The watch and wait medical approach to scoliosis treatment when the spinal curves are 25 degrees or less is not treatment. Watching and waiting can not be considered treatment. It would be better to call it what it is. We don’t know what to do so we will do nothing and hope it won’t get worse. There is a treatment and it works. Instead of waiting this is time for action. It only makes sense that a 10 to 20 degree curve is easier to correct than a 30 or 40 degree curve. In fact the small curves are less time consuming, and less involved than correcting the advanced curves. When a lateral spinal curve exceeds 10 degrees it is consider a scoliosis. Immediate treatment is the wisest choice to keep it from getting worse and to correct it back below 10 degrees ideally to zero. This is the time to watch and wait when you have the scoliosis under control. Now is when it can be determined if the spine will stay stable or get worse again. Based on my experience about 90% of the time the spine will stay stable when the correction has been achieved provided that the spinal exercises are continued. So if your scoliosis is over 10 degrees it is time to get it corrected not watch it get worse.
Our Mission: To restore your health and vitality by correcting scoliosis non-invasively and to educate our patients in self-care to prevent unnecessary scoliosis surgery and deformity.
Scoliosis is a progressive disease causing curvature of the spine. It can affect people of all ages; not only children and adolescents, but also adults. Scoliosis can result in headaches, shortness of breath, back pain, digestive problems, menstrual-cycle disturbances, leg, hip and knee pain, chronic fatigue, rib hump on one side, and future spinal kyphosis (widow’s hump)
Idiopathic scoliosis is a lifetime, systemic condition of unknown cause. Scoliosis, per Dr. Woggons of the Clear Institute, is a disease of the neuromusculoskeletal system. Most common is adolescent girls, it is progressive, psychologically detrimental and can cause both increased pain and increased physical disfigurement as it progresses. Most Scoliosis are Idiopathic.
The majority of scoliosis cases do not require surgical treatment, which can be debilitating both physically and emotionally, especially for an adolescent. Early scoliosis treatment and proper screening is important for a good outcome. Our Scoliosis treatment method does not require the use of braces for scoliosis correction.
Dr. Beck is happy to assist you with any questions you may have. He is available to discuss your case by telephone or by e-mail.
E-mail him at MarkBeckDC@Beckwellnesscenter.com
or call him at 314-843-2325
| For Those Afflicted with Scoliosis, a New Correction Treatment By Jim McMahon Aug 12, 2008 - 11:21:30 AM |
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(HealthNewsDigest.com) - In 1970, Karen Spengler removed her back brace that she had worn for three years while in high school to control a spinal condition she had called scoliosis. Then, at age 14, Karen’s spine had an abnormal 23 degree curvature, just as it did three years prior when she first put on her brace. For 37 years after Karen’s spine remained at a 23 degree curve. That is, until the last several months, after undergoing a new chiropractic procedure for scoliosis victims, called the Clear Institute treatment, which has for the first time in Karen’s life reduced her spine curvature to a stable 13 degrees. At that curvature, Karen is well below the 20-degree benchmark where traditional medical standards do not recommend scoliosis treatment.The Clear Institute treatment, administered by the Beck Wellness Center in St. Louis, Missouri, was not a traditional scoliosis procedure. It did not involve the conventional back braces, surgery or wait-and-see observation techniques favored by modern medicine. It consisted of a regimen of traction spinal weighting and non-traditional chiropractic adjustments done three times each week in her chiropractor’s office, with home exercises done daily, to reposition sections of her spine.
Like many scoliosis victims, the condition tends to run in the family. Karen’s daughter who is 13 years old, is also afflicted with scoliosis, or better said, she was. After several months of treatment with the same procedure at the Beck Wellness Center, her spine curvature has reduced by 23 degrees, to where it is now, significantly less, at 6 degrees.
“For the first time in my adult life I am free from the debilitating and emotional effects of scoliosis,” says Karen. “But the real relief is with my daughter. She went from 29 degrees to 6 degrees of curvature in a matter of months. Instead of spending 23 hours a day in a brace, she spends one-half hour with the traction and weighting, and exercises at home. Having spent my life as a scoliosis victim, I cannot express what relief it is to see my daughter free from this. She can live a normal life without braces and the threat of potentially needing surgery.”
For a problem that has eluded a resolution for many decades, one would be hard pressed to accept two patient case histories as a reliable index to judge a successful procedure. But for the Clear Institute treatment, and the Beck Wellness Center, these are just two cases amongst thousands who have availed themselves of this new scoliosis approach over the past several years, and benefited from it. In fact, consistent results show that this procedure is considerably more successful at mitigating scoliosis than traditional treatments of bracing and surgery.
Understanding the Scoliosis Problem
Every one of us has a natural curve to our spine. Opposite our chest the spine bows out, and in our lower back area the spine curves inward. This is quite normal. If we viewed ourselves in a mirror from the front or the back, our spine should look straight. If we were able to look at ourselves from the top down, all of the vertebrae in our spine would be facing in a forward direction.
But some people have spines that also curve from side to side. Looking from the front or the back, the spine would appear to form an “S” or “C” shape instead of a straight line up and down. This is a condition called scoliosis, where the spine curves laterally, from one side or the other, in the chest or thoracic area, and in the lower back or lumbar area. Looking down from the top of the spine, some of the vertebrae would appear twisted, which causes the ribs attached to them to protrude.
Scoliosis is the most common form of abnormal spine curvature, occurring in 6 million people in the United States, or 2% of the U.S. population. 1.5 million of those afflicted, or 0.5% of the population, have what is considered to be a severe condition of scoliosis, necessitating some form of treatment. The other 4.5 million people are less acutely afflicted by the disorder. This is not simply a condition of poor posture, which might be remedied by disciplining oneself to sit up straight or practice balancing a book on our heads. These curves require considerably more attention to effect an improvement in the condition.
A minority of scoliosis patients, less than 20%, have either non-structural scoliosis or structural scoliosis. In structural scoliosis a structurally normal spine appears curved. It is a temporary, changing spinal curve that is caused by an underlying condition such as a difference in leg length, muscle spasms, or inflammatory conditions such as appendicitis. Structural scoliosis can be caused by neuromuscular diseases, birth defects, injuries and certain infections. These forms of scoliosis are treated by addressing the underlying problem.
The majority of scoliosis abnormalities, 80% to 85% of serious scoliosis cases, are classified as idiopathic, or cause unknown. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common type and occurs primarily between the ages of 10 and 15. Girls are more likely than boys to have this type of scoliosis. Females are eight times more likely to progress to a spinal curve magnitude that requires treatment.
According to the National Scoliosis Foundation (NSF), scoliosis can impact the quality of life for those who have the disorder. “It can stunt height growth and decrease pulmonary function. It’s associated with headaches, shortness of breath, digestive problems, chronic disease and hip, knee and leg pain.” Add to this list diminished self-esteem and reduced life expectancy. The lifespan of individuals with scoliosis is decreased by 14 years.
Despite the fact that idiopathic scoliosis has been addressed and attempted to be treated for literally centuries, little progress has been made to identify the causes of the condition or bring about a functional remedy to significantly improve the abnormality. The Foundation says it is not known who will get scoliosis, why they get it, which of those afflicted will progress with treatment, or how far they will progress. In fact, the National Scoliosis Foundation states that there is no known cure for idiopathic scoliosis.
Traditional Approaches to Treatment
This year, in an effort to remedy the condition, scoliosis patients in the U.S. will make more than 600,000 visits to private physician offices, 30,000 children will be put into a brace for scoliosis, and 38,000 scoliosis patients will undergo spinal fusion surgery.
For more information on Beck Wellness Center, and its chiropractic system of scoliosis treatment, please contact Dr. Mark Beck, D.C.; Phone 314-843-2325; 5422 Southfield Center, Saint Louis, Missouri 63123; email markbeckdc@beckwellnesscenter.com; or visit their website at www.beckscoliosis.com.
www.HealthNewsDigest.com
For Those Afflicted with Scoliosis, a New Correction Treatment
Aug 12, 2008
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) - In 1970, Karen Spengler removed her back brace that she had worn for three years while in high school to control a spinal condition she had called scoliosis. Then, at age 14, Karen’s spine had an abnormal 23 degree curvature, just as it did three years prior when she first put on her brace. For 37 years after Karen’s spine remained at a 23 degree curve. That is, until the last several months, after undergoing a new chiropractic procedure for scoliosis victims, called the Clear Institute treatment, which has for the first time in Karen’s life reduced her spine curvature to a stable 13 degrees.
Revolutionized Scoliosis Treatment
Now Available in South County
Two years ago Dr. Mark Beck, D.C., began to study and practice an innovative scoliosis therapy. He has since found the Clear Scoliosis Program to be markedly more effective than standard medical treatments.
In working with a wide range of patients ranging from 10 to 88 years old using this program, Dr. Beck found that 100% of sufferers experienced a reduction in curve (of the spine) which translates into improved health and overall well being. Based on those results, he is making this a primary focus of his chiropractic practice.
In the past, the benefits from traditional medical and surgical treatments tended to be less permanent and more problematic. Beck, whose office is in South St. Louis County, also emphasizes clinical nutrition and spinal decompression in addition to the Clear Scoliosis Program.
Dr. Mark Beck, D.C. is available for interview. Photo will be sent upon request. For information, please contact Dr. Beck at (314) 843-2325 or email MarkBeckDC@BeckWellnessCenter.com.