Is a lateral spinal curve always scoliosis?

No. Scoliosis requires rotation of the vertebrae, not simply a sideways curve. This patient's films looked like a severe scoliosis at first glance, but the bony rotation that defines scoliosis was not there. What the films showed was a lateral deviation held by subluxation, which is a different finding.

Can a back injury at work be corrected without surgery?

Every case depends on what the films and the examination show. This patient's injury involved subluxations at C6/C7 and L3/L4 disrupting normal spinal stability, and those corrected under a subluxation-based care plan. Whether that is the right path for a given injury is what the evaluation determines.

Why doesn't stretching fix a subluxation?

A subluxation is a position of the bones. Stretching and exercise work on the muscles and soft tissue around them. Changing where a vertebra sits takes a specific chiropractic adjustment applied over time.

What are the five factors of health?

Diet, rest, attitude, exercise, and a clear nerve system. This patient's result came from applying all five, with the chiropractic adjustments supplying the clear nerve system that the other four depend on.

How long does correction take after an acute back injury?

This patient's plan was six months and his correction was reached at nine, because life interrupted his frequency. Timelines depend on the condition of the spine, the injury and how consistently the recommended frequency is kept.

C6/C7 and L3/L4 Subluxation After a Low Back Injury

How He Arrived

In this month's Spinal Correction Spotlight we are reviewing the comparison X-rays of a 33-year-old man. We do care for many low back injuries. I wish more people would come to chiropractic care proactively.

He works in healthcare at a local hospital and was involved in patient management when he heard and felt a pop in his low back. He did not drop the patient, but he did drop to the floor and was unable to stand up straight. After a couple of days of excruciating pain, and medications that were not working, his wife found us on Google and sent him in.

What His Films Showed

The initial images showed what would initially look like a severe scoliosis. A scoliosis has to have rotation to the bones, and these X-rays did not show that. What they showed was a lateral deviation held in place by subluxation.

Subluxations at C6/C7 and L3/L4 disrupted normal spinal stability. No amount of stretching or exercise changes those subluxation misalignments, because they are positions of the bones.

Clinical Findings — Initial Examination

Patient: 33-year-old male, healthcare worker at a local hospital

Mechanism: Heard and felt a pop in the low back during patient management; dropped to the floor, unable to stand up straight

Prior care: Two days of excruciating pain; medications not working

X-ray type: AP full spine and lateral lumbar

Initial X-ray: Appearance of a severe lateral deviation without the bony rotation that defines scoliosis; subluxations at C6/C7 and L3/L4 disrupting normal spinal stability

Re-evaluation X-ray: Lateral deviation substantially resolved; subluxations at C6/C7 and L3/L4 corrected

Care span: 6-month plan; correction reached at 9 months

Outcome: Returned to work serving patients with more confidence than before

Full Spine AP — Before & After

Initial AP spinal X-ray showing a severe lateral deviation without bony rotation in a 33-year-old male after a low back injury, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

Before — Initial X-Ray

Re-evaluation AP spinal X-ray showing the lateral deviation substantially resolved after nine months of subluxation-based corrective care, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

After — Re-Evaluation

Lumbar Lateral — Before & After

Initial lateral lumbar X-ray showing subluxation at L3 L4 disrupting normal spinal stability, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

Before — Initial X-Ray

Re-evaluation lateral lumbar X-ray showing corrected L3 L4 alignment, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

After — Re-Evaluation

Nine Months Later

It should have been six months, but life happens. Nine months later we have objective proof that by applying the five factors of health — diet, rest, attitude, exercise, and a clear nerve system — the Innate Intelligence of the body can and will straighten out what was bent. No decompression or Teeter Hangups. No PT. No surgery. No drugs.

Correcting subluxations restores the body's innate healing capacity. He is able to do what God created him to do, serving the people in that hospital more confidently than before, and he continues to thrive. Correcting subluxations restores Quality of Life, and literally helps you be the person you were created to be.

What This Case Shows

A single moment at work is usually the moment something already present announces itself. His spine was carrying subluxations at two levels before he ever lifted that patient.

I am not the healer. I move the bone; God does the healing. You are a self-healing organism, and when you are subluxation free, not only does your spine heal, but your body expresses life the way you were created to.

Be Proactive With Your Spine, Not Reactive

The moment something gives way is rarely the moment the problem started. A structural evaluation shows what your spine is carrying now. Come in for an X-ray analysis and find out what your own films show.

Have Your Spine Checked for Subluxation

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