Non-Surgical Scoliosis Treatment

Overview

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional postural disorder in which the spine curves sideways and usually rotates on its own axis. The degree of curvature varies from person to person; while mild curvatures often go unnoticed, progressing curvatures can affect posture, daily life, and, over time, the level of pain.

Non-surgical scoliosis treatment is an approach that aims to slow the progression of the curvature and balance the posture with conservative methods, without the need for surgery, in curvatures of a suitable degree. The decision for surgery comes to the agenda above a certain degree of curvature; in our approach, surgery is always a last resort.

Causes

• Idiopathic scoliosis — the most common type, for which no clear cause can be identified; it appears especially during the growth period.
• Congenital causes — congenital vertebral developmental disorders.
• Neuromuscular causes — muscle imbalances due to muscle and nervous-system diseases.
• Muscle imbalance and posture — the muscles on one side of the spine being tight and those on the other side being weak feeds the curvature.
• Growth period — the curvature can progress more easily during phases of rapid growth; follow-up is important during this period.

Symptoms

• A difference between the two sides at the level of the shoulders and hips
• One of the shoulder blades standing out more prominently
• A prominence that forms on one side of the back when bending forward
• Fatigue and pain in the low back and back that increase toward the end of the day
• Visible asymmetry in posture and in how clothes fit

Treatment

The basic principle in scoliosis treatment is to draw up a personalized plan according to the type and degree of the curvature. In many cases of a suitable degree, with a regular and correct exercise program the progression of the curvature can be slowed and the posture can be markedly balanced. At the center of treatment is not medication or a device, but personalized exercise.

Here, the three-dimensional exercise approach is decisive. Instead of a standard program, exercises planned according to the person's curvature pattern, combining breathing and strengthening, are applied. Tight muscles are released, weak muscles are strengthened, and the spine is worked toward a more balanced line. Manual therapy and mobilization support this process.

What We Do

First, our physician assesses the direction, degree, and flexibility of the curvature with a comprehensive physical examination and determines a personalized treatment protocol. Advanced cases requiring surgery are referred to an appropriate specialist; for the suitable cases that make up the majority, we plan conservative treatment.

Our expert physiotherapists release tight muscle groups with mobilization, cupping therapy, and clinical massage, and in suitable cases support spinal alignment with chiropractic / spinal manipulation. Once the muscles have relaxed, we move on to fully personalized, three-dimensional exercises. Based on the APPI method, we combine breathing and strengthening and aim to make the balanced posture permanent.

We finish sessions with kinesiology taping and help spread the effect of the treatment throughout the day. Throughout the process we regularly reassess our client and continue follow-up with the principle 'there is no disease, there is a patient'.