Scoliosis Treatment Brisbane

What is Scoliosis?

If you receive a scoliosis diagnosis, it means you have a sideways curvature of the spine of more than 10 degrees. Scoliosis normally develops during the adolescent growth spurt. However, it can also develop in adults as a result of damage to spinal discs and joints. This is

Many people have relatively mild scoliosis (less than 20 degrees curvature). In fact, many people have such mild symptoms, they might not even be aware they HAVE scoliosis. However, some of the symptoms of scoliosis when it is severe (around 50+ degrees curvature) include:

• Breathing difficulties – severe scoliosis can cause your rib cage to press against the lungs, affecting your breathing capacity. Note this generally only occurs in very severe cases. 
• Back pain – Severe scoliosis in adults may cause chronic pain. This is because it can place pressure on nerves and/or cause greater strain on discs lower down the back
• Impaired movement and posture – Severe scoliosis can force your shoulders and hips out of alignment. So much so that it’s visibly apparent to observers. Severe scoliosis can also prevent you from standing completely straight. It can moreover create a lump in your lower back.

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What Causes Scoliosis?

For about 25% of people, their scoliosis has a clear cause. It could be the result of conditions like: 

• Cerebral Palsy
• Muscular Dystrophy
• A structurally short leg
• A hemivertebrae (partially formed vertebrae that are wedge-shaped rather than square).

For the majority of scoliosis sufferers however, scoliosis seems to develop almost spontaneously, with no pre-existing conditions readily apparent (idiopathic scoliosis).

Scoliosis Treatment Brisbane

Once your bones have grown in a certain shape, you will always have scoliosis apparent on X-ray. However, treating the underlying cause of your scoliosis may stop it from progressing further. Treatment can also:

• Improve function
• Decrease pain
• Reduce possible future complications from scoliosis. 
• In some cases, reduce the degree of spinal curvature.

For scoliosis treatment Brisbane you have come to the right place. At Brisbane West Osteopathy we aim to understand the underlying causes of scoliosis so we can most effectively treat it. To help us do this, we use a customised diagnostic and treatment tool called Osteo Diagnostic Platform (ODP). Dr Enevoldsen initially developed this platform and has since trained many osteopaths around Australia in its use. Using ODP, we diagnose and treat scoliosis differently from many conventional approaches. Let’s take a look.

What We do Differently

One of the reasons scoliosis is not always well treated is because many practitioners focus on the visible problem: the spine. At Brisbane West Osteopathy we understand spinal curvature to be merely a symptom of an asymmetric pelvic pattern. In other words, the true cause of scoliosis lies within the pelvis, not the spine. 

Focusing on treating the spine in scoliosis is a bit like mopping up water from a dripping tap. It is treating the symptoms rather than the cause. Properly treating the pelvis is like changing the washer on a dripping tap. It treats the problem at the source. 

– Dr Joachim Enevoldsen

How have we arrived at this approach? In every idiopathic scoliosis patient we’ve treated, we’ve observed the same pattern of asymmetry through one side of the pelvic muscles.

Notice the left side of the pelvis is higher, due to tight muscles in the lower back and pelvis. The middle of the spine then bends to the left to keep the eyes level. As a result, the right shoulder is positioned higher.

We understand scoliosis to be your body’s maladaptive way to even out an imbalance in the pelvis, in order to keep you, and importantly your eyes, level. A mechanism between the eyes and the brain always tries to keep the eyes level with the horizon. Your body will constantly change the position of the spine to compensate for the pelvic imbalance. Thus, creating a curvature of the spine, to keep your eyes level.

We often find patients have been told they have scoliosis when their spinal curve is actually within the normal, non-pathological range (less than 10 degrees).  Alignment problems through the pelvis and neck are often the actual issue in these cases and we treat this ailment frequently. We will be able to advise you during your first consult if this is the case for you.  

The earlier you treat scoliosis the better the outcome. For scoliosis treatment Brisbane, call our osteopathy practice.