I've been doing some searching on treatment centers who offer non surgical and non-bracing treatment for scoliosis patients using a variety of machines, chairs and adjustments on the patient to re-educate the muscles and ligaments to support the spine..
I made an appointment for an introductory session with the CLEAR institute. More information can be found at the link below:
http://www.clear-institute.org/
A month before I fould the Clear Institute I wished I could find a place that specialised in Scoliosis where the doctors could look at my body and customize treatment, exercises and a nutrition program just for me. No one else I had met seemed to be an expert in Scoliosis and it was frustrating to not be able to get answers that seemed to make sense to me.
So I found a Clear certified Chiropractor in Los Angeles and I learnt more about Scoliosis in one session that I had my entire life. For instance:
- Scoliosis is usually caused from a trauma at birth or an accident at a very early age.
- Scoliosis occurs when the patient loses the natural curves in the spine and the body has to compensate by creative a sideways curve
- restoring the curve in the neck is the first step in decreasing the scoliosis curve (and that it can actually be decreased)
- the nerves in the vertibrae are all connected to different organs in the body and where my curves are correlate to my symptoms of respritory and digestion problems and a weak immune system.
The treatments are 3 hours long and consist of a number of different machines. I am going to spend two weeks for intensive treatment (6 hours a day) at the Clear Institutes center in St Cloud Minnesota in the next couple of months.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Chiropractor & ART (Active Release Therapy)
I'd been seeing my chiropractor for about a year and decided it was time for him to actually measure the degree of my curve so I knew what I was dealing with. My cobb angle (the angle measured from where the bottom of the curve and the top of the curve meet) was at 52 degrees. Not great but not terrible. If I was a teenager I would probably be recommended for surgery, even as an adult most doctors in the western medical field would recommend this. But my parents thought it too harsh then and I think the same thing now. My chiro said that you never want to consider surgery and that it is possible that the curve will not get worse. This maintainance strategy is why I started to visit a chiropractor.
He recommended I try a heel lift although I'm still skeptical. What is it doing to do to my body to constantly be taking it in and out of my shoe?
He also suggested I added more swimming into my exercise routine. I went for the first time in months and paid conscious attention to my breathing, keeping my hips level and using my core to do this. It was so hard for me and I realised I hadnt been swimming with correct posture my entire life and it was probably making my posture worse. After a few weeks I could definitely feel an increase in my breathing capacity which is something that can be constricted when dealing with scoliosis.
ART - Active Release Therapy - the chiro also started ART when he noticed I had a very tight area (like neck or hip). It's used for extremely tight and stiff muscles that need to be released and usually completed after a chiropractic adjustment. The chiro applies pressure on the end of a muscle while the patient moves their neck or arm or leg to lengthen the muscle. I find that I sometimes get a very tight left butt and hip (because my longer left leg causes tention on this side) and this has helped to remove that pain. Using a foam roller also removes knots from the butt which is where we store alot of stress in our bodies.
He recommended I try a heel lift although I'm still skeptical. What is it doing to do to my body to constantly be taking it in and out of my shoe?
He also suggested I added more swimming into my exercise routine. I went for the first time in months and paid conscious attention to my breathing, keeping my hips level and using my core to do this. It was so hard for me and I realised I hadnt been swimming with correct posture my entire life and it was probably making my posture worse. After a few weeks I could definitely feel an increase in my breathing capacity which is something that can be constricted when dealing with scoliosis.
ART - Active Release Therapy - the chiro also started ART when he noticed I had a very tight area (like neck or hip). It's used for extremely tight and stiff muscles that need to be released and usually completed after a chiropractic adjustment. The chiro applies pressure on the end of a muscle while the patient moves their neck or arm or leg to lengthen the muscle. I find that I sometimes get a very tight left butt and hip (because my longer left leg causes tention on this side) and this has helped to remove that pain. Using a foam roller also removes knots from the butt which is where we store alot of stress in our bodies.
Physical Therapy and Yoga Therapy
I attended a workshop with Sherry Brourman (http://sherrybrourman.com/) who specialises in yoga as therapy for different ailments and injuries and uses slight adjustments and props to train your body to think differently in the way you stand, breath, sit and utilmately do yoga. She also has a Physical Therapy background.
The first thing she said to me was that I had to come to terms with my curve first. It's been a long battle do to this but the more I actually do for my health with the intention of maintaining my curve rather than becoming absolutely straight, the more my overall health and wellness is improving and I'm feeling better about my body.
In the 2 hour workshop she focused on breathing and how with every inhalation and every exhalation you can 'turn on' your core and work your abs to support your spine and my hip/leg length differentiation: and how one subtle change and focus off my right leg can give me equal weight on both my hips rather than put the majority of weight on my right leg.
The first thing she said to me was that I had to come to terms with my curve first. It's been a long battle do to this but the more I actually do for my health with the intention of maintaining my curve rather than becoming absolutely straight, the more my overall health and wellness is improving and I'm feeling better about my body.
In the 2 hour workshop she focused on breathing and how with every inhalation and every exhalation you can 'turn on' your core and work your abs to support your spine and my hip/leg length differentiation: and how one subtle change and focus off my right leg can give me equal weight on both my hips rather than put the majority of weight on my right leg.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Experimenting with the Body - What's the Best Approach?
March was all about trying everything I know to look after myself. I am feeling fit and healthy but I don't feel like I am decreasing my curves....and I don't even know if that's possible at my age. I am just hoping to maintain my curves so they don't get worse.
What I have found is the more I look for answers to manage the progression of my curve the more people have come into my life to help me. I've started to network with organizations, yoga instructors, physio therapists, Alexander Technique instructors, nutritionists, chinese herbalists and trainers to put together the pieces and the best way to manage my scoliosis.
No one is giving me a simple answer to curing scoliosis except for surgeons. What I'm realising is that I have to take a quantum wellness approach - every little thing I do helps. Like most things its up to the individual to research and become 'an expert' in their condition and do what feels best for them. So I've started experimenting with other techniques to incorporate into my routine even when some want to discourage me from going down one path, and scare me into the other......
What I have found is the more I look for answers to manage the progression of my curve the more people have come into my life to help me. I've started to network with organizations, yoga instructors, physio therapists, Alexander Technique instructors, nutritionists, chinese herbalists and trainers to put together the pieces and the best way to manage my scoliosis.
No one is giving me a simple answer to curing scoliosis except for surgeons. What I'm realising is that I have to take a quantum wellness approach - every little thing I do helps. Like most things its up to the individual to research and become 'an expert' in their condition and do what feels best for them. So I've started experimenting with other techniques to incorporate into my routine even when some want to discourage me from going down one path, and scare me into the other......
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