Scoliosis Treatment

Scoliosis doesn’t just affect how your spine looks—it impacts how your body moves, balances, and feels. At Axis Health Center in Saskatoon, we provide personalized, conservative scoliosis care to help patients reduce pain, improve posture, and move more confidently.

Whether you’re a teenager diagnosed with scoliosis during growth or an adult dealing with chronic muscle strain or fatigue, our team can help. We combine chiropractic, physiotherapy, and spinal strengthening therapies to offer safe, non-surgical options for managing scoliosis.

What Is Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a condition where the spine curves sideways, often forming an “S” or “C” shape. While the exact cause of scoliosis is often unknown—especially in teens (idiopathic scoliosis)—it can also develop later in life due to age-related changes (degenerative scoliosis) or be present from birth (congenital scoliosis).

What makes scoliosis more than just a structural issue is the way it can affect muscle balance, joint movement, breathing, digestion and even heart function. In some early cases, scoliosis may cause no symptoms. In others, it can lead to persistent pain, fatigue, or compensation in other parts of the body.

How Scoliosis Affects the Whole Body

Even when the spinal curve is relatively mild, scoliosis can create uneven pressure on ribs, joints and muscles. Over time, this leads to muscular overuse, tightness, and compensations that show up elsewhere in the body.

Some common secondary effects of scoliosis include:

• Neck and shoulder tension, especially on the side that overcompensates for posture

• Headaches from altered spinal alignment and muscle strain

• Hip misalignment, where one side becomes elevated or rotated, affecting walking patterns

• Sciatica-like symptoms, including nerve irritation or numbness radiating into the legs

• Fatigue, especially in the lower back or upper traps from holding asymmetrical posture all day

These ripple effects can be subtle at first but become more pronounced over time without proper treatment. That’s why our team assesses not only the curve itself but the way your entire body responds to it.

How We Treat Scoliosis at Axis Health Center

We take a team-based, whole-body approach to scoliosis care. Our treatment plans are based on detailed assessments, lifestyle factors, and patient goals. You’ll work with professionals who understand how spinal curves affect joint movement, muscle control, and functional movement.

Each care plan is unique but often includes a combination of chiropractic care, physiotherapy, acupuncture and dry-needling, corrective movement, and appropriate, orthopedic bracing to help stabilize and straighten the spine. Check our blog about back braces in Saskatoon.

Chiropractic Care for Scoliosis

Our chiropractors play an important role in helping patients manage scoliosis-related dysfunction. Chiropractic treatment for scoliosis is aimed at improving spine and ribs mobility, reduce joint restrictions, and help manage symptoms like stiffness, muscle tightness, as well as hip and shoulder imbalances.

By addressing compensations in the spine, hips, or shoulders, chiropractic care can:

• Improve posture and mobility

• Relieve chronic tension and pressure in overworked muscles

• Improve spinal mechanics and rib function to relieve pressure on the lungs and heart

• Reduce headaches, neck strain, and tension in the upper back

We also assess how your body responds to movement and provide advice on day-to-day postural strategies that reduce asymmetrical loading.

Physiotherapy for Scoliosis and Spinal Strength

Physiotherapy focuses on restoring balanced movement, improving strength, and reducing strain caused by spinal asymmetry. It’s particularly valuable for adolescents with newly diagnosed scoliosis and adults dealing with chronic effects from long-standing curves.

Your treatment may involve:

• Targeted core stabilization exercises to support the spine

• Postural retraining to reduce overuse of certain muscles

• Stretching tight areas like the low back or hamstrings

• Breathing and rib cage mobility drills to expand thoracic function

• Gait and movement correction for hips, knees, and pelvis

Physiotherapy also plays a key role in preventing progression, especially for younger patients during growth spurts. We focus on empowering patients to manage their condition with active strategies—not just passive treatments.

Orthopedic Bracing for Scoliosis

For children and teens with moderate scoliosis, orthopedic bracing can be a critical tool to prevent the spinal curve from worsening. While it doesn’t reverse scoliosis, a properly fitted brace helps control the progression while the spine is still growing.

At Axis Health Center, we can measure and fit a custom back brace for scoliosis. Our role is to support your care plan with exercises and chiropractic adjustments while you wear the brace; helping you build strength and mobility.

For adults, soft bracing may offer short-term relief during flare-ups or periods of prolonged standing or lifting. We’ll help determine if this option is appropriate based on your specific situation.

When Is Scoliosis Surgery Considered?

Surgical intervention is usually only considered when the curve exceeds 40–50 degrees and continues to progress. In these cases, patients may experience significant deformity, chronic pain, or even organ compression.

Most people with scoliosis never require surgery if they begin chiropractic, physiotherapy and other therapies soon and manage the scoliosis. For those who do, our clinic supports both pre-operative and post-operative rehabilitation. Pre-surgery care builds strength, flexibility, and lung capacity to prepare the body. Post-surgery rehab helps restore movement, reduce scar tissue, and return to daily activities safely.

Our Patients: Who We Help

We work with patients at every stage of scoliosis care:

• Teens with early-stage scoliosis who need guidance on posture and movement

• Adults with chronic muscle tightness, fatigue, or referred symptoms

• Workers who experience imbalance or strain due to spinal asymmetry

• Patients considering or recovering from spinal surgery

• Those unsure whether their posture or symptoms relate to scoliosis

If you’re experiencing shoulder or hip misalignment, chronic tension, or balance issues, scoliosis may be contributing more than you think. Our assessment process can help clarify the root of your discomfort and build a plan forward.

Why Choose Axis Health Center?

Axis Health Center is a locally owned multidisciplinary clinic in the heart of Saskatoon. We combine physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, and exercise therapy under one roof—providing you with collaborative care that’s efficient and tailored.

We’ve helped many people in Saskatoon manage scoliosis without surgery, using education, movement, and hands-on care to reduce discomfort and improve function.

Our clinic offers:

• Chiropractic, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and massage at one location

• Convenient access with free parking

• Direct billing to most major insurers

• Knowledgeable staff familiar with SGI and WCB if your condition is linked to an accident or workplace injury

• A welcoming, patient-first environment focused on results, not sales

Insurance & Coverage

We provide direct billing for most insurance providers in Saskatchewan, including Blue Cross, Canada Life, Sun Life, Manulife, and others. If your scoliosis symptoms are related to a vehicle collision or work activity, we also accept SGI and WCB claims.

Book Your Scoliosis Assessment Today

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with scoliosis or have been living with it for years, Axis Health Center can help you take control of your spine health. Our team in Saskatoon is ready to guide you toward better posture, improved comfort, and greater body awareness—without the need for surgery.