Spine Curvature Correction

Symptoms differ, depending on the type of spine curvature disorder and the severity of the condition. However, the most common symptoms are:

 Symptoms of HYPER or HYPO lordosis may include:

• Appearing swayback, with the buttocks being more pronounced
• Having a large gap between the lower back and the floor when lying on your back on a hard surface that does not change when you bend forward
• Back pain and discomfort
• Decrease in spine flexibility
• An exaggerated curvature of the lower back
• Pain or stiffness in the lower back
• Lower back pain
• Excessive fatigue

Symptoms of HYPER or HYPO kyphosis is usually visible and include:

• Bending forward of the head compared to the rest of the body
• Hump or curve to the upper back
• Fatigue in the back or legs
• A noticeable roundness of the shoulders and upper back
• Pain or stiffness in the shoulders or upper back
• Poor posture
• Muscle weakness
• Muscles spasms
• Fatigue
• In the elderly, it is often associated with osteoporosis

Symptoms of Scoliosis may include having:

• Uneven shoulder blades, with one being higher than the other. As the curve develops
• An uneven waist or hip. You may notice that pant legs are longer on one side than the other
• Tendency to lean to one side
• Clothing doesn’t fit properly
• Head position may change. Scoliosis may cause the head to appear off-center
• The rib cage may look different on one side compared to the other
• Breathing may be difficult. When scoliosis is more severe, the curvature can interfere with the lungs and heart function, causing shortness of breath, chest pain, or back pain

How is Short Leg Discrepancy diagnosed, and what is the treatment? 

If you are suffering from Short Leg Discrepancy, you should have an evaluation from a well-trained chiropractor. A chiropractor will examine the patient in detail and order full-length spine X-rays to measure spinal curvatures.

Short legs are asymptomatic. Patients will feel NO pain or limp. However, complications will develop over time. It is imperative your Chiropractor check leg length during examination and x-ray report of findings with the patient.

Once the patient is diagnosed, and a root cause is identified, treatment should focus on treating the root cause and prescribing a custom orthotic for the short leg.

Short Leg Discrepancy is a very treatable condition and is VERY OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED. Proper diagnosis and treatment are key to resolving it, allowing the patient to return to regular activities and preventing pathological adaptive musculoskeletal changes, and acquired degeneration affecting the spine and lower extremity joints for good.

When these spinal deformities lead to pain or affect your ability to perform daily activities, also if they cause dysfunction of the spinal cord/nerve roots, surgical and/or non-surgical treatment may be required.

Also, if you notice any deformity on the spine, you should be evaluated by a chiropractor who can design a prevention program to prevent the curve from continuing deforming.

A specialist will perform an extended physical examination and order x-rays of the spine to diagnose a spinal deformity. During an exam, the doctor will usually ask the patient to move into a few positions, such as a forward bend, to observe the spine as it progresses. To see whether there is an underlying cause of the curve, we may recommend imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) scans, to analyze the spine’s internal structure and surrounding area.

A chiropractor can help to improve the spine deformity and to avoid the curvature of the sprain to continue to deform. A chiropractor will use a series of techniques based on each patient’s necessity of treatment.

– Relieve pain and stiffness

– Decrease muscles spams

– Improve posture

– Prevent deterioration of spinal structures such as disks and vertebrae.

– Ease breathing

– Improve sleep quality

– Reduce the appearance of the deformity.

– Reduce discomfort

– Increase spine flexibility

– Increase muscle strength

– Improve the overall quality of life

– Reorient the spine and slow down the advancement of the curve

– Avoid progressing of the spinal deformity

– Decreases the need for surgeries

Chiropractors provide a series of non-surgical treatments based on the deformity, severity of the deformity, cause of the deformity, and patient age.

Children and adults are treated differently. When treating children with spinal deformities, nonsurgical treatments are often chosen since children’s bones are still developing. An early approach can lean a child’s growing spine into the correct alignment. In adults, the same treatment would be less effective because the spine is already rigid and developed in its position. However, the adult’s treatment can prevent the continuity of the spine deformation and avoid further and future spine complications.