How Your Scoliosis Is Affected By Your Brain
Your brain has a map of your body called the sensory map. This map helps inform your brain where it is in space. Since its neurons are densely interconnected to your brain’s motor map, the sensory map is a key part of what instructs your body how to move. The maps are composed of each portion of your body, arms, legs, finger, head, feet, back, etcetera, and the information from them fit together like complex pieces of puzzles that help your brain navigate through your environment.
If a piece of the puzzle in the sensory map is “missing” then the body cannot accurately determine its position and it becomes prone to distortions, such as scoliosis.
A disturbance in sensory motor awareness is one of the most common factors that can drive a scoliosis to progress. In other words, the brain does not have an accurate map of where segments of the body are located in space. To put it even more plainly, it’s as if you are missing a key piece in the map of your body in your brain.
One of the most common things that I hear from the parents of my adolescent scoliosis patients is that they are always telling their child to sit up straight, to which their child replies, “But I AM sitting up straight!” That’s because, in their brain, the map is telling them they are sitting up straight when in reality they are tilted over. This phenomenon is a direct manifestation of a lack of sensory awareness in scoliosis.
Because of this missing piece, the brain cannot properly direct posture, movements, and corrections. The distortion in body perception results in mal-positioning of the body, eventually causing mal-adaptations to positional imbalances. These adaptations cause disorganization of the posture leading to scoliosis curvature progression. This is known as the Vicious Cycle of Scoliosis.
Improving Your Sensory Motor Function in Scoliosis
Postural collapse of the spine is usually the source of pain for progressing scoliosis patients. Helping them develop a more accurate body brain map prevents their spine from further collapse and the spine is then able to support a more upright position.
As the brain adapts to new and improved information, it begins instructing muscles around the spine to adapt to a “new normal” resulting in postural adjustments that better support the spine.
A Lack of Sensory-Motor Awareness in Scoliosis can be a major factor in the progression of the condition and should be addressed in conservative treatment.
Therapies For Scoliosis That Help Improve Sensory-Motor Awareness
We can also see signs that the brain has developed a “new normal” in its sensory-motor awareness when a patient is first fitted with a SpineCor brace. Postural corrections provided by the dynamic brace helps patients’ bodies move toward a more midline position, and they often notice an immediate shift in their brain’s perception of their body. Patients notice that movements, such as walking, are somehow different. This is because their brain has not yet caught-up to the shift in their posture, but in short order, the brain realizes it must “recalibrate” its map to the new position.
In readjustment processes, lengthening and strengthening the specific muscles that had adaptively shortened and weakened due to the scoliosis begin to function more correctly in the newly adopted, more central position.
Knowing what your body needs to do and your body actually doing those things are often two completely different things. That’s why scoliosis specific exercises, like Nu-Schroth, are an important piece of any scoliosis rehabilitation program.
In order to get your body to react in a way that better supports the upright posture of your scoliotic spine, you need to do things that make it happen without thinking about it. Nu-Schroth helps you identify the weakened muscles and teaches you how to activate them more fully to reduce your scoliosis. Through dynamic activities integration, corrections to your nervous system become automatic.
Over time, these new and improved postural and movement patterns can become permanent in the brain, thus allowing the body to reduce distortion caused by lack of sensory motor awareness permanently. Postural and movement patterns can have a profoundly positive impact on your scoliosis.
I want a copy of this free book Please!!
I will email you a copy.
I ordered this book as well but never received. I am very interested in spinecorCory and schroth and would like a copy of this book please thank you Fred King
Fred,
Sorry for the delay but I just sent you out a copy of the book.
Thank you very much
You’re welcome.
I would like a copy of your book on scoliosis, please.
Ann,
Thank you for your interest. Here is a link to get my latest book for free.
who has the scroth method in western Canada?
George,
I am unaware of any Schroth classes in Western Canada. All of our classes are in the US, the closest one we have to Western Canada would be in Seattle. The next one there is scheduled for March 28th & 29th. If that is of interest to you then please give us a call at (800) 943-1254.
I am 69 and have only been aware of my scoliosis for a few years. Would this be beneficial for me?
It’s very possible that our treatments could help you. About half of our patients are adults with scoliosis and many of them are around your age or older, so chances are we could help you too. You can listen to what they have to say on our YouTube Channel at http://scoliosistreatmentalternatives.com/664/scoliosis-videos/ look at those around your age with your degree of curve to find out what you could expect from treatment. Then if you are interested give us a call at (800) 943-1254 for a Free Phone Consult to find out if our treatments are right for you.
I am in Cherry Hill NJ. Are there any Schroth treatments centers in our area?
Tricia,
The Manhattan office would be the closest center we have to you that teaches Schroth.
Are there any Schroth classes/therapists in Alabama?
Sabrina, We do not have any Schroth classes in Alabama. Our closest offices to you would be in Atlanta GA or Houston Texas. If you can travel to either of those locations then please give us a call at (800) 943-1254 for a Free Phone Consult.
i am 65yrs old with scoliosis 80degree curve
Patricia,
About half of the patients we help are adults, many of them your age or older, quite a few with large curves like yours. So chances are we can help you too. Please give us a call for a Free Phone Consult at (800) 943-1254 to discuss your scoliosis to find out if our treatments are right for you.
I am 37 yo I was encouraged to get surgery when I was 12 but was told I had a 50/50 shot of being paralyzed at any point in my spine and even if successful the equipment would be in me the rest of my life and I would have limited mobility in my spine. I was scared and refused. Now my back is starting to cause more problems and pain and I know I need to do something… I have an s curve one being on the 40+ degree range and the other 30+ last I knew, haven’t had it measured in a while. I do see a chiropractor every other week and it helps but not enough. I live in Maine and my health insurance is limited to this state, is there anything up here?
Tracy,
I would agree with you. It’s time you did something to stabilize your spine naturally, before it’s too late and surgery becomes an inevitability. We do not have any offices in Maine but our closest office to you would be in New York. One of the good things about our program is that it’s a home based program so you would only have to go into the office every 3 months or so. If this is possible for you then please give us a call at (800) 943-1254 for a Free Phone Consult to discuss your case of scoliosis to find out if our treatments are right for you.
Please send me a free copy of your book. I have scoliosis with a 79 degree curve and am 77 years old. Is there any help for me?
Phyllis,
I’ll be happy to send you out a copy of my book, Review of Current Alternatives in Scoliosis Treatment.
Dr. Brett Diaz, D.C.
Thanks for the online infor. regarding scoliosis. Please send me the book that others have requested for free.
Joy,
Which book are you looking for, Review of Current Alternatives in Scoliosis Treatment, Parent’s Guide to Scoliosis or Scoliosis Treatments That Can Change Everything?
I would also like a copy of scoliosis treatment book and scoliosis treatments that can change everything if still available.
I have severe scoliosis. Was afraid to have it fixed when I was young.
Hello Jenny,
Thank you for your interest in my book, Scoliosis Treatments That Can Change Everything. You can Click Here to get a Free Copy of the book.
Just because your scoliosis is now in the severe range does not mean that you cannot improve your curves and relieve your scoliosis pain. About half of the patients we help each year are adults who suffered from scoliosis, so chances are we can help you too. I would recommend that you schedule a Free Scoliosis Phone Consultation to find out if our treatments are right for you, simply click on the link above to reserve your spot today.
Dr. Brett Diaz, D.C.
Scoliosis Treatment Alternatives
Hello Dr. Diaz,
I am Seventy-six years old with a seventy-degree curve. Could you please send me Scoliosis Treatments That Can Change Everything? I live near Seattle and I think the Spine-Cor brace might help me.
Jeanne,
Here is link to get a copy of the book, https://scoliosistreatmentalternatives.com/scoliosis-txn-that-can-change-everything
This particular book is written more for parents of children with scoliosis, but our programs also help adults like you with severe scoliosis relieve pain and stop further progression. To find out if SpineCor is right for you, schedule a Free Scoliosis Phone Consult with me. I am the doctor who see’s patients in the Seattle area.