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Changing Spines,
Changing Lives





CLEAR Institute Monthly Newsletter December 2009




In This Issue

Success Story: Rosemarie

CLEAR's 10th Anniversary

Treating Scoliosis.com

Research: Athletic Activity after Spine Surgery


Did You Know?



Axial Biotech, Inc., has created the first prognostic test for scoliosis. Using a simple saliva sample (no blood drawing required), the risk that an individual's scoliosis can be quantified.
Read More >





Success Story of the Month: Rosemarie!

Rosemarie is a retired professor, 65 years young, who presented for two weeks of scoliosis care with Dr. Dennis Woggon and Dr. SuYen Chong at the St. Cloud Chiropractic and Scoliosis Clinic in St.Cloud, Minnesota, on March 30, 2009. Her X-rays on March 30, 2009 revealed the following: 1) a severe loss (264%) of the normal front-to-back (lordotic) curve in the neck; 2) a severe loss (189%) of the normal front-to-back (lordotic) curve in the low back; 3) an abnormal, sideways (scoliotic) right curve in the upper back of from T3 to T6 of 10 degrees; 4) an abnormal, sideways (scoliotic) left curve angle from T7 to T10 of 40 degrees; 5) an abnormal, sideways (scoliotic) right curve from T11 to L3 of 65 degrees.

The curves of the spine are essential for strength & stability. When the body loses the normal front-to-back (lordotic) curves, abnormal sideways (scoliotic) curves may develop. By restoring the normal curves of the spine, it is possible to reduce scoliosis without the use of bracing or surgery. This is the foundation of CLEAR's method of scoliosis treatment.

After two weeks of treatment, Rosemarie's normal front-to-back (lordotic) curve in the neck improved from a 264% loss to only a 65% loss. The scoliotic curve at T3-T6 improved from 10 down to 3 degrees; the scoliotic curve from T7-T10 improved from 40 down to 27 degrees; and the scoliotic curve from T11-L3 improved from 65 down to 48 degrees.

This represents a total improvement of 37 degrees (115 down to 78), or a reduction of 22.2%, in two weeks. Maintaining this achievement requires Rosemarie's commitment to exercises, patience, & care, but after having seen & experienced the results for herself, she has hope for the future, and, for the first time since she was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 10, she has a straighter, stronger, healthier spine.

In following newsletters, we will present more success stories from CLEAR-certified clinics across the United States and around the world, and also share updates on Rosemarie and other future success stories.
Click here to read more >










Dear Reader,

In 2010, CLEAR Institute celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Dr. Dennis Woggon, the founder of CLEAR Institute and my father, inspired me to follow his footsteps and become a chiropractor, in a great part due to the stories of countless patients just like Rosemarie. On December 12th, I was honored to graduate from Parker College of Chiropractic, and I consider it a blessing to dedicate my life to helping people with scoliosis.

The first CLEAR newsletter was written in January of 2006; four years later, I would like to say Thank You to all of you who share my passion & interest in scoliosis, and have taken the time to read more about how chiropractic is unlocking old mysteries - and providing new hope - to people living with scoliosis. In an effort to increase value & quality, I will be changing the format of the newsletter to what you see here. As always, please never hesitate to contact me directly with your thoughts & feedback.

Warmest Wishes of Health & Happiness in 2010!
Best Regards,
Dr. Joshua Woggon
jwoggon@clear-institute.org


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TreatingScoliosis.com
A Pro-Active Approach for Treating Scoliosis™

Dr. Clayton Stitzel of the Lancaster Spinal Health Center in Lititz, PA, and Dr. Brian Dovorany of the Posture & Spine Care Center in Green Bay, WI, have teamed up to create a program specifically focused on empowering people with mild scoliosis (under 25 degrees) to take control of their condition before it advances into the more severe stages. Traditional scoliosis treatments dictate a "watch-and-wait" approach when spinal curvature is initially detected - an approach that makes little sense when one considers that every big curve once started out small. A better idea is to treat the scoliosis pro-actively, arresting & reversing its progression before it has a chance to manifest as a visible physical deformity.

Using CLEAR protocols, the ESSI (Early-Stage Scoliosis Intervention) program can successfully re-align your posture & spine, correcting the forces which de-stabilize your spine and lead to the progression of your scoliosis. The ESSI program utilizes the ScoliScore™ test to help predict the risk of progression, and provide treatment that is appropriate & most beneficial for every individual. The ScoliScore™ test uses a saliva sample to compare genetic markers that have been associated with the risk of progression (note that this is not a test to detect scoliosis, but rather to detect the chance that an already-diagnosed scoliosis will continue to get worse).

Read More >


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Athletic Activity after Spine Surgery in Children & Adolescents
SPINE. Volume 27, Number 4, pp. 423-427

In this questionnaire-based survey, members of the Scoliosis Research Society were polled to determine their opinions on participating in athletic activity after undergoing spinal surgery. The article notes, "there are no generally accepted guidelines for surgeons regarding either appropriate sports or the appropriate time to resume sports after spinal surgery."

A survey was mailed to 721 clinicians, and 316 were returned, 278 of which were completed by surgeons who performed spinal surgery on children and adolescents. 261 forms, representing about 45% of the estimated SRS clinicians, were reviewed.

Almost one out of every five clinicians who performed spinal surgery for scoliosis reported notable adverse outcomes attributed to athletic activity performed after the operation, and 13% of the surveyed clinicians either forbade or advised against ever resuming contact sports after scoliosis surgery. The three most frequently forbidden activities were football, collision sports, and gymnastics.

A key point from the article was, "The majority of surgeons withhold contact sports for 1 year, and the majority prefer that patients who have undergone fusion for scoliosis and high-grade slip never return to collision sports."

Other interesting facts were that 77% of the surgeons surveyed did not prescribe physical therapy after the scoliosis surgery, although almost half stated that they occasionally or always will immobilize the patient after the surgery to increase the effectiveness of the spinal fusion.

This article, written by Paul Rubey, MD, and David Bradford, MD, is an invaluable contribution to the body of scientific literature on scoliosis, as the most recently published & comprehensive reviews of spinal surgery do not address the topic of what activities can be resumed after spinal surgery, and when. Hopefully, with the information provided by these researchers, future research projects can be conducted to better understand if and when patients can participate in postoperative athletic activity.




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Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2002 Feb 15;27(4):423-7.

Athletic activity after spine surgery in children and adolescents: results of a survey.
Rubery PT, Bradford DS.

University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. Paul_Rubery@urmc.rochester.edu

STUDY DESIGN: Questionnaire-based survey. OBJECTIVES: To poll the members of the Scoliosis Research Society regarding their opinions and experience with athletic activity after spine surgery performed on children and adolescents. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Athletic activity is increasingly important in society. Patients are very concerned about returning to sports and exercise after spinal surgery. There are no generally accepted guidelines for surgeons regarding either appropriate sports or the appropriate time to resume sports after spinal surgery. METHODS: A survey was designed by the authors and reviewed by a statistical consultant. The form was mailed to the 721 individuals on the Scoliosis Research Society mailing list. Returned surveys were hand scored and entered into an Excel spreadsheet. RESULTS: Of the 316 forms returned, 278 indicated that the respondent performed spinal fusion on children and adolescents. Two hundred sixty-one completed forms, representing approximately 45% of the society's estimated active clinicians, were reviewed. Formal physical therapy was unlikely to be recommended by members of the society regardless of procedure, although postoperative home exercise was used by many after spondylolisthesis fusion. The majority of patients were returned to gym class between 6 months and 1 year (range, immediate to never) after surgery. Most respondents returned patients to noncontact sports between 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. Contact sports were generally withheld until 1 year after surgery. Close to 20% of respondents required, and 35% suggested, that patients never return to collision sports. Twenty percent of respondents for scoliosis and 5% for spondylolisthesis reported having notable adverse outcomes attributed to athletic activity. CONCLUSION: These survey results show the varying approaches taken by members of the Scoliosis Research Society to postoperative athletic activity, and they provide a starting point for investigations regarding alternative approaches.