proactive treatment is a step-by-step process that creates new, subconscious muscle control. We use an innovative process and equipment to unlock the spine, reduce the curve rigidity, and retrain the brain to hold the spine straighter automatically. Programs are catered to each child or adult because every patient is different. Our goal is to stop scoliosis from worsening and reduce the curvature when possible in a non-invasive, pain-free manner.

No. The short time span allows the doctor to decrease curve stiffness and accurately measure the response to your home training equipment but does not allow for permanent adaptation to occur. A stable curve reduction occurs once the patient's spine has been exposed to the training equipment for a period of approximately 3-6 months following the camp.

Yes. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis progression is characterized by long periods of being dormant with short periods of rapid progression during growth spurts, followed by long periods of being dormant again. Patients may still experience some curve progression during times of rapid growth; however, the amount of progression may be mitigated and limited as a result of the ongoing training process.

Yes; however, not while the patient is performing the actual training. While many of our patients choose not to use a brace at all, those who do most often use a brace while sleeping. Some patients can also choose to supplement their ScoliSMART program with a rigid daytime brace.

No. In most cases, they can discontinue their care program once they are done growing.

Yes, after the initial bootcamp most patients will need to be reevaluated by their ScoliSMART doctor following 3-6 months of home training to properly determine effectiveness and make adjustments to their training equipment. In addition, we recommend patients continue to keep their scheduled orthopedic appointments to ensure proper continuity of care.

Since ScoliSMART BootCamp and home training do not involve invasive procedures, there is no inherent risks to trying the program. A low percentage of patients with larger curves or a higher risk of progression may continue to get worse while under care and will be referred for surgical consultation in the event their scoliosis remains unstable.