Studies have demonstrated that spinal vertebrae affected by scoliosis are more sensitive to whole body vibration due to sensory integration issues and reduced ligament function.
SET employs spinal weighting, whole-body vibration therapy and scoliosis traction chairs as tools to overcome proprioceptive defenses of the body and ensure that reductions achieved through other therapies will remain permanent.
Spinal Adjustments
Scoliosis often conjures images of an S or C-shaped side-to-side curve; however, our spines are three dimensional; thus it requires curves pointing both forward in the neck area (cervical lordosis) and backward in the middle (thoracic kyphosis). With scoliosis however, our spine can lose these curvatures, leading to protruding shoulder blades or spinal compression that causes low back pain.
Chiropractors use chiropractic adjustments to correct curves in the spine by applying pressure directly on its bones into its proper healthy shape and alignment. First is recentering the head using advanced mechanical adjusting instruments which gently coax it back into position; next comes Scoliosis TRACTOR therapy using an activated motorized table which activates series of traction exercises on neck, back and hips which helps relieve pressure within joints and ligaments.
Traction therapy is an effective way of helping reduce the amplitude of curves. Traction creates a pumping motion which loosens muscle and ligament attachments along with stimulating cellular activity within the spine to heal joints more naturally than bracing, surgery or watching-the-curve-progress methods.
At our center, we use an innovative combination of WBV and scoliosis balance/coordination training to retrain the unconscious parts of the brain that control posture and movement without needing conscious effort by patients. Scoliosis vibration therapy supplement these exercises by increasing muscle spindle activation frequency.
Balanced, centered posture improves secondary muscle imbalances that contribute to spinal curve progression and associated pain, thus diminishing further. This treatment has proven particularly successful at protecting against further progression during secondary periods after peak growth has passed; existing curves from progressing further or even reversed altogether! It has proven especially successful against thoracic scoliosis – the most prevalent form of scoliosis; although less helpful with regards to lumbar scoliosis but nonetheless still helpful.
Posture Re-Training
Posture is an integral component of spinal alignment and how the spine responds to gravity. Improper posture places additional stress on both muscles and spine, leading to muscle tightness, back pain and other health problems. Conversely, practicing good posture evenly distributes body weight while relieving strain from spinal joints – it may even help manage scoliosis!
Scoliosis vibration therapy sessions include posture retraining exercises designed to strengthen patients and increase balance and alignment. Exercise formats typically utilized are core training, pilates-like movements and functional whole body movements; patients are strongly advised to continue doing these outside their session in order to maximize its benefits.
Schroth Method therapists help their patients through tactile stimuli and encourage proper breathing techniques and spine elongation to activate muscles. A Schroth Method therapist may also help reduce flat back, rib prominence, and restore pelvic alignment.
Studies have demonstrated the Schroth Method is an effective means of alleviating the curve patterns and severity associated with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), in one case correcting Cobb angles twice as effectively than traditional in-patient rehabilitation in a comparable sample of patients.
The Schroth method works in tandem with the scoliosis traction chair to utilize multiple techniques that work to correct curve patterns, including gentle spinal traction, rotation, elongation and mobilization. Additionally, weights or cantilever-like devices may be strategically applied that assist a person suffering from scoliosis to balance themselves more appropriately against gravity, thus improving posture.
The Scoliosis Traction Chair is an innovative non-invasive device that allows patients to experience the therapeutic effects of Schroth Method while sitting sedentarily. The device features exercises designed to complement spinal traction in order to promote better alignment and prevent progression of scoliotic curves; additionally it uses slow vibratory therapy which has been scientifically proven to relax ligaments and soft tissues within the spine.
Whole-Body Vibration Therapy
Whole body vibration therapy (a.k.a. vibratory stimulation, mechanostimulation and biomechanical oscillation) offers mechanical stimulus to muscles by making the entire body vibrate. As opposed to spinal exercises which only target individual motions of the spine, vibration exercise offers an all-body solution for improving posture and balance while helping retrain automatic, subconscious parts of our brain that control how we balance and respond to gravity.
WBV requires the participant to stand or lie on a machine with a vibrating platform, with this vibration being transmitted into bones and muscles through vibration therapy, forcing them to contract and relax dozens of times per second, increasing muscle force generation while simultaneously strengthening and endurance building. WBV can be combined with physical therapy or used alone as physical training.
Scoliosis research published in 2017 indicates that adding vibration therapy to Schroth-based physiotherapy improves its results and slows progression, possibly due to how vibration stimulates more effectively than usual physiotherapy the part of the brain that controls balance and posture.
Another significant discovery of this study was that vibration therapy can be utilized for longer duration than typical short physiotherapy sessions, leading to greater compliance and creating more effective home-based scoliosis treatment plans.
This study compared the effects of sinusoidal axial cyclic vibration with various frequencies on healthy and three types of scoliotic lumbar spines, finding that those with scoliosis deformed more readily when vibrational loading frequencies approached their resonant frequency – this was evident by peak-to-peak displacements of predicted dynamic responses for deformed spines that deviated closer towards resonance than their resonance frequency; also noted was greater vibration amplitude along Y axes, with least vibration along Z axes.
The authors of this study determined that an at-home scoliosis specific exercise program (SSE) with a vibrating platform, when combined with Cheneau bracing and Schroth physiotherapy, effectively counteracted progression of scoliosis measured by Cobb angle in girls with AIS. This was because WBV assisted in improving lumbar spine rotation while increasing muscle tone.
Spinal Traction Chair
The spinal trapction chair is designed to gently and gradually decrease scoliosis curves in a controlled and gradual fashion. A special motorized table equipped with straps pull (not push) the scoliotic spine into a mirror-image configuration in both planes; simultaneously de-rotating and uncoiling it on an axial plane while performing exercises to support this corrected spine position; with Whole-Body Vibration adding further benefits.
Step Five in our in-clinic intensive care program involves stabilization exercises designed to reinforce the improved balance and posture created by previous steps. These exercises utilize various specialized techniques, including strategically applied weights and cantilever-like devices (lever arms) that target type 1 muscle fibers essential for balance and posture. This method rehabilitates automatic, subconscious parts of your brain that deal with posture more effectively than exercises that require conscious effort; also helping these improved postural positions stay put longer.
One exercise includes taking a large step forward with one leg and shifting weight onto it by bending at the knee and reaching for something behind you with your opposite arm – this twists your body, encouraging a more natural spinal curve while keeping muscles from tightening or contracting too tightly.
Another exercise involves standing up and raising both arms straight above your head, enabling the chiropractor to examine how the spine and shoulders move together; this provides crucial information when diagnosing scoliosis as well as determining the most appropriate treatment plan.
Studies have demonstrated the power of vibration therapy to relax tense muscles and nerves, an integral part of treating scoliosis. Vibration causes bones of the spine and back muscles to lengthen and expand in response to vibration, relieving pressure from spinal disc curvatures caused by curves of scoliosis. Furthermore, vibration also stimulates your body’s natural stretching ability so you can lengthen these muscles to improve posture while alleviating pain in back, neck, or legs.
