Frequently Asked Questions About

Scoliosis Sugery

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Question: My doctor tells me that there is nothing besides scoliosis surgery that will give long-term correction for curves because no alternative methods could possibly alter the bone shape.

Answer: It is my understanding that it is possible to alter bone shape through pressure. Here's what Robert Lovett, M.D., the author of the book, Lateral Curvature of the Spine and Rounded Shoulders had to say on the subject (p. 48):

"The phenomena of lateral curvature have become somewhat more comprehensible since we have understood that bone is a plastic and adaptable structure, adapting itself to the demands upon it, following in its growth the lines of least resistance, and in children susceptible to great changes in shape from abnormal pressure. As an instance of this may be mentioned the great distortion of the shape of the bones in the Chinese lady's foot produced by bandaging.....it must further be remembered that growing bone is a plastic structure and that the spine will tend to conform its bony shape to the abnormal position."

In animals it is possible to produce a structurally curved spine by keeping them in a curved position for a long time. In a study on rabbits, "Progressive structural scoliosis in growing rabbits has been produced. Tethering the thoracic spine into the form of an asymmetric lordosis produces a slowly progressive structural scoliosis by purely mechanical means." So if you can cause scoliosis through purely mechanical means, then it would seem within the realm of possibility that scoliosis could be corrected by purely mechanical means, such as counter pressure from exercises or posture changes.

I know a lot of people say you can only correct a curved spine through surgery, but think about it before you accept this bit of conventional medical dogma as fact. Most people who have scoliosis are not born with the condition. Many people develop scoliosis at puberty, after pregnancy, after breastfeeding or as they age. Something besides surgery caused their spines to go from straight to curved. As such, we need to consider the possibility that something besides surgery should be able to make their spines go from curved to straight. In the rabbit example above, the rabbit spines eventually took on a permanent shape of the way were positioned by the researchers. Their spines went from straight to curved by purely mechanical means. Perhaps if the researchers had held the rabbits spines in an over-corrected position, i.e. they had curved them in the other direction for an extended period of time, then perhaps they could have manipulated them back to straight again, also by purely mechanical means.

For more information on this topic, see my section on Complications from Scoliosis Surgery.

Interesting link:

Scoliosis Prognosis Not Always Grim - A new long-term study finds those with late onset (after age 10) spinal curvature lead normal lives. Quote from the study: " For the most part, the individuals with untreated LIS were as healthy as the controls. Certainly they did not have the high rates of respiratory failure and early death cited by earlier studies."

Also see my main section on scoliosis and my complete index of all the related pages.

The book that I found the most helpful for my scoliosis was:

Back Care Basics : A Doctor's Gentle Program for Back and Neck Pain Relief

Also see my main section on scoliosis and my complete index of all the related pages.

Related sections of interest:

Mitral Valve Prolapse - common in women with scoliosis

Marfan Syndrome - scoliosis is a common feature of this syndrome

Pectus Excavatum (sunken chests) - occurs frequently with scoliosis

TMJ: Diet and Exercise Treatment - covers the many factors that played a role on my TMJ recovery.

Zinc - examines the potential links between zinc deficiency and scoliosis

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