“How does scoliosis affect the body?”

The spine is the motor that drives the brain. When the spine is off, it will effect brain function. The brain controls everything in your body, so if that’s off, there are endless possibilities as to how that would present itself in a person... headaches, anxiety, pain, digestive issues, insomnia, fatigue, etc. The list could go on and on. Scoliosis will definitely throw off the biomechanics of the entire body leading to pain in the spine and a lot of times the joints in the legs/knees.

There are different degrees of scoliosis so it depends on the severity of the curvature in how much it effects the body. Most scoliosis patients in their late 20’s/ early 30’s have an S shaped curvature where the curve goes one way in the lower part of the spine and the other way above. Therefore the body is actually very strong and balanced. Since the majority of scoliosis conditions are inherited from parents or grandparents, most people are not adversely effected. Just be aware of your posture and maintain chiropractic care and your body will adapt well to your spinal condition.

That is a great question. At this point, it depends on how bad the curvature is in the spine. Chiropractic care may help reduce it or at the very least slow it down. The key is to make sure it does not get worse to cause issues later in life. What may happen is the curvature can increased pressure in the spine and if you develop osteoporosis may lead to higher chance of compression fracture.

Scoliosis can have many different effects on the body depending on the number and severity of the curve(s). Scoliosis is defined as a spinal curvature that measures 15% or more. Cardiopulmonary complications may present in persons with curvatures greater than 45%. Often, surgery such as Harrington Rod placement or fusions are suggested if a patient is having Cardiac or Pulmonary complications. There are braces that can be helpful, but I have found that manipulation and physical therapy can be extremely helpful in less severe cases. With scoliotic curvature, there is increased stress in the spine at the apex of the curvatures and that may result in increased arthritic change and increased disc pathology at that area. Increased arthritic change and disc pathology can have an adverse effect on the nerves that exit between the effected vertebrae. At your younger age, it would be a great idea to seek the care of a good Chiropractic physician or an Orthopedic physician to recommend conservative care to help keep spinal flexibility and try to correct the spinal mechanics as much as possible. In general, Scoliosis will worsen 1-2 degrees each year unless something is done to correct it as much as possible.
I hope this information helps you to make some good healthcare decisions.

Take care and be well,

Dr. Eric Miller

Breathing, digestion, heart functions, flexibility, strength.

Scoliosis can affect the body in many ways, from purely aesthetic to debilitating pain and dysfunction. Scoliosis is a term to describe a side to side curvature of the spine which causes abnormal function to the entire body via the spine and pelvis. There are also different severities and affected areas of scoliosis which can lead to other problems in the future. Most of these are mild and can be successfully managed with specific stretches, exercises, bracing, and spinal manipulation.