Lakewood Chiropractor | Lakewood chiropractic care | CO | How a Small Flexible Curve Becomes a Large Inflexible Curve

How a Small Flexible Curve Becomes a Large Inflexible Curve

In child and adolescent scoliosis, a small flexible curve can quickly become large, stiff, and rigid.

What is happening? First, during growth of the spinal bones, the tightness of the spinal cord causes the vertebra to “coil down” like a spring that has a tight string run through it. The spine is now constantly postured in a scoliotic pattern, unable to straighten even when the patient tries to bend out of it. This means that the ligaments, muscles, and discs are no longer being exercised through their normal range of motion. Failure to move muscles and joints always results in stiff “contractures” of the joints.

These “contractured” joints are so stiff, that it will FEEL like bone running into bone, when in reality, it is really just soft tissue that has become stiff, shortened, and tough. This is good and bad news. Good news because soft tissue contractures can be loosened up with proper mobilization. Bad news, because it is a difficult and arduous process to loosen up contractured soft tissue around the joints.

1. Early stage flexible, functional scoliosis
2. Progression of curve size
3. Loss of range of motion leads to joint contractures of spine
4. Stiffer, rigid, “structural” scoliosis

BONY change—the BONES DO finally change shape in response to the stress placed on them.