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I just got back from Florida where I went to receive two weeks of intensive treatment for scoliosis.
There are a few of these treatment centers in the states. (clear-institute.org)
I went to Florida because Dr. Tony Nalda has a lot of experience and has treated many older patients. I learned of him from my daughter-in-law, who has been going to him for years.
It is not cheap therapy, it is intense, and most insurances do not cover it (thought it would behoove them to, as it is much cheaper than surgery! )
My scoliosis was diagnosed when I was a child. I had it monitored all through my teens. 20 degrees off was the magic number for a brace. Once I did get to 20 degrees off but after a month of physical therapy, it improved to 18 degrees and I never wore a brace. I was released from care when I was 17 or so because I had stopped growing and they were no longer concerned.
Either they did not know, or did not mention, or I was not listening, but scoliosis tends to begin to worsen again when you hit middle age. Sometimes the curve worsens a degree or two a year.
Back in September, I went to the orthopedist with bad hip pain. I had to stop taking walks. He did an xray and said it was my scoliois. He recommended PT.
My daughter in law suggested her doctor. I agreed that getting therapy tailored to my situation would be better.
I was at the clinic for 2 weeks. (Some will be there for just 1, others as much as 3 weeks.) All day, every day, I was on different types of machines, given chiropractic adjustments, and given specific weights and exercises specific to the curvatures in my spine.
In 2 weeks, my kyphosis was reduced from 85 degrees to 70 degrees (a curve of 30-50 degrees is a normal curve for my age.)
In 2 weeks the worst side to side curve went from 27 degrees to twelve (normal being 0 degrees.)
I was fitted for a custom brace to wear for 18 hours a day for the next year and have about 90 minutes of home therapy to do daily.
It is all a big commitment, but I think will be better for my health in the long run than surgery.
My hip pain, TMJ pain, posture, and digestion have all improved since going there.
It is not the easy route. The brace is not comfortable, but I am getting used to it. Just like a retainer after braces on teeth, the brace is meant to hold the correction and may even improve my numbers further.
My 19 year old daughter also had mild scoliosis and some back pain. She went with me for one week of treatment. She is young and flexible. She had a 50% reduction in the curves in her back. She has 90 minutes of home therapy a day but no brace.
Years ago, someone asked here on EC about this treatment, concerned it was a scam. I understand that concern! It is a lot of money. But after seeing and experiencing it, I can say it is not a scam. Everyone has a custom treatment plan, and it is scientifically based.
I will keep you posted on my long term results but wanted to put this out there in case someone needs to know about this sooner!
~Mama to Many~
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Melatonin, Vitamin D, Calcium
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Recently I was talking with a friend whose daughter has Scoliosis that is worsening and causing her significant pain on most days. She was asking me if there are any alternatives that might help to slow the disease progression and I explained to her that studies on this aspect of supplements for scoliosis are very limited.
I mentioned to her that there is some data that suggests that melatonin may be helpful and I related a recent study (May 2022) that used vitamin D, calcium and melatonin at relatively low doses and did show some positive activity. She asked me to tell her more about the study and I did.
The study :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9140159/
In this study they used Melatonin at just 1.5 mg/night, vitamin D at just 2000 iu/day and calcium at 600 mg/day, all relatively low doses.
One way that they determine the severity and or progression of scoliosis is by measuring the actual curvature of the spine in degrees and this is referred to as the "Cobb angle". In this study, they measured the participants' Cobb angle at the beginning of the study and again after one year of supplementing the test intervention. In the control group that did not receive the supplements, the average initial angle was 27.00 degrees and after one year the Cobb angle had increased to 32.15 degrees indicating that disease progression and further spinal curvature had occurred.
In the intervention group that did receive the supplements, their initial average Cobb angle was 23.73 degrees and after one year of intervention, their Cobb angle was 22.76 degrees or almost a full degree lower than at the beginning of the trial suggesting that the curvature of the spine not only did not worsen but actually had slightly reversed.
Here is an important quote from the study :
>>> ' In our study, the melatonin mean was 8.44 pg/mL for the control group, which is at the bottom level of the normal range (8–16 pg/mL), and 7.66 pg/mL for the study group. The value increased to 14 pg/mL after one-year supplementation treatment with melatonin and also correlated with a positive outcome for the patients enrolled. In our opinion, patients should be monitored for their melatonin levels and supplemented if values are close to the baseline or below. ' <<<
Here is a chart from the study that shows the Cobb angle changes from before supplementation and after one year of the intervention :
|
|
Control Group |
Study Group |
|
Initial Cobb angle |
27.00° |
23.73° |
|
Cobb angle at one year |
32.16° |
22.76° |
|
Initial vit. D3 |
19.39 ng/mL |
19.93 ng/mL |
|
Vit. D3 at one year |
- |
39.88 ng/mL |
|
Initial Ca |
9.87 mg/dL |
9.87 mg/dL |
|
Ca at one year |
- |
9.90 mg/dL |
|
Initial melatonin |
8.44 pg/mL |
7.66 pg/mL |
|
Melatonin at one year |
- |
14.00 pg/mL |
Given the fact that there are limited options for scoliosis, this study is important as are its findings.
So after telling her about the study, I encouraged her to read it as it is very informative and offers hope where there is usually very little hope in a disease like scoliosis other than surgery. I further reminded her that the doses used in this study were relatively low compared to the doses I have used and she agreed the doses were low also. Her daughter's primary doctor had her in tears by the time she got back to her car because he told her that her daughter would likely need to go on an opiate for pain management and she would only get worse from this point forward and would eventually have to have surgery on her spine to try to reduce the spinal curvature. I'm not sure what his intent was by telling her that, but the effect it had on her was terrible. After I told her the results of this study she seemed much more positive and she said she was hopeful that her daughter would be able to at least significantly slow the disease progression at a minimum.
Her daughter's primary doctor referred her to an orthopedic doctor and I encouraged her to discuss this study with him when she goes for that first appointment and to also discuss the possibility of increasing the dose levels a bit higher in the hope of improving further on the study results in terms of time to improvement and magnitude of improvement. She is looking forward to that appointment now!
Art
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Namaste, Om
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What helps me is appropriate exercises. If I do these exercises the pain is greatly reduced. If I do not I suffer bad pain in the injured area of my spine.
I know of NOTHING else that can help. There is NO pill you can take that will resolve this problem that I know of.
Said exercises include " cat stretches ". A person gets on hands and knees and pushes the back upwards and then pushes the belly downwards. This is done slowly for at least 10 times. There are twisting exercises that also help. Simply twist from side to side with hands behind the head with fingers locked together.
These simple exercises really do work. If pain occurs adjust or reduce the range of motion as necessary. With some small effort this problem can be worked through. Oh I know EVERYONE wants some pill to take to resolve any and all problems. But I do say: appropriate exercise is the best answer available for this problem....Oscar
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★★★★★
Exercise
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One day I was reading the page on Scoliosis, with interest, and thought I should share my story. I was diagnosed with Scoliosis when I was 11 or 12. (In the late 70's. ) So the traditional treatment was tons of x-rays to see how "off" my spine was (well, I guess that isn't treatment! ) If, at some point, my spine was 20 degrees off, that mean "backbrace" - my worst nightmare. I got x-rays every 3-6 months, depending on how I was growing. (The concern was that when I hit a growth spurt, it could get a lot worse. ) At one point, I hit the dreaded 20 degrees. The doctor I saw sent me for some physical therapy. I went once time and was given exercises to do at home. I am not the "athletic" type, but did do my exercises 6 nights a week for 15-20 minutes. I don't remember what they were, exactly, just basic back stretches and back strengthening exercises. My chiropractor has since given me similar exercises to do. I am sure you could find lots of ideas on the web.
Anyway, I did them for a month and then went to my next appointment. Praise the Lord, my back had corrected to 18 degrees! Well, 2 degrees doesn't sound like much, but it spared me from the back brace. I continued the exercises for some time. They continued to monitor my scoliosis and it did improve more--at some point it was about 11 degrees and another point it was 14 degrees, but I can't recall which was first. When I quit growing, I didn't have to go back anymore.
So, now I am 46. My scoliosis bothers me some (it didn't when I was young.) Pregnancy hasn't been great for my back. I do have trouble with my hip and neck at headaches, some. If I go to my chiropractor monthly it helps a lot. And, if I walk regularly, it helps. If I am good about doing back stretches and exercises it helps a lot. (I should be better about this than I am.)
Anyway, that is my scoliosis story. Mine was mild in the scheme of things, but I think the exercising did help the muscles to be stronger to keep my spine from worsening. It makes sense. If the spine is supported by strong muscles, it won't be so likely to bend or twist or whatever it does. Oh, I think swimming may be one of the very best exercises for scoliosis, but I didn't always have access to a pool growing up. One summer as a young adult I lived near a pool and swam 5 days a week and felt great.
Hope that will be of help to some parent whose child is dealing with this!
~Mama to Many~
Well I have been having problems with scoliosis for 4 years however my physio doesn't make it sound so bad, he tells me I don't need surgery or a back brace, he just told me to exercise. I don't feel much pain except for every now and then, I would say once a year and once I exercise I feel much better but I just started thinking about it and now I'm paranoid and can't sleep, I'm worried it might get worse and maybe it's more serious than I thought.
What is this Atlas Profilax? I looked it up for information but haven't found anything about how it helps scoliosis. And can I ask what clinic you went to since I also live in Melbourne. Thank you both so much for your information and for trying to help others take care.
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I used them for about four years aged about 26-30yrs. (I'm 38 now.)
They worked for a short while in alleviating pain, but the root cause was still very much there, and active. Please don't rest on lifts being a solution to back pain. I'm speaking from years of pain and experience (and experimentation too most importantly). Granted everyone is different, but it sounds like my story you're discussing. (In fact everyone's does on this subject.)
My hips were out of alignment, one leg was shorter than the other and the scoliosis kept worsening. It has been two months since the atlas installation treatment now and my ribcage has started to smoothen out/come straight after at least tens years of getting about with (lots of pain and) visible warping.
Please, for the health of your young women, look into permanent atlas alignment.
As far as scoliosis is concerned, this is most likely the permanent cure. At any rate it is a one-off, cost-effective and most importantly, SAFE system. One has nothing to lose but the cost of three or four dodgy chiro appointment's!
Best for the future, : )
Atlas Profilax
So all I can call it I suppose it 'genuine atlas installation'. Sounds weird but oh my giddy aunt does it work. I've has a scoliotic spine for about ?years, all my life probably but it only became apparent twenty years ago, then dreadfully painful in everyday life about ten years ago, aged about 27/28yrs or so.
I google-searched as much info on the C1 joint- the top of the spine, also called the atlas, and came up with some extremely interesting information.
I found the relevant practitioner, had the atlas installed permanently in less time than a chiropractic appointment and a LOT LESS TRAUMATICALLY! And my whole being has transformed. Emotional issues have floated away. I haven't complained about back pain in the month since I've had it done. My husband is incredulous that it was so quick and has affected so profound a change in my body but particularly my character.
I urge anyone with a bad back/scoliosis to research their options regarding their atlas or C1 vertebra- it's the best, most relaxed physical, spiritual, emotional state I've been in since I was seven years old. Beautiful.
Best health to you always! : )
Atlas Profilax
★★★★★
I started with massage as a means to cope with the pain, which led to swimming (almost obsessively some have said) to try and strengthen the spine, regulate my breathing and straighten out my twisted rib-cage.
I then found a Gonstead Chiropractor (should a chiro really be rewarded with capitals?) who was proficient enough to keep me hooked on the pain-lessening cracks and yanks and crunchings. The big deal for me was the atlas adjustment with this guy.
He was the only chiro (I'd been put RIGHT off chiros when my back first popped twenty years earlier) who'd tried it, and it meant I could go anywhere from one day to three months in a state of ... ? less pain to almost painlessness, until it popped back out of place.
I found this chap about four/five years ago. Recently- about one month ago- I'd had a great series of Chinese massage and acupuncture sessions with the new massage shop opening round the corner. I knew I had to go back to my chiro, lovely guy he is, but I wanted to tell him, 'Just adjust my atlas please, everything will plop in to place once that's done. ' It seemed to be okay when the atlas was in place. Just seemed to suck that it popped out with a wrong turn of my head or even a sudden lift of my arm...
He did the atlas and several more (unnecessary) adjustments and I left walking on air. Colours brighter, air smelled... Less toxic, etc. That appointment I had said, 'Look, all due respect but I've been coming here for years and my back is still as dodge as the first time I met you. I want it FIXED. ' He suggested I come in the following week to see how long the atlas held, and to get some more adjustments. I was willing to give him the benefit of my doubts and the following week I went in and oh ye gods, what an horrendous sensation. He recognised the atlas was still in place and the usual suspects were in place too, so he did some crunching on some irrelevant PAINLESS vertebrae which had me walking out as if both sides of my bodies energy had been cheese-grated in different directions.
AWful. I got really mad with the pain, his work and myself and went home and studied up on the atlas. Also known as the C1 joint- the first bone by the base of your skull and mine. I figured there was was WAS a solution and I was GOING TO FIND IT.
'Atlas Profilax' kept coming up and I ignored it because it sounded like some cheap scam. After two nights of reading various forums and chiro pages, pseudo-science and claptrap I decided to check it out and was surprised at how much sense it made. I looked into related forums, reviews, you-tube personal accounts of experiences, the official site, and finally a local practitioner.
I made the appointment, cancelled my next chiro apt. the same hour, waited impatiently for five days then had it done.
This was just over one month ago.
The result is outstanding so far. At the risk of boring the brains out of everyone, this is definitely something worth researching. My back pain is dissipated into insignificance. I'd like to say it has completely gone but the muscles are still a bit stiff down in the mid-back where they've historically twisted the most. They no longer ache. This is HUGE for me. I feel them there when I turn, not every other moment.
The neck/shoulder pain is *poof* GONE. I can cook for hours (literally up to four hours) without uttering a word of pain and misery/throwing down utensils and lying on the floor to rest the muscles, I can even pick my hefty two yr old boy, cuddle him and carry him across the room. Miracles...
: )
I'd say it has gone altogether already but my righthand shoulder is giving me a bit of jip right now- it's probably related. That plus my massage girl has gone awol and one ought to get a fair bit of body work done to start to unwind the years of twisting that got one in a scoliotic state in the first place. I had a huge detox reaction to a massage the second week- 20mins on my right shoulder, shortest massage ever. AMAZE-ing sensation. I was balanced. Really amazing.
My husband has classic s-curve and has agreed to have it done if I can go two months without grizzling about my back. One month down, one to go- I'll be in touch.
It also helps with emotional things, spiritual things- private things. Please investigate- from a pain point of view there is nothing like it. I'm so happy about this, it's great to have an 'interested party' to vent my joy!
Just be careful diagnosing yourself. My chiro said that it is unusual for someone to really have a short leg-- yours might be caused by misalignment like mine was. I thought my heal lift was a God-send too but really my new chiropractor is a God-send since he has my legs even now by correcting my back.
Lifts
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Happy New Year! Connie I would love to email U, but don't know what Ur email is. I will still b praying 4 Ur daughter. Hey Carly, great idea on the inversion table... I got a outdoor camping chair (not sure exact name) it has a metal frame w/ mesh & I made a cushion for it--bought 1 1/2" thick foam at the fabric store & covered it in fabric... Much more comfortable that way. My dog lays underneath... Has a bed down there & uses it as her den. It does take a lot of pressure off the spine & helps relax the back. The outdoor recliner chairs are sold at sports stores for about $40... U usually see them in ads around summer time. Look at this link... Its the 2nd picture with the pillow at the top/grey mesh with wooden arms.. , mine has plastic arms:
As for the brand of the lifts... The FIRM expensive ones I got from the sporting goods store are Super Feet ($30-40) & the PLIABLE ones from a regular store are Dr. S.... Or whatever they have.... Doesn't really matter. Definitely let us know how its going... My shoulders r almost even... Started in Sept 2010... But need to add one more lift... My calves started hurting bad last week... Had to stretch them a lot... My brother said that was good, cuz it means I'm growing muscle. May God Richly Bless U All! :oD
Lifts
RE the inversion table.... I have read a ton on it, and then I didn't even use mine for a year after getting it because of some of the negative things I read (I am a bit of a chicken, and am OLD mind you. Lol). Anyway.... Now that I have been using it for the past year I truly believe it is an amazing devise. I am a firm believer in it. I wish I had started using it a decade (or two) ago! Best to you and your daughter,
Carly :)
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If you do not have insurance, I suggest this:
Have your daughter stand on a flat surface in her stocking feet in fromt of you - Look at her shoulders. Is one higher than the other? Is it OBVIOUS? If so - you can make a lift for the shorter leg out of some substance like cardboard.... Put it in the shoe on the shorter leg. (The lower shoulder).
Start off with LESS tha you think you need. I started mine at 1/4". Go for a day or two to see if this helps. If it does not help, and does not bother her... Add another layer of cardboard. Keep doing this until her shoulders look level, and until it looks like her stance is correct.
Once you figure out the the thickness she needs, you can buy shoe inserts at the drugstore and either super glue them together, or duct tape them to the right thickness.
I have some $500.00 heel orthodics (from back when I had GOOD insurance)... And I STILL have cardboard built up under one of them! IT IS HELPING! I was diagnosed with scoliosis a couple of years ago - at the age of 48. My upper back has ALWAYS been an issue for me.
Also - You might want to look into buying an inversion table. Google "Inversion table and scoliosis" - they are not horribly expensive for the amount of good they do. One would make a wonderful Christmas present. Best of health to you and yours!
Lifts
Well I don't have a hump & my shoulders don't stick out... So maybe its a mild scoliosis. As far as the lifts... The brand S**** F**t U can get at a sports store like T** S***** A********. The other ones (like the gel ones) I just got at T***** or W**-M***--They don't cost too much. I'm not sure how much it will help the hump, but its definately a start. 1st step, stand behind your daughter looking into a mirror & see which shoulder is lower... If its the right-side... Then put the lifts in that shoe... However many you need to get the shoulders even.... Hopefully you won't need to buy a larger shoe size for that size... I took the insoles that came w/my sneakers out & the used the other 3 lifts... U only need 1 lift to be the full size... The other 2 can just cover the heel area or 2/3rds of the foot. You can even use paper... If buying lifts is out of your budget... I don't cuz it rains a lot here & that would just be plain messy... God Bless You & Your family... I will pray that God gives You divine wisdom...
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EC: Here's where you'll find it: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/scoliosis.html#LIFTS
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