The condition known as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis which causes curvature of the spine in children is both mysterious and complex. Most specialists will agree that there is no known single cause of this serious condition. Experts agree of the fact that they see more cases to severe ones in females than in males. In this article we will attempt to take some of the mystery out of this baffling condition and make some sense of the reason that it predominates in females. We will discuss some theories as to the reasons why this is so. However, please remember that they are not straight facts but theories.

Girls are more than ten times more likely to develop adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) by the age of ten than boys according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Also, the chances of the curvature getting worse is ten times more likely in girls than of boys the same age. So why are girls being diagnosed with scoliosis more than boys?

Levels of Female Hormones

Look at any public-school class of the age of pre-puberty or puberty children and you cannot help but notice that some of the girls look like young ladies and the boys of the same age appear as young kids. This can explain why in public schools girls will gravitate to boys who are a few years older than they are for social and romantic interaction. Girls feel that a boy their own age is akin to a younger brother. Also, the boys their age have not reached puberty and their interest in girls is more on the teasing level than on the romantic one.

We are familiar with the fact that puberty starts earlier in girls than boys. The big trigger of scoliosis progression in girls is rapid growth and development. Hormone levels in girls shoot up at a much earlier age which is one of the reasons why scoliosis develops more typically in girls.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) directs both skeletal growth and puberty through hormone levels. A major hormone called leptin, regulates the body functions relating to reproduction and physical growth, specifically, body weight, puberty signals and bone growth. Leptin is the hormone that regulates how the body manages weight gain. Low BMI (body-mass index) in girls of puberty age results in the development of scoliosis. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in girls increases in activity because of the increase of the hormone, leptin. While the girls are growing earlier than boys of the same age the neuroendocrine (hormone) stimulation effects the spinal growth in adolescent girls more routinely. The hormone, leptin controls a person of any age’s increased appetite and weight gain. The Leptin theory could explain why certain people can eat the same amount as others and not gain weight. Some experts are exploring other hormone’s roles in scoliosis development such as melatonin, however, no clear conclusion has yet been established.

Emotional Triggers of Adolescent Female Idiopathic Scoliosis

When neuroscientists present the emotional triggers of certain physical conditions they are inevitably going to have to deal with arguments against their theories. We will try to stay clear of making any judgments and state the details of each theory. After finishing this article, you might be interested in reading more detailed accounts of specific scoliosis patients and how their emotional health affects their physical stature.

According to neuroscience, the brains of male and females are programmed differently. There is a popular book that every man and women who is or would like to be in a thriving relationship should read. The book is called Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus which helps navigate any relationship with the opposite sex, whether it’s in the professional realm or personal one. Most people have heard of this book but don’t take it seriously since it is written in a down to earth manner.

Men Have Bigger Brains

Men may have larger brains physically but the limbic system, which is responsible for memory and emotion is more prominent in women. The limbic system guides the hormonal response to emotional stimuli. Women respond more emotionally, and they remember much more detail and more of the past than men. That’s the reason why women are called historical (similar in pronunciation to hysterical). If a man or woman have an argument, the man will go forward, and the woman will have more of a tendency to look back. All this results from the limbic system.

Next time your wife reminds you of one of your mistakes from a few years back you will understand why she remembers, and she should understand why you do not.

Brain Threat Detector

The amygdala, or brain threat indicator, is slightly larger in men than women. The amygdala responds to threats differently in men than women. For example, if a woman is in a dangerous situation, she might freeze. This is the old-fashioned version of the damsel in distress waiting for the man to rescue her. Scientists compare this to the way a fawn freeze when it sees a car on the road and instead running it just immobilizes and unfortunately can be run over. Women have more of a tendency to suppress threatening or negative emotions.

How does this relate to scoliosis in female adolescents? Adolescence is an emotional struggle for both boys and girls. Boys, try to be macho and fight when possible, but any bad experiences in either sex during adolescence can arrest their emotional development critically. The female brain is more susceptible to stress and we will see why this increases the development of scoliosis in girls.

Girls Have Less Testosterone

Since girls have more estrogen and less testosterone, they are more sensitive and emotional with an increased tendency to depression. Higher levels of testosterone help the boys avoid emotional triggers and maybe be considered insensitive by their female peers. The cultural myth of the “cool guy” is actually true and caused by testosterone.

In a lab study of male and female rats, it was found that stress binds more closely to the female rat’s brain. By self-reducing the hormone, corticotropin – releasing factor (CRF), the male rats showed more tolerance for and adaptation to the stress.

Emotional Repression in Girls Can Cause Scoliosis

When I was small my father would sing us a poem about the advantages of having daughters. Part of the poem was, “Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Boys are made of snakes and snails and puppy dog tails”. This rhyme teaches a girl early that she is expected to behave nicely and be good. A good girl is polite and obedient and if she tries to be like a boy, she would be called, “a tomboy”.

Jon Burras, writes in his book, Return To Nature: The Five Pillars of Healing, his belief as to the reason scoliosis is prominent in girls. Girls’ bodies change drastically in a very short time during puberty. A twelve-year-old girl who does not have self- esteem will try to hide her changing body. A boy’s body does not show the effects of puberty in such a public way and starts later on.

Cheryl of MindKind Mom, attests to her own childhood experiences of emotional repression causing her own scoliosis. Cheryl’s mom was an epitome of emotional repression and Cheryl looked up to her as her role model. Her mom never spoke badly about anyone nor did she raise her voice or get angry. Cheryl calls scoliosis, a non- person disease.

Boys Tend to Be More Physically Active Than Girls

You may take issue with this statement since there are many girls’ sports domains and teams. We all are aware that physical activity is a stress buster. You may argue that the good hormones endorphins, are plentiful in active females and are amazing reducers of stress. You cannot argue, however, that while the guys are shooting baskets or hitting baseballs for fun, the girls are hanging out with friends. Some old-fashioned girls will still avoid activities considered, unladylike. Girls will therefore have weaker bones and muscles which becomes the perfect storm for a condition like scoliosis.

Final Words

There is no absolute answer for the cause of idiopathic adolescent scoliosis. It is imperative that a parent take their child to a doctor and if necessary, to a scoliosis center to treat this problem. Most parents can detect if there is an underlying emotional issue with their child. If there is an unhealthy situation going on at home, the school should look into it if they see the child both unhappy and in a bent down position including very little eye contact. No matter what the underlying cause of the scoliosis is, and we may never find out, it must be treated with the latest brace technology and physical therapy. Perhaps during these sessions, a sensitive professional can speak to the child, comfort her, and give her the emotional support which will build her self-esteem and at the same time manage her scoliosis.

Some people swear by chiropractors, however, there is controversy as to the efficiency and knowledgeability of chiropractors in the treatment of scoliosis. In this article we will attempt to find out if chiropractic care can be beneficial in improving the spinal Cobb scale of your child’s spine and decreasing or eliminating the pain of this condition. Idiopathic scoliosis is the term used for childhood scoliosis, but adults may suffer from scoliosis as well.

History of Chiropractic Care

It’s quite fascinating to learn why Daniel David Palmer of Davenport, Iowa is credited in the popularization of chiropractic practices. It was because of a serendipitous incident that happened in his office. Prior to this occurrence Palmer held various jobs such as a schoolteacher and grocery store owner and had a prior interest in the various health philosophies of his day, including magnetic healing. Historically, chiropractic care dates back to 1895 and originates from Greek, chiro, meaning “by hand”, and praktos meaning, “done”. It seems to stress a more natural homeopathic philosophy with the emphasis on avoiding both drugs and surgery. In fact, Palmer was a self-taught healer who attempted to find cures for diseases without using drugs. This ancient art of manipulating the body parts, especially the spine, in a gentle but effective way, claims to be able to stop earaches in children, neck pain, spinal disk conditions, osteoarthritis, headaches and other serious debilitating ailments. People are attracted to chiropractors because they emphasize the more conservative methods of treatments instead of more aggressive medical interventions.

Palmer’s Discovery

While in his office, Palmer noticed that the janitor of the building, Harvey Lillard who was bending over bare backed to empty the trash can, had a vertebra out of position. Palmer asked the janitor if he was injured, and the janitor answered that he moved the wrong way and heard a “pop”. The janitor claimed that at the same moment of the “pop” he realized that his hearing was lost! Palmer asked the janitor to lay face down on the floor and adjusted his back. Coming back the next day to Palmer, the janitor announced that his hearing had returned. Amazingly, two years later Palmer opened the first school of chiropractic.

Scoliosis Cure vs. Pain

From this author’s research on chiropractic manipulation, chiropractors look at the whole person and their body not just at the spine curvature. Dr. Dennis Woggon, founder of the Clear Institute, claims that scoliosis does not begin with the Cobb’s angle but rather begins in the head. According to the Clear Institute mantra, the brain needs to be retrained to use the spinal joints and muscles in an entirely different way than it’s used to. In treating scoliosis, the chiropractor will use a combination of different treatments such as, stretches and exercises along with massages. It is his belief that nerve tension is a factor in the development of scoliosis and the relieving of nerve tension will quicken the reshaping of the spine.

Sensorimotor integration (or SMI) is the relationship of the brain to the body or how they communicate. If the body and the brain are in sync, then there will be pain improvement. To help scoliosis patients, the chiropractor must retrain the brain on how to use the body, specifically the spine in new ways that it is not accustomed to.

Dr. Waggon stresses that although scoliosis can be controlled, it cannot be completely cured. If the Cobb angle is below 20 degrees when the patient arrives for their first session, it can be reduced to below 10 degrees and then technically it will no longer be considered scoliosis. Even after a few weeks of treatment, a subtle improvement can be seen in the appearance of the ribs in the back on the right side and in the front on the left side. Before starting treatment, the chiropractor will take x-rays to see the extent of the damage to the spine.

Dr. Waggon’s Clear Institute cautions about chiropractors who look to “unstuck” joints that are stuck or rigid. Scoliosis does not have a joint mobility problem rather it’s the location of the joints that need to be realigned. Traditional chiropractic approaches can aggravate the scoliosis by pressuring the spinal joints and aggravating the surrounding nerves. In other words, each chiropractor must be assessed individually in their treatment of scoliosis.

Many people are misinformed as to what a chiropractor actually does. A controlled force (usually the hand) is applied in the exact direction to a spinal joint that is so called, “locked up” or not moving correctly. This procedure will correct the structural alignment and remove any blockages there may be in the nervous system. This should cause improved spinal function with a reduction of pain. The patient is supposed to have an overall improvement in their mood and overall wellness. If done correctly a spinal adjustment should not cause pain since the force and pressure are gentle and minimal. If there is soreness it should feel like starting a new exercise program. Just like with exercising, drinking lots of water and maybe using an ice pack initially can help with any feeling of discomfort when you begin working with a chiropractor.

Difference Between a Physical Therapist & Chiropractor

Although physical therapists and chiropractors often treat the same conditions and areas of the body, they are coming from different perspectives, expectations, and outcomes for their clients.

Chiropractors emphasize how the nervous system and brain influence disorders of the joints and spine. To become a chiropractor, a student needs to complete a bachelor’s degree, receive a Doctor of Chiropractic degree after completing an accredited program and then pass a license certification test.

Physical therapists with the same training differ in their approach and exercise regimens. Personally, I can attest to having used three different physical therapists for my own back issues and they were each unique. Some gave a massage before beginning treatment to loosen tight muscles while another gave a hot compress before beginning a session. Still another gave a cold compress upon ending the session. Each one had totally different exercise routines and tools. One stayed close by during the entire session giving me individual attention while another put me on the stationary bike and left me alone in the room.

Physical therapy began by filling a gap for the overwork of doctors and nurses with soldiers after World War 1. They helped those soldiers who were not able to walk independently to live a more productive life. These therapists work with both hands-on manual therapy and neuromuscular education and exercises that patients are prescribed to follow up at home.

To become a physical therapist, the student completes their bachelor’s degree, receives a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and passes an exam to complete their licensing. Then they must participate in a residency program and receive additional experience and expertise.

Putting It All Together

The world of chiropractors is intriguing. Their patients run the gamut of the medical patient population. There may be some that are experts in certain areas such as scoliosis. They believe in working in conjunction with bracing and surgery. Then there are the more extreme types of chiropractors who have certain specific beliefs such as anti-vaccination, anti-drug, and pro-herbal. These people should be approached with caution especially with a condition in children such as scoliosis. Scoliosis if left untreated or mistreated is not a condition that is dormant. As the child grows the curve will get worse and someone who is working exclusively with a chiropractor will miss the margin of opportunity of non- surgical corrections such as bracing and physical therapy.

Even the most knowledgeable chiropractor explained scoliosis this way. “It is vital to understand on the onset that scoliosis pain can be treated though not curable….it is most often compared to diabetes which happens to be a condition that requires continuous care.” Yes, it’s true that scoliosis takes a while to cure, but I don’t think that a scoliosis specialist will speak in this way. Scoliosis is a condition that is considered curable when a prescribed regimen of bracing (if necessary) and physical therapy are utilized simultaneously. From my research it seems that most chiropractors concentrate on pain relief sans drugs while scoliosis brace and physical therapists concentrate on a solution.

Some chiropractors will work along with scoliosis centers to give pain relief to those who suffer while ongoing scoliosis treatment. Those chiropractors are experts at light touch massaging which will not injure delicate tissues and bones in the mid-therapy years. Relaxation techniques can be helpful for children and teens who are stressed from wearing their bracing for such long stretches.

Final Words

It is critical that your child gets an accurate scoliosis diagnosis and treatment regimen before even thinking about visiting a chiropractor. Most chiropractors are not trained to diagnose scoliosis abnormalities. They can therefore miss a primary cause of scoliosis or any other related issues. So, do not use a chiropractor as a diagnostician and only with the complete consent of your scoliosis therapist agree to let your child be treated by a competent and recommended chiropractor.