Scoliosis can be caused by a variety of different factors, but the condition’s most common form is idiopathic scoliosis. Idiopathic scoliosis has no known cause, but it usually develops during adolescence and – interestingly – it is far more common in girls than in boys. Furthermore, there is some evidence to suggest that scoliosis tends to be more progressive in female patients than in their male counterparts.

 

So why should idiopathic scoliosis affect women more often (and more severely) than it affects men? As with the question of what causes scoliosis in the first place, science has yet to discover a solid answer to this mystery. However, we have seen a number of theories proposed – here’s one of the more plausible suggestions:

Leptin is a hormone that performs many different tasks in the human body. One of its best-known functions is appetite suppression; a hormone called ghrelin tells you when you need to eat, and leptin tells you when it’s time to stop.

 

However, leptin seems to have many other effects beyond simply making you feel full. The hormone has been shown to affect bone growth in mice via the SNS (Sympathetic Nervous System), and it has been suggested that idiopathic scoliosis in females may occur as a result of “increased SNS activity” that also affects the patient’s weight (girls with scoliosis tend to have a fairly low BMI).

 

However, it is important to note that this is merely a hypothesis; as stated above, there is no concrete, scientifically proven explanation for the high incidence of scoliosis in females compared to males. It’s equally important to bear in mind that we treat a diverse cross-section of patients here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, and while the majority of our patients are female, we can help men to overcome the effects of scoliosis as well. Kurt, a 29-year-old man who travelled to our clinic from California last year, is a prime example:

 

This map shows the locations of some of our former patients:

As you can see, our treatment courses have helped people from right across the globe to overcome their spinal conditions. Having looked at that map, you may well be wondering why people go to such great lengths to visit the Scoliosis SOS Clinic – why would someone from Texas or New Zealand or Saudi Arabia travel thousands of miles to undergo treatment at a clinic in the United Kingdom? In other words…

We are a team of chartered physiotherapists and consultants specialising in non-surgical treatments for scoliosis and other spinal conditions. Clinics like ours aren’t common – as we often point out, we’re the only non-surgical scoliosis clinic in the UK, but a lot of countries aren’t even fortunate enough to have the one. Every year, countless scoliosis sufferers worldwide are told that surgery is the only effective way to combat their condition; the people who come to our clinic from other countries do so because they discovered (usually via the internet) that there was an alternative after all.

Take Nadia Browne, a teenage girl from New Jersey, USA. As a great lover of sports, Nadia was shocked to be diagnosed with scoliosis, especially when she was told that she would need a nine-hour operation to correct her spinal curvature. Desperate for an alternative solution, Nadia attended started seeing a chiropractor, but after two years, it became clear that these sessions were not having the desired effect.

It was at this point that Nadia’s parents conducted an internet search for non-surgical treatment options and discovered the Scoliosis SOS Clinic. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but the Browne family eventually came to the conclusion that the 3,500-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean would be worth it if Nadia could avoid a risky surgical procedure.

Here’s what Nadia herself had to say after completing a ScolioGold treatment course:

“Being told you need to have a major operation is incredibly scary and I am so glad the Scoliosis SOS Clinic gave me an alternative. I have been able to return to all my sports lessons and no longer suffer any pain.”