Scoliosis

[Scary Halloween Mask]

What are some of the basic modalities used to treat Scoliosis?  I have a client coming in (for free) this Friday and I just want to prove to him that massage can help.

 

[Jeremiah]

Neuromuscular therapy is effective to normalize the curves of the spine by lenghtening shortened tissues and releasing trigger point activity.  Also craniosacral therapy is effective as is Paul St. John's cranial decompression.Cassandra

 

[Jara-Lee]

vchild:Whether or not scoliosis can be "treated" per se depends on the kind it is. Do you know if your client has nonstructural or structural scoliosis?Nonstructural is usually caused by an underlying series of muscle spasms or inflammation, and (good news!) is often treatable with deep tissue massage, assisted stretching exercises, and chiropractic adjustments.Structural scoliosis is sometimes caused by a genetic imbalance... a disease like cerebal palsy, spina bifida, polio, and that sort of thing. Other times they just don't know what causes it. Either way, it's not reversible, but you can still alleviate some of your client's discomfort if you're careful in your work.You might want to check out Erik Dalton's website - http://www.erikdalton.comhe's got an interesting article there on a case study of scoliosis, and outlines a few of his treatment methods. I feel like I need to add - and meaning no disrespect to you, vchild - that I think we need to be REALLY careful as MT's to stay within the boundaries of our own qualifications when we work with clients. I have a couple of clients with scoliosis, (and I have a solid background in anatomy, physiology and muscular pathology,) but I can't actually claim to be "treating" their conditions. I'm not trained to do that. I keep trying out different techniques, which end up effective on some clients but not on others. I can't even "prove" massage works at all in some clients - and the fact is, sometimes it doesn't. What heresy! I know, I know... Well, off my soap box. (sorry guys  :-[)vchild, (while you may not be able to absorb them all by Friday,) there are books, classes, etc. out there that can help you learn specific techniques for scoliosis. I use mostly deep tissue and assisted-stretching. I've read through Erik Dalton's MAT techniques, and I've found them to be effective when I incorporate them into my treatments. Good luck, and happy learning!