hi, i have severe scoliosis. its a pretty rare case, and im only 19. i was told by the spine clinic that i was going to need surgery. they were going to put a rod in my back.
now, let me tell you why that is something you DO NOT want to do.
my moms friend told her about this chiropractor an hour and a half from where i live that might be able to help straighten out my spine. i was skeptical. but i figured i would rather at least try something else than just jumping into surgery. so i go there, get x rayed, and immediately find out that my curve was actually 20 degrees less than they said it was at the spine clinic. the reason for this is because my doctor used a more accurate type of x ray. at his clinic, he takes 3 different x rays, one for the upper, one for mid, and one for lower. sometimes a single x ray can be inaccurate because any slight turn can make the spine look like it is curved more or less than it really is. that is why he uses precision x rays. its also easier on the body because it absorbs less radiation.
so i start going there regularly for a couple months, once a week. now, i never said this would be a quick fix. its not. it can take a long time. but its better than taking the risk of surgery (ill get to why the spinal fusions are a bad idea). in order for the treatment to be truly effective, however, i needed to go for a week straight to help straighten it out. like i said, dont expect a simple solution, this takes work. so after that one week, he takes another x ray. my curve was down on all points. the total loss of curve was about 45 degrees! my balance and lung capacity scored higher as well.
heres the real bummer though. i had to get this chair that i had to bring home and use twice for a half hour each day to help keep my spine's progress from regressing. for a week, it sucked. i hated it. but evetually i got used to it. in fact, i dont really mind anymore. all i have to do is sit there and watch tv. whats so bad about that? now im about to schedule another week to go there.
here is why you DO NOT want a rod in your back: i have heard terrible horror stories about them. in fact, they have about a 50% failure rate. so why are they still doing these surgeries? the doctors just dont know what else to do. they dont use stainless steel in the roRAB anymore, so they can actually rust inside of you! if you get into a car accident, its possible for the rod to snap. also, many patients have had to go back for multiple other surgeries because of the spinal fusion. and once you do it, there is no going back. others have even reported being debilitated years after the surgery.
unfortunately, the methoRAB my doctor uses are not common. he is one of the few who does this sort of work. most of the people that come to his clinic arent even from minnesota. in fact, there was this one girl there that flew all the way from greece just to get treated there. he has been traveling to other states, teaching other chiropractors his methoRAB, but there are still only a handful of chiropractors who have the technology or knowledge.
please, look into it though. the whole surgery thing is just ****ed up to say the least. its best to do it as soon as possible because the older you get, the less flexible your spine will be.
the place i go to is in st. cloud MN. the doctor's name is Dr. Dennis Woggon. just look up his name on google, youll find what youre looking for. if you cant come all the way to MN, maybe looking around on the internet will lead you to something closer.
