The most addictive drug in common use today is Lortab. Known to doctors and junkies by its chemical name, hydrocodone, this stuff is dangerous. Most patients and even many doctors don’t realize this is a franken-drug, created by pharmaceutical researchers trying to come up with better variations of good-old fashioned morphine. These drugs, known as semi-synthetics, have varying effects on the body but all share a common underlying morphine-like base. When it was being tested it was found that hydrocodone caused cocaine-like effects in the brain, in addition to its narcotic properties. “Aha,” said some white-coated reasearcher (probably with a German accent), “Vee have zee drug vich shall make zah people feel guut.” The pharmaceutical companies then marketed the drug as having superior pain-killing properties. Lortab was a best-friend with benefits and it has been responsible for a new generation of middle-class addicts who first took the drug for medical procedures while under a doctor’s care.

Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal curvature of the spine when viewed from the front or back. It typically looks like this:

The Mayo Clinic states: “Doctors don’t know what causes the most common type of scoliosis…” but they do know that it most often occurs during a growth spurt. Scoliosis can cause lung, heart and back problems including arthritis and degeneration. The Mayo Clinic says typical treatments are braces and surgery and states “physical therapy exercises can’t stop scoliosis.” WebMD states “there is no evidence that corrective exercises, electrical stimulation, or chiropractic manipulation are effective treatments for scoliosis.”

But is that really true? Can exercise or more specifically posture correction exercises effect scoliosis?

You tell me. Here is a woman’s photo of normal relaxed standing before Egoscue:

Here is the same woman 1 1/2 hours later after Egoscue:

What do you think?

Do you think Egoscue exercises can affect scoliosis?

Do you think Egoscue might be able to stop the progression of scoliosis?

Do you think it could start reversing scoliosis?

Now let’s explore why. First thing to remember is bones don’t move bones. Muscles move bones. We all know this. Most treatments for scoliosis focus on the bones, but we all know the bones are only doing what the muscles are telling them to do. Fix the muscle imbalances and the bones will follow. Another way to look at it is: form follows function. Restore the function to the muscles and the form of the bones and joints changes. This is what Egoscue focuses on.

Another important thing to remember is the spine doesn’t function all on it’s own. So treatments focused on the spine allow will not create long term change. Why is this? Well the spine is balanced on top of the pelvis and the spine is reacting to what the shoulder blades are doing. Take a look at the first image in this post. Notice how they pointed out the uneven shoulders and hips? That’s key. Those imbalances have to be addressed in order for the spine to change position and stay in a better position. Now look at the “before” photos earlier in this post. Notice again the uneven shoulders and hips?

The Egoscue routine of exercises we designed for our example here was basically going after the imbalanced hip and shoulder position and letting the spine react to that. And quite a reaction we got! Now in order for her posture to maintain this new beautiful position she must continue to do her Egoscue menu of e-cises on a daily basis to change her muscle memory. When she does this, long term change is not only possible, it has to happen.

When thinking about scoliosis, there are several key points to remember:

1. Bones do what muscles tell them to do.
2. The body functions as a unit.
3. Scoliosis, or the curve of the spine, is reacting to the hips and shoulders.
4. Specific exercises designed for an individuals unique imbalances will create positive change.
5. It’s never to late.

Pete Egoscue’s new book, Let’s Lighten Up, will be a hugely popular and helpful resource in getting back in touch with yourself and your body, but I thought I’d prep your mind with this good article from Psychology Today. Enjoy getting back in touch!

What is Body Sense?

Did you ever feel as if you lost touch with your body? Perhaps you developed a pain in your lower back or neck but you could not remember that you did anything that might have caused it. Maybe you started feeling ill at ease in situations that before felt comfortable. Or you gained weight without really noticing the increase until your clothes didn’t fit.

These and other physical and mental afflictions – headaches, digestive troubles, depressive symptoms, lethargic feelings, aching joints, frequent colds and flus – are particularly annoying because they appear to creep up on us without prior warning. One day we are just fine and the next day, or so it seems, we don’t feel so good.

The biological truth is that all of these things take a while, sometimes months or years, to grow within our bodies. The cells of the immune, digestive, muscular, metabolic, and nervous systems have to grow in ways that lead to these symptoms and biological growth takes time. The psychological truth is that we failed to notice these physiological changes in our bodies until they reached a level of damage to our systems that sent off the red flags of pain, distress, and discomfort. By that time…(continue reading here)

Janet Ansley

Manipulation Under Sedation, or MUS, is one of the gentlest and most effective methods of resolving back and neck pain, headaches, and shoulder, hip and knee pain. It is quickly becoming one of the most successful procedures for these and other acute and chronic conditions.

Janet Ansley lived with severe pain for over ten years.

“I’ve had back and neck problems for the past twenty years,” she confides, “but the last ten have been pretty bad. I’ve been in multiple car accidents and I’ve had several falls. I also have spinal stenosis.”

Spinal stenosis occurs when the space around the spinal cord narrows.

“Over the years, I’ve been to a number of chiropractors, but my condition was getting worse,” she admits. “My range of motion was horrible. I could hardly turn my neck. My back gave me a lot of problems.

“As a nurse, I do a lot of lifting and moving; I was just in a lot of pain all of the time.”

Janet says she was relying on over-the-counter pain relievers whenever she could no longer handle the pain, which was usually after work or at night when she was trying to get some sleep.

“Then I happened to be in a conversation one day with a couple of other nurses and one of them mentioned Dr. Johnson’s name,” she recounts.

Jeffrey P. Johnson, DC, practices at Johnson Medical Center in Venice, FL.

“When I scheduled my first appointment with him, my expectations were simply to stop the deterioration,” remembers Janet. “My mother has a lot of the same problems I have, including spinal stenosis, and I just could not picture myself digressing to where she is because I’m still pretty young.”

Dr. Johnson recalls Janet’s first appointment: “She described her symptoms as sharp, stabbing, and occasionally debilitating, rating the level of her pain as up to a ten on a zero to ten scale.”

“To tell the truth, it’s pretty depressing to be debilitated at the age of fifty-nine,” reflects Janet.

She describes her first consultation: “Dr. Johnson gave me the most thorough examination I’ve ever had from a chiropractor. Following his exam and some x-rays, he sat down with my husband and me and showed us where my problem areas were, and went through different treatment options. It was just amazing.

“What makes him so different is that he doesn’t just focus on the areas of complaint. Dr. Johnson treats your whole person, your whole body.”

Initially, Dr. Johnson began treating Janet with traditional chiropractic treatments but when they did not produce the pain relief she sought, Dr. Johnson recommended Manipulation Under Sedation , or MUS.

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