Scoliosis Treatment in Singapore at Balance Core

Treatment for scoliosis in Singapore ranges from massage, exercise, chiropractic treatment, to bracing and surgery. 3D Balance Management is a form of non-surgical scoliosis treatment we adopt at Balance Core. It’s safe and offers long lasting pain relief and posture correction.

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is commonly known as “curved spine”. The spine looks straight when viewed from the back or the front. It’s called scoliosis when it bends sideways or the spine forms an “S” or “C” shape.

 

Scoliosis can be broadly classified into 3 categories:

1

Idiopathic

This accounts for about 80% of all scoliosis, and based on when onset occurs, it can be further classified as infantile (0-3 years), juvenile (3-10 years) and adolescent (>10 years) scoliosis

2

Neuromuscular

Scoliosis caused by either neurological or myopathic conditions

3

Congenital

Scoliosis caused by congenital defects

How do we tell if someone has scoliosis?

Scoliosis may be suspected and if the following postural changes are noticed:

  • Head not centered over body
  • Uneven shoulder height
  • Uneven scapular height or prominence
  • Unsymmetrical gaps between the arms and the trunk
  • Line of spine curved
  • Uneven height of hips

Other common findings include uneven shoulder / trunk rotations, prominent rib cage on one side, or weight bearing more on one leg.

 

Depending on which level of the spine is affected, the child may present with different posture faults and the back muscles may be affected. For example, if scoliosis occurs at the neck and upper back, the deformity may cause more of a rotation; if it occurs at the low back, the deformity is more of a trunk shift and side bending. Scoliosis is a condition also commonly associated with pelvic obliquity, leg length discrepancy and foot deformities.

Does AIS get worse if left untreated?

Though some curves do not progress over time, most of the scoliosis curves do worsen over time, especially during the growing years of the children.

 

The 3 most important progressive factors involved in idiopathic scoliosis are:

Maturity of the patient

The younger the child, the more likely the curvature of the spine has to progress

Severity of the curvature at the time of diagnosis

The larger the scoliosis curvature magnitude, the more likely the curve is to progress

Curve pattern

Lumbar spine curves are less often to progress

The severity of scoliosis rarely worsens after adulthood. However pain, reduced lung function and difficulty in certain daily functions are issues some adults may face. Our physiotherapy management in Singapore is also suitable for adults with scoliosis to alleviate back pain and promote optimal functions.

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How is idiopathic scoliosis treated?

Most of the children with scoliosis less than 40 degrees are managed conservatively with exercises and bracing, not by surgery. One of the most crucial factors that determines the outcome of any treatment is to start treatment early. If a spine curve is suspected, parents should take immediate action as the child should be referred for posture screening and X-ray.

 

Once a scoliosis is diagnosed by a doctor, the child should start physiotherapy as soon as possible, either or not braces are needed. The reason is that scoliosis does not only affect a child’s appearance, it also reduces the body’s awareness of normal posture, alters neuromuscular control of the spine, and creates muscle imbalance (affects muscle strength).

What do we do at Balance Core?

Though scoliosis is defined as a side-bent, it always involves some degree of rotation and side-shift of the spine, therefore a 3-dimensional deviation of the spine.

 

At Balance Core, we adopt a unique 3D Balance Scoliosis Management to treat scoliosis cases. The top scoliosis doctors in Singapore recommend this treatment approach for its comprehensiveness and effectiveness. It helps reduce pain, prevent stiffness in certain body parts, improve functional performance and delay worsening of the curve, and is equally effective and beneficial for both children and adults.

 

We objectively track our patient’s spinal curvature with two tools:

Scoliosis meter
One of the signs of scoliosis is the presence of a hump noted on forward bending test. With a scoliometer, it allows the measurement of the angle of trunk rotation with a dedicated instrument called a scoliometer. The instrument is placed on the back and used to measure the most leaning point of each hump in degrees.
Posture analysis grid chart
This serves as a resource for explaining to people their symptoms and rationale behind proposed treatment options. With a grid, the improvements can also be seen clearly and objectively, allowing change to be documented accurately over time.

Treatment and management of scoliosis

Surgery is not necessary treatment for all scoliosis cases. If you are looking for scoliosis treatment without surgery in Singapore, physiotherapy is the way to go. At Balance Core, we treat our patients of any age with a unique 3D Balance Scoliosis Management which involves:

  • Detailed 3D postural analysis
  • Functional task analysis
  • Breathing analysis
  • Manual adjustments to reduce misalignment and structural restrictions
  • Corrective bracing (optional)
  • Specific corrective exercises and functional training to achieve optimal balance of the spine, in all 3 dimensions / planes
The average time needed to get familiarized with our treatment approach ranges from 6 to 10 sessions. After which, some follow up sessions may be needed depending on the age of the patient, the severity of the curve, whether or not the individual is suffering from pain, and their specific physical demands in their day-to-day life.

SCOLIOSIS PHYSIOTHERAPY

In Singapore, Physiotherapy for scoliosis condition is not yet a routine treatment in the healthcare system. Traditionally when patients are diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age, the child gets to see a doctor and the common advice given is to “wait and see” approach to see if the scoliosis progresses. If it worsens, the child may need to wear a brace or the doctor may recommend surgery aiming at reducing the abnormal curvature. This reactive approach may lead to wasted opportunity to arrest the root cause of the problem while it is still mild, or lessen the impact even if it is more established.

 

With proactive physiotherapy treatment aiming at reducing pain and muscular imbalances, and correction of postural or movement errors, the scoliosis condition may not progress into permanent changes.

YOGA FOR SCOLIOSIS

Yoga and pilates has been proven to offer great health benefits and pain relief to people with scoliosis. Scoliosis being an asymmetrical deformity, responds better to poses that focus on lengthening of the shorted / concave side, and strengthening of the weak / convex side.

 

With a good understanding of the nature of the scoliosis curve, Yoga and pilates can be used as a form of maintenance exercise for scoliosis.

What about adults with scoliosis?

When treating children / adolescent patients with scoliosis or other types of spine conditions, we expect responses in both the bones and soft tissues. For adult scoliosis patients, as their bones would have reached maturity, we would only expect changes in the soft tissues, such as the muscles, the ligaments, and the joint capsule. Although the curvature of spine may not change significantly, overloading of certain parts of the spine or related structures may lead to pain and movement restrictions, and significantly lead to poorer quality of life.

 

Therefore the main goals of treating adults with scoliosis are pain relief, body posture correction / maintenance, prevention of degenerations, and to optimize the body for active lifestyle. This will help them live a better and more comfortable and active life. Although due to the degenerative changes of bones, the curvature of the spine may not be possible to correct significantly, small changes to the supporting structures around the spine can make a huge difference in back pain or leg pain experience and quality of life. We encourage adults with scoliosis in the spine to seek early physiotherapy interventions to prevent further degenerations and reduction of movement capacity.

Reviews

Reviews

david kuttan
david kuttan
2024-02-01
Visited Balance core and I was really impressed by their ability to understand how my body muscles work. Just my first visit alone I was really benefited. They helped me find out the core problems and why I injure my hamstring every time I play physical games. Will definitely go again to learn more about my body movements.
Chloe Soo
Chloe Soo
2024-01-09
Thank you Michael Yan⁩ for helping my girl to regain her mobility 😊 Initially I thought my girl has sprained her knee, but turn out it’s her tight ankle muscles that contributed to it. After releasing that tension and simple exercises, she can walk without pain anymore 😁😁 indeed solving the root cause of her pain 😁 highly recommend you to visit Michael for any unresolved pain.
Josh Ng
Josh Ng
2023-11-10
Physiotherapy session with Balance Core Physiotherapy Centre today. Michael Yan guided me on some muscle, flexibility and posture issues. When his hands are at work as a physiotherapist, I feel the warm, strong and caring touch! He identifies issues that need fixing and offers correction, and also taught me specific useful stretching exercises! Thank you Michael Yan!
Yizhao Siaw
Yizhao Siaw
2023-11-09
Michael worked with me to solve my shoulder and lower back issues. Very professional and highly recommended.
Nigel Lew
Nigel Lew
2023-11-09
No hard selling, no super-long treatment packages. They've helped me recover from pain without the need for long-term treatment. Highly recommended!
Pei Wen Loo
Pei Wen Loo
2023-10-25
I had a wonderful session with Michael (Physiotherapist)! As i spent alot of time of mobile phone, laptop and gym, i have been dealing with bad neckaches and headaches for the past 3 years. This year, the pain was so bad that i couldn't sleep at night. So, I've spent alot of money on massage and even muscle relaxant to just make me feel better. But, I know they are short term solutions only. At the session today, Michael was able to identify the root of my problems, use scientific method to train my muscle to relax and even teach me how to stand, walk and lie-down properly. I felt relieved immediately. My first physiotherapy experience - a wonderful one. Highly recommended!
David Hugo M
David Hugo M
2023-07-13
I was highly recommended to Mickael and I was certainly not disappointed by his assessment and work! I am dealing with some lower back issues and bulging disc, and Mickael knew straight away what to do with my existing problems and the ones around it. Thank you for your professionalism and care!
Patricia Tang
Patricia Tang
2023-05-23
Dear Michael, Thank you very much for helping me in your treatment to understand the underlying causes of my pain built up over decades. Most importantly, you taught me how to address the causes of my excruciating, inflamed pain through exercises to manage my condition. I’ve learned much from each of your 1-hour physiotherapy session from the human anatomy and to the physiology which I did not get from my previous physiotherapist and chiropractor in Spore. The difference was you addressed the underlying causes of my decades of pain with the use of physiotherapy, acupressure and acupuncture whereas the others provided symptomatic treatment which at best provided little relief. Thank you very much, Michael for your professionalism. I’m grateful for your expertise. With great appreciation, Philip Cho 23/5/2023 (Sent on behalf of Philip)
Gwen Lee
Gwen Lee
2023-02-21
Had been experiencing feet and hip pain for sometime and other treatments did not work. Came to Michael and he diagnosed the true cause of the issue to be coming from my neck which was affecting my posture. Have learnt a lot from him on how to correct my posture to prevent future recurrence of the pain. Highly recommend!
Ben Lim
Ben Lim
2023-02-12
Hi, I had constant pain in my lower back down my right side of my leg for months. I was referred to Balance Core and met my physiotherapist, Lecindra. My life changed from here on. She was very professional and being chatty reduces the mental stress on my pain at every session. Now, my pain has reduced by alot and I can go back to do some of the physical exercises I enjoyed. It's truly a lifechanging experience for me.

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why physiotherapy?

    Physiotherapy for scoliosis is not yet a routine treatment in the healthcare system in Singapore. The common advice given to young patients is to “wait and see” if scoliosis progresses. However, this may lead to wasted opportunity to arrest the root cause of the problem while it is still mild, or lessen the impact even if it is more established.

    A proactive physiotherapy treatment can help to reduce pain and muscular imbalances, correct postural or movement errors, so that it may not progress into permanent changes. The key is to start treatments early. 

    Does idiopathic scoliosis worsen if left untreated?

    Though some curves do not progress over time, most of the scoliosis curves do worsen, especially during a child's growing years. Here are the 3 most important progressive factors involved in idiopathic scoliosis:

    1. Maturity of the patient - The younger the child, the more likely the curvature of the spine will progress.
    1. Severity of the curvature at the time of diagnosis - The larger the scoliosis curvature magnitude, the more likely the curve will progress. 
    1. Curve pattern - Lumbar spine curves are less likely to progress. The severity of scoliosis rarely worsens after adulthood. However, pain, reduced lung function and difficulty in certain daily functions are issues some adults may face. Our physiotherapy treatment is suitable for both children and adults. 
    How is idiopathic scoliosis treated in children?

    Most children with scoliosis of less than 40 degrees are managed conservatively with exercises and braces, not surgery. One of the most crucial factors that determines the outcome of any treatment is to start treatment early. If a spine curve is suspected, parents should take immediate action and have the child referred for posture screening and X-ray. 

    Once scoliosis is diagnosed by a doctor, the child should start physiotherapy as soon as possible, whether or not braces are needed. Scoliosis not only affects a child’s appearance, it also reduces the body’s awareness of normal posture, alters neuromuscular control of the spine, and creates muscle imbalance which affects muscle strength.

    How is idiopathic scoliosis treated in adults?

    When treating children or adolescent patients with scoliosis or other types of spine conditions, we expect responses in both the bones and soft tissues. As the bones of adult scoliosis patients would have reached maturity, we would only expect changes in the soft tissues, such as the muscles, ligaments, and joint capsule. 

    Although the curvature of the spine may not change significantly, overloading certain parts of the spine or related structures may lead to pain and movement restrictions. Therefore the main goals of treating adults with scoliosis are pain relief, body posture correction or maintenance, prevention of degeneration, and to optimize the body for an active lifestyle. This helps them to live a better, more comfortable and active life. Small changes to the supporting structures around the spine can make a huge difference in back or leg pain, and an improvement in quality of life. We encourage adults with scoliosis to seek early physiotherapy interventions to prevent further degeneration and reduction to movement capacity.

    Does yoga help in scoliosis?

    Yoga and pilates have been proven to offer great health benefits and pain relief to people with scoliosis. As an asymmetrical condition, scoliosis responds better to poses that focus on lengthening of the shorted/concave side, and strengthening of the weak/convex side.

    With a good understanding of the nature of the scoliosis curve, yoga and pilates can be used as a form of maintenance exercise.