When it comes to understanding scoliosis treatment efficacy, this involves the importance of early detection and intervention. The best way to stop scoliosis progression and improve the health of the spine is to treat scoliosis proactively, with a customized combination of nonsurgical treatment disciplines.
As a progressive condition triggered by growth, adolescent scoliosis is ongoing, but a focus of treatment is stopping progression. While there are no treatment guarantees, preventing scoliosis progression may be reached through a combination of scoliosis-specific exercise rehabilitation, and 3D corrective bracing.
When it comes to successful scoliosis treatment outcomes, early detection is associated with treatment success.
Early Detection
As a progressive condition, scoliosis is ongoing, but its progressive nature can be manageable for a healthier spine during and after treatment.
Scoliosis affects the spine by causing an unnatural lateral spinal curvature to develop that also rotates, making it a complex 3-dimensional spinal condition (1).
As the spine’s natural and healthy curves facilitate its flexibility, strength, and ability to distribute mechanical stress during daily activity, the development of an unhealthy curve can disrupt the spine’s ability to function optimally.
The reason early detection can be so beneficial is because as a progressive condition that’s likely to get worse over time, diagnosing scoliosis while still mild can mean starting treatment while mild, and mild scoliosis is likely to respond well because the curve is small, and condition effects are also mild and not yet well established (1, 2).
It’s important to understand, however, that the benefits of early detection are only accessible to those whose treatment approach is proactive and values prevention, and patients also need to understand that a diagnosis of mild scoliosis doesn’t mean treatment is less necessary, or that there is more time to decide on a chosen treatment path; diagnosing scoliosis while mild provides the opportunity to start treatment when the spine is likely to be at its most flexible and responsive (1, 2, 3).
Scoliosis should always be taken seriously because a diagnosis of mild scoliosis doesn’t mean that’s where it will stay; scoliosis progression can occur rapidly, particularly within certain age groups (2, 3).
Adolescents are the most likely to experience rapid advancement due to the stage of growth they are in, or are entering into (1, 2).
The best way to improve spinal health for people with scoliosis is to treat the scoliosis proactively by improving the spine’s alignment and body posture in a 3D manner, and core strength for more spinal support and stability.
Proactive treatment works towards improving the health of the spine by improving its alignment, preventing progression, and the need for invasive surgical treatment in the future.
The reality is that we don’t know what causes most cases of scoliosis to develop, but we know how to treat it effectively for a healthier spine and better quality of life.
Early Intervention
Early intervention means starting treatment while conditions are still mild, and this can help with treatment efficacy in a number of ways (3).
Progression is triggered by growth and causes the size and rotation of the unnatural spinal curve to become more severe while shifting the spine further out of alignment (1, 2).
A spine that’s not aligned isn’t balanced, and as one of the roles of the spine is to facilitate a straight and upright posture, a misaligned spine can disrupt healthy posture and movement patterns.
The more scoliosis progresses, the more rigid the spine can become, and increasing spinal rigidity makes it less responsive to treatment, and it can also disrupt a patient’s ability to perform key scoliosis-specific exercises (2).
In some cases, where significant progression has already occurred prior to reaching a diagnosis and/or the onset of treatment, preparatory work has to be done to improve spinal flexibility; scoliosis-specific exercise is a cornerstone of nonsurgical scoliosis treatment.
Early intervention can mean starting treatment while the spine is still flexible and responsive, and before condition effects have become well established (1, 2).
Scoliosis ranges from mild to severe, and mild doesn’t mean the condition isn’t serious, or that treatment can be delayed; there are no treatment guarantees, but the sooner treatment is started, the better.
As progression is triggered by growth, it’s crucial that scoliosis is managed effectively during periods of rapid growth, such as adolescence, so progression can be counteracted (1, 2).
Early detection and intervention can help effectively manage scoliosis during growth by observing how the spine and body is responding to treatment and/or growth, and adjusting treatment plans accordingly (1, 2).
The ScoliCare approach is patient-centered, so plans are designed around the best possible treatment outcome.
The best way to minimize the symptoms of scoliosis and improve overall spinal health is through a proactive nonsurgical treatment plan (2).
Nonsurgical Scoliosis Treatment
There are two main ways to treat scoliosis: surgical and nonsurgical treatment.
Surgical treatment involves a type of spinal fusion surgery, and nonsurgical treatment combines a number of nonsurgical treatment disciplines so plans can be fully customized and adjusted throughout the course of treatment.
Here at ScoliCare, the focus is on securing the best possible treatment outcome for the patient, and this means improving quality of life through improvements made to spinal health and function.
The ScoliCare approach combines the potential of multiple facets of scoliosis treatment so it can be impacted on every level: from improving the spine’s alignment, core strength, body posture and appearance, and overall spinal health to restoring healthy movement patterns,
From a patient’s initial assessment, the focus is on attention to detail as the information gained from an assessment and a patient’s first scoliosis X-ray will inform the crafting of treatment plans; in addition, as a focus of childhood scoliosis treatment is on counteracting progression, initial measurements and X-ray images are referred to throughout the course of treatment as indicators of treatment efficacy (2).
ScoliCare treatment plans are unique to each patient and offer the potential benefits of scoliosis-specific exercise therapy through ScoliBalance®, and 3D custom-made corrective bracing using the ScoliBrace® (4,5).
The CEO, Dr. Jeb McAviney, is also trained in Chiropractic Biophysics® which he has harnessed during the development of the ScoliBrace® and
ScoliBalance® rehabilitation program; he leads a multidisciplinary team, and together with Physical Therapist, Rose Mirenzi, were able to bring together the best of multiple scoliosis-specific exercise programs, Chiropractic Biophysics® and physical therapy principles (4, 5, 6).
ScoliBalance® is an innovative and corrective scoliosis-specific exercise program that has the goal of helping patients improve their posture in an active 3D manner, with the aim of improving core strength mobility in a manner relevant to the patient’s curve classification. At ScoliCare, the team aims to reduce curve size and stop progression wherever possible (4, 5).
ScoliBalance® teaches postural awareness through a combination of scoliosis-specific Mirror Image exercises® for adolescents, and a combination of other exercise techniques to improve posture (4, 5, 6). Once patients can perform the exercises with awareness and consistency, they can perform them from home to sustain treatment results and facilitate a spine-friendly lifestyle (4, 5).
Scoliosis-specific exercise also has the goal of improving the balance and strength of the spine’s surrounding muscles, which is a focus of nonsurgical treatment so the spine has more support and stability (2).
The spine and body posture are linked, so improving the health of one will benefit the other, and when a scoliosis-specific exercise program, such as ScoliBalance®, is combined with the use of the 3D corrective ScoliBrace®, there are more opportunities for what nonsurgical treatment can achieve.
As the ScoliBrace® was designed with movement in mind, it complements scoliosis-specific exercise programs that are also working towards improving a patient’s spinal alignment and posture (4, 5).
The ScoliBrace® is at the forefront of innovation and customization. Using state-of-the-art scanning software, each brace is customized to suit its wearer’s body and scoliosis type, and pressure applied by the ScoliBrace can help significantly improve the spine’s alignment (4, 5).
Growing spines are more flexible, so bracing is at the center of childhood scoliosis treatment.
Conclusion
The best way to improve the health of the spine is to practice a spine-friendly lifestyle, and for people with scoliosis, the best means of improving spinal health and function is through a proactive and customized nonsurgical treatment approach.
ScoliCare clinics around the world work towards improving the spinal health of their patients through a comprehensive initial assessment that informs the customization of treatment plans with potential to significantly improve the spine’s position.
In addition to improving spinal health, nonsurgical treatment also improves the health of the spine’s surrounding muscles through scoliosis-specific exercise, and when combined with the power of 3D corrective bracing, positive treatment results may be within reach.
References:
- Weinstein SL. The Natural History of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2019 Jul;39(Issue 6, Supplement 1 Suppl 1):S44-S46. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000001350. PMID: 31169647
- Negrini S, Donzelli S, Aulisa AG, Czaprowski D, Schreiber S, de Mauroy JC, Diers H, Grivas TB, Knott P, Kotwicki T, Lebel A, Marti C, Maruyama T, O’Brien J, Price N, Parent E, Rigo M, Romano M, Stikeleather L, Wynne J, Zaina F. 2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth. Scoliosis Spinal Disord. 2018 Jan 10;13:3. doi: 10.1186/s13013-017-0145-8. PMID: 29435499; PMCID: PMC5795289
- Negrini, S., Grivas, T. B., Kotwicki, T., Maruyama, T., Rigo, M., Weiss, H. R., & members of the Scientific society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) stefano. negrini@ isico. it. (2006). Why do we treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? What we want to obtain and to avoid for our patients. SOSORT 2005 Consensus paper. Scoliosis, 1(1), 4.
- Marchese R, Du Plessis J, Pooke T, McAviney J. The Improvement of Trunk Muscle Endurance in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis Treated with ScoliBrace® and the ScoliBalance® Exercise Approach. J Clin Med. 2024 Jan 23;13(3):653. doi: 10.3390/jcm13030653. PMID: 38337346; PMCID: PMC10856658
- Nalda, A., Mirenzi, R., Doueihi, N. L., & McAviney, J. (2025). A Non-Surgical Multimodal Approach to Severe Thoracic Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Combining ScoliBrace and Scoliosis-Specific Rehabilitation Therapies: A Case Series. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 13(13), 1522. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13131522
- Oakley PA, Harrison DD, Harrison DE, Haas JW. Evidence-based protocol for structural rehabilitation of the spine and posture: review of clinical biomechanics of posture (CBP) publications. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2005 Dec;49(4):270-96. PMID: 17549209; PMCID: PMC1840024
