Moderate (26-40 Degree Curve)

Moderate Scoliosis: break free from the brace!

Scoliosis can be a scary and confusing disease. Receiving that first diagnosis changes your life. We want you to know that you are not alone. At CLEAR Institute, we’re working to find answers and develop new treatments to benefit patients. CLEAR Institute has been thinking outside the box since 2000 to create scoliosis treatment options that make sense.

Moderate Scoliosis carries a 68% chance of progression. Often patients notice symptoms such as pain or headaches and loss of balance. Clothes can hang unevenly and postural imbalances are noticed. Many patients struggle with poor body image, social anxiety, and depression.

Due to ineffective screening methods, many cases of scoliosis go undetected in their early stages and are not diagnosed until they have progressed into moderate scoliosis, between 25-40 degrees. Even more disturbing, some patients actually received a diagnosis of mild scoliosis but were told to “watch and wait”, only to find that their curve has worsened. Statistically, once a scoliosis enters the moderate category it carries a 68% likelihood of progression.

To better understand the phase of rapid curve progression that is seen in moderate scoliosis, picture a rubber band twisted from top to bottom. First the spine buckles and then begins to “coil down”. The phenomenon is similar to the buckling created in a rubber band that has been twisted one too many times.

rapid curve progression

Is my scoliosis MODERATE?

Scoliosis curve of 25-40°
May have tilted head, uneven shoulders or hips.
Clothing may hang unevenly.
Often have one shoulder blade that is higher than the other and a “rib hump” appears.
May or may not be associated with pain.
May feel fatigued after physical activity
Often feel “clumsy”
May experience pain in spine, most commonly between shoulder blades and at the base of the rib cage. Headaches are common.
May become easily winded with physical activity
Often recommended for bracing

For moderate scoliosis curves, bracing is still the most common treatment method recommended. While many doctors in the US still recommend a soft or rigid brace to halt the curve progression, recent scientific studies question the effectiveness of this practice. In some cases, the forced correction of a brace actually causes an increase in patient’s rib deformity, commonly known as a rib hump. Even if a brace is successful and does not increase deformity, all benefit is lost once the brace is removed. Overall, a 2007 article for the journal, Spine, graded bracing as a “D” for ability to halt curve progression. Both patients and researchers agree that we need a better system.

At CLEAR Institute we’ve developed a safe, effective alternate to bracing. CLEAR Institute’s moderate scoliosis protocol is well tolerated by virtually all patients (regardless of age), and will not only stabilize the scoliosis (the very best a brace has to offer), but may even achieve considerable scoliosis reduction. Please contact our organization to learn more about moderate scoliosis treatment options or to locate a certified doctor in your area.
The Progression of Scoliosis:

Image description: The moderate stage of scoliosis progression is characterized by development of a hip hump and rapid progression of the curvature.

moderate stage of scoliosis progression is characterized by development of a hip hump and rapid progression of the curvature.

The use of rigid bracing for the treatment of moderate scoliosis may even make the permanent body disfigurement worse. The image below clearly shows a dramatic increase in the rib hump development and body disfigurement while the patient is in the brace than out of the brace.

References:
Lonstein JE, Carlson MC. Prediction of curve progression in untreated idiopathic scoliosis during growth. J Bone Joint Surg Am Vol 1984;66:1061-1071

Natural History of Progressive Adult Scoliosis. Catherine Marty-Poumarat, MD; et al Spine. 2007;32(11):1227-1234.

Is Cervical Kyphosis a Factor in the Magnitude of Idiopathic Scoliosis? Mark W. Morningstar, Clayton J. Stitzel. JVSR 2008

Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008 Aug 1;33(17):E607-10. The role of exercising in a pair of female monozygotic (high-class athletes) twins discordant for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Potoupnis ME, Kenanidis E, Papavasiliou KA, Kapetanos GA

Lloyd-Roberts GC, Pilcher MF. Structural Idiopathic Scoliosis in Infancy: A Study of Natural History of 100 Patients. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1965;47B:520-3

Karski T: New clinical observations connected with “biomechanical aetiology of so called idiopathic scoliosis” (2006-2007). Research into Spinal Deformities 6, P.H. Dangerfield (ed.), IOS Press, 2008.