What is Scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a spinal condition that mainly affects children between the ages of 10-15 years. If left untreated, scoliosis can have impacts lasting long into adulthood, potentially resulting in a permanent abnormal spine curve.
Signs and Symptoms of Scoliosis
Scoliosis is characterized by a distinctive height difference between the two shoulders and the hip bones on a child. Generally, one shoulder and hip will be raised much higher than the other. Some other tell-tale signs of scoliosis include back pain, breathing difficulties, a rotating spine, a body lean, and a protruding rib cage that becomes pronounced when the child bends forward.
In most cases, mild scoliosis has minimal impact on spinal development. However, in severe cases, spinal deformities can occur, resulting in permanent symptoms.
How the Upper Cervical Spine Affects Scoliosis
Recent research findings have indicated that damage to the upper cervical spine could be key in causing scoliosis. Whether a child has a bad fall when they’re younger or experiences trauma to the head, neck, and shoulders during contact sports, any sort of injury to the upper cervical spinal can shift one or more vertebrae out of alignment. Often these misalignments go unnoticed and are left to wreak havoc on the growth of the spine and the surrounding muscles.
The upper cervical spine consists of the first seven vertebrae of the spinal column. A misalignment in the C1 and C2 vertebrae of the upper cervical spine will often result in a slight lean or tilt to the skull. Over time, as the rest of the spine and the back muscles begin to compensate for this misalignment, the spine will grow off center, potentially leading to the development of scoliosis.
How Our Upper Cervical Abnormal Spine Treatment Works
Scoliosis can be an embarrassing and difficult condition for your child to live with, but there is a natural and effective treatment option available known as the Blair Chiropractic Technique.
The Blair Chiropractic Technique, performed by our Blair specialist Dr. Bello, is a non-traditional form of chiropractic treatment that employs the use of gentle and non-invasive spinal correction techniques to realign and improve the overall health of the upper cervical spine.
When you visit our office for an upper cervical spinal assessment, Dr. Bello will perform a preliminary consultation to assess the current health of your upper cervical spine.
During this assessment, several specialized scans, including X-rays and cone-beam computed tomography, will be used to examine the current state of your upper cervical spine. These tests will allow Dr. Bello to determine the exact angle and location of a vertebral misalignment that could be causing your child’s scoliosis.
If a vertebral misalignment is detected, Dr. Bello will target the affected vertebrae by performing a series of precise corrections to the upper cervical spine. By restoring the upper cervical spine to its natural alignment, the muscles will no longer need to compensate and will begin to relax. Over time, the spine will slowly return to a normal position, reducing or even completely curing scoliosis symptoms.
Your child can recover from scoliosis with the help of Dr. Bello. He offers upper cervical chiropractic care to children in Brentwood, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, West Los Angeles, and the surrounding areas.