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Please do not have surgery before investigating
our methods and discussing your case
with us!
X-Ray Showing broken Harrington Rod
Scoliosis
Surgery: the Untold Truth
Scoliosis
Correction questions?
Email:
scoliosiscorrection@gmail.com
or
call
Dr. Hersh: 860-499-0433 or 860-727-8820
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Good Questions & Honest Answers about Scoliosis
Q:
How do I contact the Scoliosis Correction
Center to make an appointment?
A:
Call: 860-727-8820 or 860-524-8955
or Email:
ScoliosisCorrection@Gmail.com
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Q: If
it is so harmful, then why is the Harrington rod implantation
surgery still being performed in the United States?
A: First, many
healthcare professionals are not aware of the scientific
literature that details the negative side effects of the
procedure. Also, very little follow-up with the patient
is performed after the operation. Many surgeons believe
that the surgeries they perform are beneficial to the patient
because no one has returned to their office after the operation
to inform them otherwise. Doctors are desperate to meet
their patients’ demands for their
scoliosis treatment , but
have no options besides prescribing bracing (which, at best,
only slows or stops progression, and at worst, actually
worsens the scoliosis by weakening the postural muscles),
or performing the surgery.
Obviously, if surgeons
stop performing this surgery, they stand to lose a great
deal of money. Alternative scoliosis treatment
methods are simply not explored by the established medical
community because of the possibility that they may prove
to be more effective and less costly, thereby eliminating
the need to treat scoliosis surgically, and also their source
of income.
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Q:
Why will my insurance company pay for the
Harrington rod surgery, but not alternative methods of scoliosis
treatment?
A: The answer is
deceptively simple, and unfortunately based upon the laws
of economics, rather than what is best for the patient.
The insurance companies are undoubtedly aware of the research
stating that 40% of operated patients are legally defined
as permanently handicapped for the rest of their lives;
in such an event, the insurance company’s financial responsibility
for that patient is terminated, and federal Social Security
& Disability programs are responsible for covering all medical
expenses. There is nothing more important than your health
and insurance should not be a criteria for getting care.
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Q:
Why should I seek
scoliosis treatment from Dr. Hersh? What does he know
that my regular D.C. doesn’t?
A: Typical chiropractic
adjustments have been proven to be ineffective or even harmful
to the scoliotic patient, due to the mobilization of fixated
vertebrae by the adjustment. While this may cause pain relief
in the short term, the long term result is increased progression
of the Cobb angle. Read: The Physics
of Scoliosis- for better understanding why the curve
in the neck plays a major role in causing scoliosis.
We are not focused on relieving pain, although this is certainly
the end result. Dr Hersh is committed to achieving structural
changes to the spine that will allow the body to de-rotate
and correct itself, and use specific, reproducible precision
x-rays that are analyzed according to exact guidelines to
measure and quantify the change.
Dr. Daniel Hersh
of the Scoliosis Correction Center
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Q:
There’s a lot of controversy about whether
or not bracing works. What is your opinion about treating
scoliosis with a brace?
A: The controversy
over the effectiveness of bracing is somewhat misleading.
You will never find any doctor in the world claiming that
bracing will reduce or correct scoliosis;
rather, the debate is over whether or not wearing a brace
will prevent the scoliosis from getting worse. When doctors
state that bracing “works,” what they’re really saying is
that it stabilizes the scoliosis, keeping
it at its current position. Most doctors will insist that
bracing does "work" – with proper compliance. Recommended
compliance is twenty-three hours per day, every day. If
this seems a little extreme to you, you’re not alone.
In a study published
in the American Journal of Orthopedics, 60% of the
patients surveyed felt that bracing had handicapped their
life, and 14% felt it had left a psychological scar. The
Children’s Research Center in Dublin, Ireland, has not recommended
bracing as a
scoliosis treatment since 1991, stating, "If bracing
does not reduce the proportion of children with AIS [adolescent
idiopathic scoliosis] who require surgery for cosmetic
improvement of their deformity, it cannot be said to provide
a meaningful advantage to the patient or the community."
Why
Scoliosis Bracing Doesn't Work: Read an informative
article by Dr. Hersh about the ineffectiveness of
scoliosis braces.
Surgery or Alternative Treatment: Dr. Hersh explains your
choices.
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Q:
My scoliosis is termed “idiopathic,” meaning
the cause is unknown. Is it true that I inherited this condition
from my mother?
A: Scoliosis is
not a genetic mutation, or a reaction to heavy backpacks
worn in adolescence, or the result of an anatomical short
leg. In fact, a recent study published in the scientific
journal Spine in 2006 asserted that no specific gene has
ever been linked to scoliosis. Scoliosis is the body’s
natural and innate response to the loss of mechanical function
provided by the normal curves of the spine. When these curves
disappear, the body re-inserts them in another dimension.
If scoliosis has a “cause,” then it can only be described
by the laws of physics! It is easy to understand the concept
of mechanical advantage for yourself. Find a heavy weight,
about 10 to 20 pounds, and hold it in your hand. Most likely,
your elbow will come close to your body, and your palm will
be up, with your fingers facing away from you. This is very
similar to how your spine supports the weight of your head
with the curve in your neck. Now try removing the curve
from your wrist; rotate it 180 degrees and bend it forwards
with the weight still in your hand. Your elbow will swing
out to the side to replace the lost stability. This is very
similar to what happens in your spine when the curve in
your neck is lost; the body develops scoliosis because a
straight spine is extremely unstable.
Essentially,
scoliosis is a biomechanical reaction to forward head posture
and the loss of the curve in the neck, and develops when
the body cannot maintain symmetrical growth forces due to
pressure & interference on the nerves from a misaligned
vertebra; this is often caused by trauma during birth or
shortly afterward.
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Q:
Can Harrington rods break?
A: Simply stated, yes.
Below, are 2 radiographs of an individual with broken Harrington
rods.
 
These x-rays show Harrington rods
that bent and broke while still inside the patient’s body.
Many surgeons will refuse to operate on this condition,
leaving the patient with few options to alleviate their
pain & suffering.
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Q: Am I going to have health
problems with a curve over 30 degrees? Is it necessary to
get this looked at? I would like to correct this before
its too late.
A:You are
wise to be concerned at this point. Interestingly enough
it is common for a trauma to start a scoliosis becoming
evident. That is because any such event traumatizes the
cervical spine which then can start the scoliosis process
in developing.
Yes, 30
degrees is significant. In fact in the 'medical model'
for scoliosis, the term is 'watch and wait' which
means once the scoliosis is discovered, it is re-x-rayed
until it passes a 30 degree curve at which point it then
becomes a candidate for either bracing (does not work) or
surgery (also in long run very detrimental).
It likely will get worse as you age. You are young enough
(and apparently wise enough) to want to correct this now,
which is a good thing.
Let me tell
you that the two types of patients we have are the following
types:
1-youngsters, teenagers whose parents have discovered their
child's scoliosis and want it corrected while young which
of course is best or
2-Middle aged and older persons, mainly female who ignored
their scoliosis since there was little or no pain and no
interference in the activities of daily living until they
reached their 40s or 50s or older. The same scenario is
consistent with those persons who have had supposed 'successful
surgery' when younger and now in their middle years have
serious problems.
It is imperative in my opinion that you proceed with proper
scoliosis treatment as a
30 degree curve can be reduced down to a 'normal' 'non scoliotic
spine' at this stage.
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Q: Can you give me some history on the development and use
of the
scoliosis treatment devices you referred to?
A: The protocol
we use is a compilation of various methodologies, and when
combined have created far and away the best results available.
They are as follows:
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Scoliosis
frequently begins first with a 'Forward Head' Posture,
(not genetic as there has been no specific gene linked
to causing scoliosis.). Then, a loss of the normal
'lordosis' of the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower
back) curves. This then causes the upper spine to
laterally deviate in relation to the head and neck.
This then creates interference with the Anterior Corticospinal
Tract and with the Dorsal Spino-cerebellar Tract (in
the brain), which affects the postural muscles. What
follows is a 'lateral shift' of the spine. We
therefore use amongst other tools, specific 'Biophysics'
to restore the normal lordosis in the neck and lower
back.
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Therefore,
the first
area of correction is the cervical spine and head relationship.
The rest will follow, and of course we are dealing
with the entire spine at the same time.
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It therefore
is no accident that your daughter's major curve is in
the lumbar spine, and there is no doubt that she will
have a loss of the normal neck curvature with forward
head posture seen on x-ray.
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The use
of specific weights worn on the head, hips, shoulders
which are dependent on the specific scoliosis curves
are worn, to bring the curves back into a normal bio-relationship.
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The
medical model is 'observe' followed by the suggestion
of bracing (psychological and functional disability)
then surgery, which does not address the
problem whatsoever.
-
The
Whole Body Vibration, coupled with various other
methodologies, bypasses the normal proprioception of
the body allowing for faster re-alignment. Go to "Adaptive
Responses of Human Skeletal Muscle to Vibration Exposure"-Bosco
et all, Clinical Physiology 19(2):183-187
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A
specialized scoliosis traction table is used and
allows both lateral scoliosis (sagittal) correction
to occur while axial traction (top to bottom,
head to foot) occurs, while at the same time dealing
directly with the ligaments which are primary to affect
the permanent scoliosis changes.
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Spinal
Adjustments specific to the abnormal 'lever arms'
created by a scoliosis. They are:
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The head related
to the top of the spine
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The neck in relation
to the upper thoracic spine
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The upper thoracic
spine as it levers with the lower thoracic spine (The
mid thoracic spine at the T-8 level is the functional
base of the spine)
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The lower thoracic
spine lever as it relates to the upper lumbar spine
(lower back)
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The lower lumbar
spine as it relates to the pelvis, hip rotation, and
sacral balance
All these 'lateral deviations' of the spine must
be corrected individually to fix a scoliosis.
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