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The spine
is made up of vertebrael bodies stacked
on top of the base of the spine, called
the sacrum. The sacrum is held in place
with soft tissue of the ligaments,
muscles and myofascia. The pelvic area
is made up of the left and right hip
bones, or illiums, with the sacrum in
between them. In scoliosis conditions,
the common trend is that the illium-sacrum
relationship is not even while standing
(weight-bearing support). How the sacrum
sits between the pelvic bones is the key
to alignment of the spine. If the sacrum
is tipped or angled to one side, it
intitiates the spine to angle off
into an incorrect or postural
dysfunctional state. Like a sailboat
uses a rudder for direction, it pushes
one way to go to the other
way. Therefore, a shift in the sacrum
occurs.
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So why is
the sacrum tipped to one side? 9 times
out of 10, the illiums aren’t
functioning in the same plane or are not
balanced. One side (usually the left) is
rotated forward and then the other side
is rotated back. This creates the
unstable pelvic condition while under
weight-bearing stress. As a result, the
sacrum is off-center and
tipped which initiates a direction for
the scoliotic compensation (the
curvature) to begin. The bottom line is,
not treating the pelvic area puts limits
on relieving scoliosis conditions.
Fortunately, this can all be improved or
eliminated so that surgery and bracing
can be avoided. |
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We can
prevent scoliosis by catching it early
in order to stop the accelerated
degeneration of the vertebrae and stress
on the discs. For those who already
suffer with curvatures, they can be
corrected or improved for a better
quality of life. This lessens the chance
for major pain
symptoms and surgery later in life.
Unfortunately, SET will not help
those who have already undergone lengthy
fusions from the thoracic region through
to the lumbar region. In those
cases, the weaknesses are now locked in
position. However, if fusion surgery is
absolutely necessary, SET treatments
are recommended to put the spine in a
better balanced state for fusion.
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What
most physicians don't know, only because
they weren't taught it, is that there is
a relationship/link between the pelvis
(sacrum and illiums) and the bones of
the cranial vault (head). Where your
head goes your body follows. Remember
that saying? There are two bones, the
sphenoid and occiput, that have a role
in holding the illiums in
opposite rotation and the sacrum tipped
or not. When the wing of the sphenoid on
the left side is tipped down, so is the
left illium. And opposite on the right
side. |
The
sphenoid and occiput create a juncture
or joint called the SBS (spheno-basilar-synchondosis).
This joint has soft tissue that can be
released to improve the relationship of
that juncture. When improved, so is the
relationship between the sphenoid and
illiums. They mirror each other. Now
illiums can be in balance, or closer to
balance, thus giving an opportunity for
the sacrum to line up in order to give
support to the lumbar that provides
support for the thoracic and cervical
regions. Thank you, Dr. Dallas Hancock
and Don McCann, for discovering this and
developing Structural Energetic Therapy
(SET). Now you might be able to
understand why other therapies that
focus on the pelvic girdle itself don't
hold or have success.
Treating Scoliosis
with SET
Like all
other individuals coming in for acute
and chronic pain rehabilitation, the
first SET session begins with a medical
intake form. Reviewing the form takes
just a few minutes along with a brief
question and answer session. Next, the
SET therapist will conduct body reading.
The client/patient will stand in a
bathing suit or underwear so that the
therapist can take note of how the body
supports itself while under
weight-bearing stress. From head to toe,
structural imbalances will stand out and
be pointed out for educational purposes.
Once the
SET therapist understands the client’s
current body structure, kinesiology
testing will help to find weaknesses
that can be corrected for a better
structural alignment. The client will
undergo soft tissue releases (Cranial
Structural) in the cranial vault to
initiate the change in the illium/sacrum
relationship. Then, the same kinesiology
testing will be repeated in order to
confirm the initiation of change and
improvement.
The SET
therapist will conduct more advanced
soft tissue releases (unwinding,
spreading, individual fiber strokes),
focusing on the areas that support the
once weakened body structure. Addressing
these areas in proper sequence is
important in order to allow proper
change in each quadrant of the body.
There will be times during treatment(s)
when the client/patient will actively
participate in the process of bringing
the treated area into balance. After
each session is complete, patients are
asked to share any noticeable changes as
they stand in a better state of support.
Upon
completion of the initial treatment,
most patients will begin to feel
changes as soon as they stand up (become
weight-bearing). Visible changes are
also evident. The body will continue to
unwind to a better state until it
finds a point at which to
stabilize. Then, traditional physical
therapy core exercises can be applied to
strengthen for support. Not everyone is
the same and the time it takes to get to
that state varies.
The
client/patient may need appointments
weekly, every 10 days, every 2 weeks, or
monthly until stability is achieved. For
some, treatments might continue about
once a month for an extended period of
time in order to maintain the unwinding
process. For others, this is not
necessary. Some will need more pelvic
balancing treatments. Many will need
thoracic area sessions. Others will need
just one-sided treatments. This will all
be determined as any pre-existing
sub-patterns begin to appear during
subsequent sessions. Typically, the
younger the person, the quicker the
response since muscles, tendons, and
fascia that are held in a scoliotic
pattern for a long period of
time become hard and less supple.
Communication is key during the
treatment period. The goal is for the
client to be pain-free for a better
quality of life.
Don
McCann, founder Structural Energetic
Therapy |
