The vast majority of patients at our clinic have x-rays taken as part of their initial evaluation. This allows us to identify the overall condition of your spine, and reveals any underlying tissue damage or degeneration. Along with that, we often see structural changes and abnormalities. When it comes to curves in the spine, what is normal and what is not?
Your neck, mid back, and low back all have normal curves to them. Being completely straight would be terrible for your back!
Here are the normal curves and the degrees they should be:
- Cervical Lordosis 20-30 degrees. (Neck)
- Thoracic Kyphosis 20-40 degrees. (Mid back)
- Lumbar Lordosis 20-40 degrees. (Low back)
- Sacral Curve from natural shape. (Tailbone)
What happens when curves are abnormal?
The shape of the spine develops throughout our childhood as we transition from lying down, to crawling, to standing and walking.
This is why allowing kids to transition between these stages at a normal pace is so important! Rushing any of these steps can result in muscles or the spine itself not developing optimally.
Any time we do have changes like the ones shown in the image below, it results in altered biomechanics. Your joints and muscles will have to move differently and adapt. The potential for abnormal/accelerated degeneration or pressure on the nervous system is there, but usually it depends on the severity of the change or abnormality.
What can we do about it?
While we are still kids or teenagers, our spine is still in development. It is possible to make big positive changes before our skeletons are matured. Some of the treatment options include:
- Chiropractic Care.
- Physical Therapy.
- Bracing when appropriate.
- Surgery in severe cases.
For adults, our goals become more about minimizing discomfort, taking pressure off the nervous system structures, and preventing the changes from getting worse with age.
Curvatures and Chiropractic Care
At the end of the day, our concern as chiropractors is always nerve flow. We may not be able to “fix” the abnormal curvatures we find. What we can do is adapt our treatment and techniques used to minimize symptoms and make sure no power from the brain is getting choked off anywhere in the body and ensure that all the information that needs to can get back to the brain from the body itself.
