What is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis Part 1: What is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis isn’t a word or condition most people identify with. About 2-3% of the population at large are affected by scoliosis, a condition defined by having more than a 10 degree spinal curve to the left or right. (1) Before going further, let’s go over some facts:

Your spine is made up of 7 neck vertebrae, 12 mid back vertebrae, 5 low vertebrae a sacrum and a tail bone. In the first few years of life, your spine lines up in a way to support upright posture, walking and most importantly the protection of your spinal cord.
When you’re born, your vertebrae lines up in a C shape (when looking at the spine from the side), something that resembles pop culture’s “fetal position” movie references
Within your first year or two, your body develops secondary curves (“Lordosis”) to help you form your current upright posture
Your skeleton continues to mature and take shape until your late teens to mid-twenties when your spine solidifies its structure.
The residual spine shape for most people is as follows: C curve of the neck that faces the back, C curve of your mid back that opens to the front, c curve of your low back that opens to the back.
You can see these spinal curves if you stand upright and have a friend take a picture of you directly from the side ( silhouette )
When someone takes a picture of you from the front or back, you should have little to no tilt or curves to the right or left

In Scoliosis, your spine also has a sideways curve that takes on a C or S shape and can be seen from looking at your back from behind. It is often difficult to see this curve if it’s small and you aren’t trained to see it. Some may never know they’ve had scoliosis, while others know they’ve had it since their adolescent years.

More on Scoliosis

Stay tuned for future blogs as I discuss who typically is at a higher risk for scoliosis, symptoms, assessment methods and treatment options available to you.

Our Chiropractic Clinic in East Vancouver

Here at Backs in Action Wellness Centre (Located in East Vancouver near the Commercial-Broadway Skytrain Station) we have the training, techniques and expertise to help you get the treatment you need. We want to help strengthen your body. Call or email for a chiropractic assessment today with our East Vancouver Chiropractors and let us help you return to your daily activities!

Phone Number: 604-876-9977 Email: info@backsinaction.ca

Dr Shervin Ranjbar
Chiropractor