scoliosis Facts and its treatment

The spine is the framework of the trunk that:

Supports the head
Supports the thoracic cage
Supports the upper arms
Is embedded in the pelvis, which is supported by the legs.

Its functions are vital because:

It protects the spinal cord.
It allows proper functioning of the lungs and heart.

Its role in locomotion is to:

allow proper body balance.
control movement harmony and magnitude.

Finally, in morphology, it assures a good aesthetic of the trunk.

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is the outcome of a progressive 3D deformation of the spine.

Scoliosis affects between 2 and 3% of the population.
Among the most severe scoliosis cases, 8 out of 10 are young females.
Scoliosis begins in childhood or adolescence. It occurs at different ages and is categorised accordingly as an infantile, juvenile or adolescent scoliosis. It can be detected at all ages but as it is very much related to growth, it is most common in adolescence.
In more than 80% of the cases, the real cause of scoliosis remains unknown; this is why it's called idiopathic. There are many hypotheses being studied by researchers. Heredity and growth control mechanisms are the main focus for modern research. Whilst there is no scientific consensus on the precise cause and progression factors of idiopathic scoliosis, enough is known to improve non-surgical treatments.

If untreated, most severe scoliotic deformations have mid
and long-term consequences on:

Vital functions: respiratory and cardiac pathology
Locomotion: pain and mobility limitation
Aesthetic: hunchbacked aspect and short trunk.

SpineCor Treatment Overview

SpineCor® treatment was developed in the early 1990s and utilises a Dynamic Corrective Brace (DCB), together with a completely new treatment approach requiring clinical assistant diagnostic software (SAS) to allow accurate fitting and treatment follow up.

Following 12 years of clinical research and trials, SpineCor® is now rapidly being made available to patients around the world.

The initial excellent clinical results produced by the research centre at Ste Justine Hospital and the University of Montrea, Canada, have since been replicated by more than 80 other treatment centres around the world. SpineCor® has shown to be effective in 89% of cases (either by stablization or improvement in (Cobb) angle of the curve.

SpineCor®'s unique treatment approach offers improvement over traditional braces, which are essentially static or allow minimal movement, due to its true totally dynamic action. Fundamental research by independent research groups now indicates that a significant dynamic action is required on the spine (vertebral growth plates) to alter the abnormal growth progressing the deformity in scoliosis patients.

The SpineCor® treatment approach is completely different to that

of traditional braces that use 3-point pressure and distraction; it is the

first and only true dynamic bracing system for idiopathic scoliosis.

SpineCor®’s unique approach to treatment by global postural re-education

has been shown to give progressive correction over time which, unlike

any previous brace treatment, is extremely stable post brace weaning.

Clinical experience to date also shows better compliance and cosmetic

results.

SpineCor®:

Allows patients four hours per day out of brace
Allows total freedom of movement
Offers better cosmesis under clothing, and
Is cooler to wear.

Although to date no specific study has been undertaken to quantify cosmetic improvement, subjectively, some striking improvements have been observed clinically. Additionally, some very positive postural changes have been noted in cases where there has been no change in Cobb angle.

Summary

SpineCor® offers:

A treatment approach based on the latest understanding of the cause and progression factors of Idiopathic scoliosis.
A much more acceptable treatment to patients, being cooler to wear, less restrictive, more easily concealed under clothing and 4 hours of out of brace time per day.
No side effects. Rigid braces cause muscle atrophy and can be harmful to normal development in a growing child.
Excellent treatment results, particularly when treatment is started early.
Excellent stability of treatment results post bracing.
Neuromuscular integration for maintenance of improved posture.
Potential to reduce incidence of surgical intervention.

Conclusion

SpineCor® is a highly effective for the early treatment of idiopathic scoliosis as demonstrated in the case study and also offers significant benefits to patients who present late. The real challenge is, therefore, to increase awareness of the absolute importance of early diagnosis and, that a viable treatment for early intervention is now available. Clearly it is easier to prevent progression of a small curve than to reverse the deformity in a large curve. Timing is of absolute importance - the later treatment is started the lesser the possibility there is to change the curve, as the child's growth runs out so does the possibilityto make any change.