Question
QUESTION: Hi!
I am 28 and was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was in the 7th grade (your
usual bend-over test by the PE coach). However, because the scoliosis was
not severe, my doctor at the time told me there wasn't much that could be
done. Currently, my shoulders are about an inch or two uneven, but I don't
have a major or noticeable curve. However, I have been suffering form severe
shoulder pain and SI join issues for that past 8 years. I have tried everything
(osteopaths, chiropractors, massage, physical therapy,  acupuncture - in
different countries even!) and nothing's fixed it. To add insult to injury, I do
not have a curvature of the neck, which adds to the shoulder issue and gives
me headaches.
My question is, I came across an article about the Clear Institute, which
claims to correct scoliosis. I went to the chiropractor who was certified to
practice this method and he showed me some X-ray pictures of patients who
had a straight neck like mine and he was able to correct this. The patients
had clear curves in the after X-rays. But I'm still a skeptic (especially since I
have gone and tried so many things that have not worked). I have not seen
any scientific papers on this method (maybe because nobody's been able to
do a real trial on it?). I know that there is some merit to anecdotal evidence,
but it's so subjective. I really need some relief, and I was wondering if this
was something that I could try and actually get results.

Thank you for your time.

ANSWER: Susan,

You're quite right... there is virtually no scientific evidence that abnormal spinal curvatures can be corrected by chiropractors who practice a proprietary technique, or that correction of abnormal spinal curvatures can impart any meaningful health benefit. Most of those claims are a function of marketing rather than an evidence-based model of patient care.

Given the chronic nature of the symptoms that you described, I suspect that in your case, any manual treatment is likely to be symptomatic rather than corrective.








---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much for your quick reply. After reading your answer and your observation that any manual treatment will be to deal with the symptoms rather than to correct the problem, does this mean that there is no method out there that can help beyond just putting a "salve" on my pain?

I actually had a consultation with a chiropractor who practices the Clear Institute method of "correcting" scoliosis. He showed me X-rays of his patients with straight necks who, after the treatments, actually got some of the curve back in their necks. Is this possible? No other chiropractor has ever been clear with me on if they could correct my neck, but this chiropractor told me that it was possible.

So, do X-rays lie? Or would he go so far as to put two different people's X-rays together to get a fake "testimonial" before-and-after picture? Seeing the pictures have given me hope that maybe he can help correct my issue, but then again, since I've heard nothing about the Clear Institute's methods before, I don't want to jump into treatment before I get more objective information.

Thank you so much again for your time and consideration.

Answer
Some proprietary chiropractic techniques claim to correct abnormal spinal curves, and the proponents of these techniques have even published a copious amount of case reports showing that this is possible.

However, there is no scientific evidence to show that actually correcting these curves (especially in the absence of symptoms that they might be producing) offers any clear health benefit.

I hope that this answers your question.