Best Way to Treat Scoliosis : A normal spine appears as a straight line without any curves in the back. Scoliosis is when a part of the spine bends sideways. Scoliosis is divided into three types on the basis of etiology (cause or origin of a disease): idiopathic, congenital and neuromuscular paralytic. Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common of these types. It occurs in children 10-14 years old, and is more prevalent among girls than boys. Scoliosis will worsen over time if it is not treated in a timely manner. If it worsens, it can cause thoracic deformities and affect heart and lung function. Medical experts have found that if patients regularly wear an orthotic for correction and comply with rehabilitation exercises, they can control the development of deformities and correct the scoliosis angle to prevent future disability.
In the past, children with scoliosis generally had to wait until they were about 14 years old before they could have corrective spine surgery. While waiting for this surgery, as they were in a stage of growth and development, their scoliosis developed rapidly, which exacerbated their deformity. If we do not promptly treat and control the development of scoliosis, even if we wait until a suitable age for surgery, this will increase the difficulty of surgical correction. Nowadays, with the development of science and technology, synthetic polymer materials are used widely. People also combine medicine with engineering and use orthotic technology within modern rehabilitation engineering to treat moderate and mild scoliosis, and correct or control the development of deformities. The curve of scoliosis is usually assessed using the scientific method of the Cobb angle. When the Cobb angle is less than 15-20 degrees, the patient may engage in rehabilitation exercises under guidance from rehabilitation doctors. Usually, the scoliosis can be controlled and the patient can recover, but the patient must be regularly reviewed. When the Cobb angle is greater than 20 degrees, but less than 45-50 degrees, the patient must wear orthotics and participate in treatment to prevent scoliosis from worsening. When the Cobb angle is greater than 50 degrees, the patient should consider undergoing orthopedic spine surgery to correct the deformity.
A. What is an orthotic?
An orthotic is an external device used for changing the functional characteristics or structures of the nerves, muscles and skeletal system. Why can it play a role in correcting? Here, we can recall that long ago, people have known that if a small tree is growing in a bent direction, they would tie a straight stick on the bent part in order to make it grow to its full size. This would allow an external force to slowly straighten the bent part of the tree during its growth process. People gradually use this method of applying external force to biologically correct the human body, which is how we have modern orthotics.
B. How can a spinal orthotic play a role in correction?
A scoliosis orthotic uses the principle of three-point force to correct deformities in children during their growth process. The site of scoliosis, degree of curvature and contour of the body are different based on the individual, so scoliosis orthotics are customized based on the degree of scoliosis taken from the patient’s X-rays and in conjunction with their body shape. The force direction and site must meet the requirements of human biomechanics and correction.
We hope that parents regularly observe the growth situation of their child’s spine for the early detection and timely treatment of scoliosis. This will avoid future deformities.