| I have been a practicing chiropractor for over 10 | | | | In one of my previous articles I talked about |
| years here in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have | | | | initiating events as the cause of poor spinal |
| certifications in spinal biomechanics, neurology, and | | | | alignment and why standard chiropractic |
| spine rehabilitation accumulating over 700 post | | | | adjustments and exercises prescribed by physical |
| graduate hours of study in these fields. My | | | | therapists were ineffective solutions for correcting |
| practice philosophy has always been a corrective | | | | poor alignment. In more than 95% of scoliosis |
| structural approach utilizing pre and post x-rays to | | | | patients examined by there is a significant loss of |
| determine the outcome of care along with the | | | | the normal lordotic curve in the neck, low back, or |
| obvious symptom reduction and functional | | | | both. This clinical finding appears to be an initiating |
| improvements that follow. I have often found it | | | | event in the body's production of scoliosis. When |
| ironic that most chiropractic colleges teach future | | | | the spine loses these curves it compensates |
| chiropractors that "your spine is your lifeline, poor | | | | through the addition of more curve elsewhere. |
| spine function creates ill-health," but yet colleges | | | | The spine is a master of compensation innately |
| instruct their students that changing spinal | | | | reorganizing to protect the delicate spinal cord |
| structure and measuring it using post x-rays is | | | | that it houses. When abnormal tension builds in the |
| not the goal of care. Does not structure dictate | | | | spinal cord due to loss of cervical and lumbar |
| function? This philosophy is most apparent with | | | | lordosis, the spine innately changes its normally |
| their hands off, non-corrective approach to | | | | straight front to back view to a curved position |
| scoliosis. I have had great success in my practice | | | | to decrease adverse mechanical forces placed on |
| correcting structural alignment of the spine | | | | the central nervous system. |
| demonstrated by post x-ray, not by following the | | | | When doctors force the patient's scoliosis to |
| pack, but rather by searching outside the | | | | reduce by rigid bracing or surgical rods, according |
| dogmatic segmental adjusting approach that the | | | | to this new theory, they are going against nature. |
| colleges still encourage. In fact, the majority of | | | | If the body innately put the scoliotic curves in due |
| my patients with smaller spine curvatures, under | | | | to the loss of lordosis, then we can not force the |
| 30 degrees, have typically reduced nicely using | | | | reduction without creating damaging health |
| standard clinical protocols taught to me by Dr. | | | | consequences long term. This biomechanical |
| Pettibon and Dr. Harrison respectively. | | | | reasoning also demonstrates the power of nature |
| The most challenging cases for me in the past | | | | when a great majority of patients with rods in |
| have been scoliosis curvatures over 30 degrees. | | | | their spines, shockingly, have their scoliosis return |
| For some unknown reason these curvature | | | | to pre-surgery measurement and in some cases |
| patterns did not respond well to my standard | | | | a patient's scoliosis even progresses to higher |
| corrective procedures, meaning they didn't reduce | | | | than pre-surgery numbers. WOW! |
| much when measured with post treatment | | | | This breakthrough thinking to effectively reduce |
| x-rays. The typical outcome with a scoliosis case | | | | and stabilize scoliosis consists of a three step |
| over 30 degrees was generally limited to | | | | process called "MIX" "FIX" "SET". Step one "MIX" |
| symptom reduction and some functional | | | | involves unlocking the spine using motorized |
| improvement. Correction or even stabilization of | | | | traction while derotating the curvature and |
| the larger scoliosis cases was rare. Accepting this | | | | applying vibration to soften ligaments. Specialized |
| outcome was difficult because most of my | | | | equipment is used to provide accurate traction |
| patients with larger scoliotic curvatures had to | | | | and low frequency vibration to the appropriate |
| deal with progression and most likely the | | | | ligaments. Step two "FIX" involves restoring the |
| traditional medical intervention that would follow. If | | | | cervical and lumbar lordosis as well as decreasing |
| not properly reduced and stabilized, patients with | | | | angulation above and below the primary curvature |
| scoliotic spines would have significant future health | | | | utilizing a specific biomechanical adjustment |
| issues and a potentially reduced lifespan. | | | | protocol. This protocol is a combination of |
| Traditional methods of scoliosis treatment like | | | | instrument and manual chiropractic adjusting in |
| bracing or surgery come with significant | | | | combination with reactive neuromuscular |
| drawbacks. According to published medical studies, | | | | reeducation. By adding specific weights to the |
| bracing is not an effective long term solution for | | | | head, shoulders, and hips, your body compensates |
| reducing or stabilizing scoliosis. In addition, the | | | | and induces a reactive posture correction. This |
| more commonly used hard braces are not user | | | | reactive therapy also utilizes the visual righting |
| friendly, are extremely uncomfortable, limiting, and | | | | reflexes by having the patient wear specialized |
| ugly. When a child is confined to one of these | | | | glasses to further enhance corrective learning. |
| contraptions a normal childhood, unfortunately, is | | | | The Vibe, a whole body vibration platform is then |
| out of the question. Surgery on the other hand is | | | | utilized while wearing weights and glasses to |
| invasive, traumatic, and creates permanent | | | | stimulate slow twitch muscle receptors responsible |
| limitations along with a whole list of additional | | | | for coordinating spinal alignment. Step three "SET" |
| problems that didn't exist prior to having the | | | | is actually a combination of fixing and stabilizing |
| surgical rods fused to their spine. The flexible | | | | using a specialized scoliosis traction chair. this chair |
| braces which promote more comfort and | | | | effectively reduces the primary curvature by |
| functionality, in my opinion, are a complete waste | | | | applying traction and derotation as well as |
| of time for scoliotic curves over 30 degrees. My | | | | vibration programmed for neuromuscular |
| inability to effectively correct, reduce, and stabilize | | | | reeducation. By teaching the spine rather than |
| scoliosis using non-traditional methods was simply | | | | forcing correction you are able to use nature |
| not acceptable, therefore a new approach was | | | | rather than going against it. |
| definitely needed. | | | | This new scoliosis protocol also focuses on home |
| C.L.E.A.R. Institute, a research clinic focusing | | | | exercise therapy to assist the doctor in correcting |
| primarily on scoliosis correction, reduction, and | | | | the muscle and ligament imbalances. The home |
| stabilization without the use of braces or surgery, | | | | care program is a vital component to long term |
| is certainly filling this much needed void. Dr. Dennis | | | | success. In some cases a home scoliosis traction |
| Woggon, founder of C.L.E.A.R. Institute, is one of | | | | chair is prescribed. In addition patients have |
| my mentors. Prior to starting my practice in | | | | access to a mentorship program for scoliosis |
| Green Bay I attended many lectures and | | | | patients and educational materials to help |
| workshops taught by Dr. Woggon. In 1997 I went | | | | understand this new approach. |
| to Dr. Woggon's clinic in St. Cloud, Minnesota. While | | | | The theories behind this program of scoliosis |
| in St. Cloud, I observed daily clinical rounds and | | | | correction make sense and agree with the natural |
| learned that measured structural changes of the | | | | laws of spinal biomechanics. By first restoring the |
| spine were in fact possible and in most cases | | | | lordosis you are creating space and reducing |
| predictable. Again something contrary to what I | | | | adverse mechanical stress on the central nervous |
| was taught at Palmer College of Chiropractic. At | | | | system. Then doctors can begin reducing the |
| that time about 11 years ago, Dr. Woggon did not | | | | compensatory twisting effects created by the |
| have any of the new technology used for | | | | patient's nervous system due to loss of lordosis, |
| advanced scoliosis treatment. It wasn't until about | | | | starting above and below the primary scoliotic |
| 2 years ago when I attended the scoliosis training | | | | curves. Last we can then gradually retrain the |
| sessions that I was exposed to this new | | | | spine letting it feel what its like to be without the |
| approach regarding scoliosis correction. While | | | | scoliosis by placing the patient in the specialized |
| working with patients using this specialized | | | | chair. Once the nervous system learns through |
| equipment, I realized this remarkable new | | | | repetition that the scoliosis is not necessary to |
| treatment protocol was definitely a breakthrough | | | | protect the body it will then gradually correct and |
| in scoliosis treatment. | | | | accept life without it. |
| When correcting scoliosis, one of the key | | | | Many patients with scoliotic curves over 30 |
| strategies needed to consistently reduce and | | | | degrees have seen reduction and stabilization of |
| stabilize larger curves is the ability to apply | | | | their scoliosis using this new protocol. In addition |
| traction, derotation(unwinding of the scoliosis), and | | | | many patients experience symptom relief and |
| vibration all at one time. This is accomplished by a | | | | measurable functional improvements as well. The |
| unique scoliosis traction vibration chair developed | | | | program has been utilized with varying age groups |
| by scoliosis researchers. The other very | | | | with excellent clinical outcomes. There are very |
| important concept, which I have been using for | | | | few problems with patient comfort and patient |
| years to reduce smaller curvatures, is to properly | | | | satisfaction has been consistently high. I will |
| restore the normal cervical and lumbar "lordosis" | | | | continue to research this disease in order to |
| (side view curves of the spine) prior to derotation. | | | | better serve patients with scoliosis. By continuing |
| This clearly demonstrates why bracing and | | | | to develop new technology doctors can |
| surgery are not effective long term solutions. | | | | effectively provide a better, less invasive |
| Both fail to take into consideration these key | | | | treatment option for patients with scoliosis. |
| biomechanical components of scoliosis. | | | | |