Chiropractor for Scoliosis in Perth

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine, usually with some twisting of the vertebrae. Many people don't feel much at all, especially early on. The signs are often subtle:

• One shoulder sitting higher than the other
• A dip in the pelvis, or one hip higher
• A shoulder blade that sticks out more on one side
• A rib hump when bending forward
• Clothes that hang unevenly
• A walk or bend that doesn't look quite even
• Back ache or stiffness, often on one side

Why it happens

Scoliosis doesn't come on overnight. Most often it's idiopathic, which means there's no single known cause, and it often runs in families.

The most common type appears during the growth spurts of childhood and the teenage years. In adults, scoliosis can also develop as the spine wears with age. Desk work doesn't cause scoliosis, but long hours sitting can make the stiffness that comes with it feel worse.

And it's often missed. That's no one's fault. A passing comment from a school nurse, and that's all that's ever said. Parents often don't notice, until an injury or a rib hump appears years later, when it can be harder to manage.

The different types of scoliosis

Scoliosis isn't one thing. The type matters, because it changes what's possible:

• Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: the most common type, appearing during growth, with no single known cause.
• Congenital scoliosis: caused by vertebrae that formed differently before birth.
• Degenerative (adult) scoliosis: develops later in life as the discs and joints wear.
• Structural scoliosis: a fixed curve with rotation of the vertebrae.
• Functional scoliosis: a curve caused by something else, such as a leg length difference, muscle spasm or posture, where the spine itself is not fixed in a curve.

The real cost: you

It sounds like an old person's problem. It's not. I see scoliosis at every age.

Over the years, the twist in the spine can wear the discs unevenly and lead to early arthritis and chronic back pain. In the most severe cases, a large curve can even affect breathing. For children and teenagers, there's the worry of what the curve will do as they grow, the self-consciousness, and for some, the hard road of bracing or surgery.

A note from Geoff

This is one area I really love to help people with. And I'll be honest with you from the start: I never make bold claims, and I never give anyone false hope.

When I watch someone move, I can often see the signs of scoliosis straight away: the height of a shoulder, a flattened curve, a dip in the pelvis, the way you walk, bend and turn. Most people aren't aware of it. I notice it because I've spent 20 years looking.

I'll never forget one person who cried when we went through their X-rays. It wasn't the curve that upset them. It was that they'd known for years that something was there, and no one had taken the time to investigate it.

Chiropractic care can't straighten a structural scoliosis. What I focus on is helping your spine move as well as it can, easing the stiffness and tension that come with a curve, and keeping an eye on it, alongside your GP or specialist. What's possible depends on when it's picked up, how big the curve is, and whether it's structural or functional. That's the Vitality Method: honest, thorough, and built around you.

Try this right now

Ask someone to stand behind you. Bend forward slowly, as if to touch your toes, letting your arms hang. Can they see one side of your upper back or ribs sitting higher than the other? Are your shoulders or hips level when you stand?

That's a clue worth checking. If you notice it in a child or teenager, see your GP. I'd love to help you understand your spine.

How we assess scoliosis

We take a full history, then examine your posture, spinal movement, muscle balance and the way you move. Where it is clinically justified, X-rays help measure the curve accurately, and we'll explain why before referring you.

Then we sit down together with your results and talk through what your curve means for you, now and as you get older.

What your plan will include

Here's exactly what happens when you come to Vitality with scoliosis:

• A detailed consultation and clinical assessment
• Digital X-rays if clinically required, bulk billed with a valid Medicare card
• Specific adjustments to assess whether change is possible for you
• If change is possible, and it's what you want, a care plan built around you and your lifestyle
• Specific exercises to build strength, balance and body awareness
• Regular reviews, and referral to your GP or a specialist if the curve changes
• Daily tips to improve your posture and help manage stress and tension

My promise to you

Chiropractic care does not straighten or cure a structural scoliosis, and I'll never claim it does. I won't promise a change in your curve.

What I do promise is a clear explanation of your curve, honest advice on what can and can't change, and a referral whenever your GP or specialist should be involved.