Scoliosis Treatment with Dr. Tony Nalda

When it comes to spinal conditions or any kind of spinal therapy or any condition to the spine like scoliosis, a lot of people think about inversion tables because inversion tables have been around for a long time, so there is this inherent thought about maybe inversion tables could help somebody with scoliosis. What is an Inversion Table? An inversion table is a table that tries to invert your body, normally strapping you down either by your ankles or your legs and trying to inverse the pressure of gravity on your system or your spine and using the weight of your body to help traction or decompress the spine in particular. Inversion tables can be used for lots of things, but they're mostly used to try to reduce lower back pain. Most importantly, the reason why they do that is they are inversing the gravitational forces on the spine to reduce compression, and they kind of slowly or stretch the spine out. One of the limitations of inversion tables is that they're limited in how they apply force. Since we just invert somebody and we use gravity to decompress the spine, most of the decompression is occurring in the lumbar spine primarily. As you go up the spine because the body weighs less as you go higher up, meaning as you invert it, it creates less force in those areas. So, the maximum decompression occurs at the lower lumbar of the spine. When we think of scoliosis, it is more than just compression, unfortunately. Scoliosis is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine of 10 degrees or greater and then there's always a rotation. So, scoliosis by itself is not just a two-dimensional or one force causing compression of the spine. There is some compression, but it's normally a result of first the rotation and the bending. So, compression is the secondary thing that tends to happen and there can be compression of the spine and muscles, and nerves which can lead to some low back pain symptoms. That's the reason why people would think that maybe inversion table could possibly help. To know more about Inversion Tables and how they may or may not actually reduce your scoliosis, please check Dr. Tony Nalda’s podcast. Artlist.io 847544

Meet Mia, a talented dancer, who was diagnosed with scoliosis. His doctor recommended she use the Boston Brace, which was a very traumatic experience because it was painful and it just squeezed her body and it didn’t really help with any of the curvatures. One important aspect of the treatment is the actual management. With Mia’s Boston Brace, what typically happens is that the patient just waits and sees if there will be any improvement. There’s really no reaction, no real management to the process. When Mia first met Dr. Tony Nalda, she was immediately put under his intensive program. He put on her a corrective brace that is constantly being adjusted every 90 days, constantly tweaking it to get as much reduction as possible. After only a week of intensive treatment, there was already a significant improvement. There are lots of other improvements that one wouldn’t even think were even related to their scoliosis such as balance, coordination, pain, headaches, and neuromuscular problems just to name a few. All these things tend to start resolving themselves because when you improve the function of the spine you improve the function of the entire body. To know more about Mia and how she was able to fight off getting surgery, please check Dr. Tony Nalda’s podcast. Musicbed SyncID: MB01TABCQYJ8YE8

The truth of the matter is, scoliosis is an incurable condition because of the fact that we don't know what actually causes scoliosis, and therefore it can't ever be cured. However, scoliosis can be truly managed effectively using multiple forms of treatment, depending on which approach you're choosing to use. There are two main categories in treating scoliosis. Traditional Approach Scoliosis treatment using the traditional approach will depend mainly on the size of the curve. Mild – curve of 25 degrees or less. There is no treatment done. You just have to wait and see what happens, normally referred to as Watch and Wait. Moderate – more than 25 degrees but less than 40. General treatment would include a term called bracing. There are two types of bracing mainly: Boston brace is used full-time (day and night) Providence brace is used only at night Both types are not designed to reduce the curve to make the curve straighter or make the curve more functional but merely an attempt to slow the progression. Severe - 40 degrees and up. Invasive surgery is usually recommended. It is interesting to note that in the traditional approach, there is that 15 degrees window between mild, where nothing much is done to 40 degrees wherein surgery is usually what is recommended. Wouldn't it make sense to treat curves that are smaller more aggressively so that it wouldn't actually ever become a 40-degree curve? This is not typically done in the traditional approach. Functional or Natural Approach Consist of exercise, therapy, and rehabilitation. It can even consist of bracing and chiropractic care and physical therapy. There could be lots of things that you can do to actually do something that's more functional. This type of treatment does not fix the curve but manages and reduces it to try to maintain the function of the spine so it can do what it was designed to do within the body. The problem with the functional approach is that patients see all these different doctors and therapists and nobody is really working together to deliver an approach that's additive where every step is adding to the next deliberate result. The Scoliosis Reduction Center is not only promoting the functional or natural approach but is advocating what is called the patient-centered approach wherein it is focusing on what the patient needs first, not what's the easiest thing to do or the easiest way out. For more information about this, please check Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Musicbed SyncID: MB01OU9AU3AXWFS

When it comes to the traditional treatment of mild scoliosis, curves under 25 degrees, the most common prescription is nothing. Patients are advised to just watch and wait for what happens next. And the reason is that there’s really no effective treatment for managing small scoliosis. What is done to reduce scoliosis is very invasive and risky, so normally, they have to let a curve worsen before they're willing to put a patient through that risk, meaning spinal fusion. That is exactly what happened to Kaley. In a routine physical checkup done for a tennis match back in January, the doctors diagnosed her with mild scoliosis and were told that it was really nothing too concerning and that they will just have to watch and wait. But things drastically changed. Her scoliosis went from mild to severe within two months. She was given 3 options: Watch and wait for things to progress Use Boston brace Surgery With her scoliosis worsening, will Kaley need to undergo surgery in order for her to enjoy playing tennis again? Her parents were desperate to find a solution without having to result to surgery, even considering using a Boston brace, often described as a barbaric attempt to stop scoliosis from progressing but never really does anything to reverse it. Listen to Dr. Tony Nalda’s podcast and find out how with his help, Kaley was able to reduce her curve from 49 degrees to 40 in just four days. Artlist.io 847544

When it comes to scoliosis and a diagnosis of that in a patient, the recommendation eventually ends with something called spinal fusion or scoliosis surgery. Unfortunately, this is very daunting for most patients, because it involves screws and rods in somebody's spine that can actually alter their life forever whether you’re a child or an adult. There is a way to help straighten your spine and reduce your scoliosis naturally. There are several natural approaches to scoliosis treatment but what happens is that most patients and their families tend to figure something out on their own. They have this whole fragmentation that they're doing exercises prescribed by one person that is in direct competition with therapy that's being performed by somebody else who is in direct competition with the chiropractic care they're getting from a chiropractor and nothing is coordinated. The Scoliosis Reduction Center focuses on and specializes in this non-invasive, natural approach to scoliosis but what makes it different is that everything is coordinated to work with each other, so nothing is in competition. There are 4 specific things that can be done to reduce a curve. Scoliosis-specific exercises The types of scoliosis-specific exercises are: Spinal isometric exercises Self-corrective exercises Chiropractic care Therapy Corrective Bracing So, there is a way to reduce your curve naturally, but it must not be fragmented. It must be very specific and inclusive of all the things mentioned above. Most importantly, don't attempt to try to do this at home without having your spine completely evaluated properly, because you can be doing something to actually make your scoliosis worse. For more information about this, please check Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Musicbed SyncID: MB01XKVCIK71ALI

We know sleep is important but it is even more, especially to patients that are actually going through scoliosis treatment because we know good sleep typically means that the body can heal better and respond better. We also know a good rested body means the body has more healing power to help recover and heal from whatever they're dealing with, and obviously, with scoliosis, we know that they're going through treatment to try and overcome the curvature size and actually reduce these curves. What is the best position to sleep in if you have scoliosis? Because the goal of sleep is to maintain a healthy spinal alignment, the best position by far for patients to sleep in, regardless of whether you have scoliosis or not, is normally sleeping on your back with very slight support for your neck and slight support for the lower back if they're needed. We're trying to maintain this normal healthy spinal alignment without severe pressure points so you can rest comfortably and sleep well. If you want to know more about the best and the worst sleeping positions for scoliosis patients, please check Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Artlist.io 847544

Does Home Therapy as a treatment for scoliosis actually work? And learn about Kara’s Story. Dr. Tony Nalda speaks with Kara about her experience with severe scoliosis, a condition where the curves to the side, and how they were able to reduce the curve without surgery using home therapy. Kara’s scoliosis was caused by a congenital malformation in the vertebrae closest to her tailbone, which caused her spine to slant and curve. Although her condition is much more complicated compared to the others, her congenital malformation was located at the very end of her spine, making it easier to manage. With commitment and a proper treatment plan, severe scoliosis can be managed without having to go through surgery. Follow Kara’s journey to have the best possible chance at a normal life, be pain free and do normal activities and continue doing fun things. For more information about this, please check Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast.

Understanding the unique factors that can influence pain in scoliosis. The diagnosis of scoliosis is a diagnosis of a structural X-ray, meaning that there's a curvature in the spine that could be measured objectively using a Cobb angle to determine the degree of scoliosis. When people talk about scoliosis, they normally talk about the way it feels because the feeling of scoliosis could be very different depending upon the patient. But we know scoliosis is defined as a curve that's 10 degrees or greater with rotation. Scoliosis can be classified based on the severity of the curvature. Mild scoliosis - 10 to 25 degrees Moderate scoliosis - 25 to 40 degrees Severe scoliosis – 40 degrees or greater Each case is unique and how it could feel will depend based upon multiple factors: Location of the curve Severity of the curve Patient Age Flexibility of the patient Can scoliosis cause pain? The answer is maybe. It's really a big maybe because in lots of cases, it doesn't cause pain but in lots of other cases it can. Mostly, when we look at adolescents with scoliosis, these are patients that are below skeletal maturity. For girls, normally age 16 or less, and for boys between 18 years and less, these kids do not feel pain no matter what size the curve is. If they feel pain, it's normally a very mild and very dull ache at the site of curvature. If adolescent feels pain, we normally think of that as being a red flag for possibly another condition or another injury that could be causing their pain, especially if they have night pain or they have pain when they're sleeping or pain while they're exerting themselves or any kind of numbness or radiating pain out into their extremities, any type of neurological type of pain, we’re normally only concerned of something else occurring in the spine, and normally we're looking for other issues that may or may not be associated with their scoliosis. If we see adolescents with pain, we're normally thinking what else could be causing it. However, when it comes to adults, almost always they will start to feel pain as a result of their scoliosis at some point in their life because what's causing the curve to progress is compression of the gravity over time and this aggravates the tissues and the nerves and the discs in the spine, which will eventually lead to pain. Can patients feel stiffness as a result of scoliosis? This is common in both age groups. This can happen in adolescent or in adult cases. This tends to happen not because of necessary age or compression. This is normally related to the size of the curve, so we know the bigger somebody's curve is, the more likely they are to feel stiffness and rigidity at the site of the curve. For more information about this, please check Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Artlist.io 847544

Breaking down scoliosis symptoms: What you need to watch out for There are normally 7 symptoms that are most commonly associated with scoliosis: Postural change Lung function Back, neck, leg, or head pain Not being able to sleep well Having digestive issues If you’re female, it could be affecting your menstrual cycle Overall balance issues But understand that every single scoliosis case is unique. You don't have to have all seven of these to say that you have scoliosis. In fact, some patients have no symptoms associated with scoliosis at all, especially kids. As curves tend to progress and as patients get older with their scoliosis, they tend to have more and more symptoms. For more information about this, please check Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Artlist.io 847544

Uneven hips or unlevel hips is one of the things that could be associated with Scoliosis. If you notice that you have some uneven pelvis or even a pelvis that looks rotated, one side more forward and one side more backward, that could be related to Scoliosis. And if you have that, you want to have your spine evaluated. However, if you have Scoliosis and you have a rotated or unleveled pelvis, it can be helped to help reduce the discrepancy of what you're seeing in the pelvis to help improve the cosmetic impairments and the structural impairments and stability of what we're seeing. When it comes to Scoliosis, we know there are multiple severities of Scoliosis and classically there are three categories: Mild Scoliosis: Between 10 and 25 degrees Moderate Scoliosis: Between 25 and 40 degrees Severe Scoliosis: 40 to 45 degrees and greater I also use a fourth category, which is something called very severe Scoliosis. This is like 80 degrees or greater because we know that's when they're more likely to be some more visceral or functional effects as a result of the Scoliosis. When it comes to looking at visual symptoms of Scoliosis outside of just seeing uneven hips or anything pelvis, what else can you see? Uneven shoulders Rib hump or rib deformity Leg length difference A very crooked spine when the person bends forward These visual symptoms can be corrected, but they can only be improved or reduced if the Scoliosis itself is reduced. If you're just treating the symptoms of Scoliosis, that means if you're experiencing pain and you're getting treatment for pain and you don't reduce the size of the Scoliosis itself, you're normally not going to see these visual things improve in a conservative approach. For more information about this, please check Dr. Tony Nalda’s Podcast. Artlist.io: 847544

When it comes to the categorization of Scoliosis, the first category is by age of the patient.   You have to really consider the age of the patient when you consider what kind of treatment options you're going to provide for a patient. And we know there's some common goal:   First goal is to reduce Scoliosis.   Two is to prevent any further progression   We want to improve function and reduce pain and of course, we want long-term stabilization because we know Scoliosis can progress slowly as an adult. Once curves break 25 degrees, the likelihood of Scoliosis will progress without treatment is very high, no matter what stage of life you're in.   Adolescent  Juvenile  Young Adult  Older Adult  We have to start dealing with how we want to treat and reduce these curves once we start breaking 25 degrees because we know more than likely curve progression is going to happen.   Let’s talk about Infantile Scoliosis.   Infantile Scoliosis has its own unique challenges because you're dealing with somebody who can't perform any type of exercise on their own. So we only have really 2 modes of treatment at this point:  Scoliosis Specific Therapy, meaning therapy that's passively induced into the spine to help make the spine more flexible so it can help respond to the second treatment that we want to use which is   Scoliosis Bracing, normally it's going to be corrective bracing in an Infantile case.   In an infantile case, one of Dr. Tony Nalda’s requirements is to see a reduction in Scoliosis. He wants the curve to reduce significantly so he can beat the next 10 or 12 or 15 years and it could be that the curve has a risk of progression. Dr. Tony Nalda also discusses the treatment he recommends for the other groups which are Juvenile, Adolescents, and Adults with Scoliosis. For more information, please check out Dr. Tony Nalda’s Podcast. Artlist.io 847544

If you have Scoliosis and you have pain, what are your options to get some relief? There are two types of patients: Kids with Scoliosis who normally have no symptoms or pain Adults complaining about severe pain Why do we have people with the same exact condition but feel very different? Is Scoliosis always painful? Every case of Scoliosis is unique.  We know Scoliosis is not commonly painful in children and adolescents. Kids don't feel pain as a result of Scoliosis. In fact, if they feel pain, it's normally very mild and it may not be any different from kids that don't have Scoliosis. Therefore, we don't expect children to experience pain. In fact, if they have pain, we normally consider that a red flag and we're normally looking for another cause.  So if you have a child who has scoliosis and they have no pain. As a result of it, don't be surprised. That's not unusual. That's very, very common. And that doesn't mean that curve isn't worsening normally with children. The only thing that you're seeing is postural signs.  When it comes to adults, the first thing that's actually causing the problem is that Scoliosis is unfortunate and can become painful. And the reason why it can become painful is because of how the curve progresses in an adult is very different than how the curve progresses in a child. The type of pain adults tend to feel is most likely back pain. It's gonna be right at the size of the curve. It can also lead to other types of issues. It can lead to pain that's capping from compressed nerves in the area of the spinal curvature.  And this compression can lead to: Numbness or radiating pain down into your legs or arms across your rib cage, even up into your face and head.  It can lead to muscle pain and tightness and soreness because of the unbalance.  It can lead to fatigue in the body. It can also lead to lower extremity pain like hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain, and foot pain The same thing is true with your body, so you can have more pain on one leg on one side of your body, a knee and those kinds of things that could be a sign that the curve is actually progressing. In fact, sometimes in adults, that's the very first symptom they start having a unilateral hip or knee or ankle problem, and they've had no injury.  For more information about how to relieve Scoliosis Pain, check out Dr. Tony Nalda’s Podcast. Musicbed SyncID: MB01VVBE6IWWAI6

For decades, the only treatment choices for Scoliosis were bracing and spinal fusion. Now, as an increasing body of research sheds fresh light on this complicated ailment, patients are increasingly exploring and selecting less invasive solutions. Massage treatment, in particular, has received attention for its capacity to alleviate the persistent back discomfort associated with Scoliosis. Although massage therapy in Scoliosis cannot treat the underlying cause, it has been shown in studies to give short-term relief from Scoliosis discomfort and other symptoms.  Massage may help with two sorts of issues: cranial-sacral therapy and deep-tissue massage. Cranial-Sacral treatment helps balance the spine and improves the patient's capacity to function by gently shifting restricted tissue around and inside the spinal column. Deep tissue therapy, aided stretching, and neuromuscular treatment all aid in the relaxation of the spine by boosting blood flow and extending tensed regions, which can help ease muscle discomfort. Benefits of Massage for patients experiencing Scoliosis:  Better sleep / comfortable sleep posture Enriched mental health  Increased circulation  For more information about this, please check Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Artlist.io 847544

What really causes Cervical Lordosis? A direct lesion to the cervical spine or an injury caused by prolonged muscular spasms might alter the degree of neck curvature. Some causes of cervical lordosis are injuries, trauma and poor posture. Nowadays kids, teenagers, and even adults have poor posture because they just look down on their phones, tablets, even laptops, which gives them a poor posture which can cause cervical lordosis. Postural abnormalities in the curvature might occur over time as a result of improper standing posture, regular weightlifting exercise, or aberrant sitting posture. Congenital disorders can cause a little shift in the neck spine at birth. This might be related to womb development or damage to the neck after birth, either by normal delivery or cesarean delivery. The conditions of the musculoskeletal system are: Kyphosis Discs herniation can alter the spinal discs Scoliosis The most common symptoms of cervical lordosis are headaches and pain going down into your arms to your toes. Can also experience weaknesses in disc degeneration. For more information, please check out Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Artlist.io 847544

Moderate Scoliosis is defined as a curvature of at least 25 degrees. If despite bracing, the curvature has already developed to 40 degrees, surgery may now be considered. Surgery is likely to be recommended in teenagers with curves reaching 50 degrees or higher. However, the patient has the last say. The degree of discomfort, capacity to accomplish daily work and enjoy everyday activities and personal preferences about physical appearance are all factors to consider before deciding on surgery. PSSR is helpful in stabilizing the Cobb angle and, in rare situations, can decrease the Cobb angle in teenagers. For severe Scoliosis, doctors frequently prescribe surgery. Severe Scoliosis is commonly defined as 50 degrees or more; however, depending on the patient's stage of skeletal development, vertebral body tying may be advised at 40 degrees, 45 degrees, or even 49 degrees. Most Scoliosis surgeons believe that adolescents with very severe curves (45 to 50 degrees or more) will require surgery to reduce the curvature and keep it from worsening.  When treating curves between 25 and 39 degrees using the non-surgical Silicon Valley Method, an average of 35% decrease is achieved. For more information about this, please check out Dr. Tony Nalda's podcast. Artlist.io 847544