Can Scoliosis Affect Digestion?

Every year, more than 20 million people in the US alone experience severe and chronic digestive upset, stomach disease, and pain. It’s important to note that many people don’t report their digestive difficulties to medical professionals, instead, using over-the-counter medications to temporarily treat their discomfort. Socially, digestive distress is viewed as commonplace and normal.

There are lots of non-prescription medications available over-the-counter to treat a variety of digestive problems. These include frequent nausea, acid reflux, and other digestive pain. Digestive pain can often lead to other discomfort and disorders, which may manifest as back pain, chest pain, headaches and migraines, anxiety, and irregular heart-rate.

This is only one of the ways that digestive problems can negatively impact quality of life. Scoliosis is an abnormal, S-shaped curve in the spine.

When scoliosis occurs, sometimes the abnormal curvature in the spine can place pressure on the digestive organs and digestive system. Even if the curve is not severe enough to directly impact the organs, it can inhibit the function of the nerves around the spine.

It can also inhibit communication between the enteric nervous system, which is responsible for digestive function. If you’ve asked “can scoliosis affect digestion?”, the answer is “yes.” Scoliosis can affect almost every organ in the body, as well as every body system.

Common Digestive Problems

Many digestive problems cause pain, anxiety, and general discomfort across the entire body. These problems typically overlap one another, because they may have the same origin, or because one can lead to the next.

Chronic acid reflux can lead to regular nausea, which can contribute to causing anxiety. Anxiety can also contribute to acid reflux and nausea. The nervous system and the digestive system are closely related. Common digestive problems are constipation, diarrhea, IBS, GERD, acid reflux, Crohn’s, and hemorrhoids.

It’s common for digestive problems to be attributed to dietary concerns, but diet is not the only factor that influences and causes digestive distress. Digestion is closely linked to the central nervous system, which is controlled by the spine and the brain.

The Role of the Central Nervous System

The nervous system is made up of the central and peripheral nervous system, which comprise the brain, spine, and the nerves of the entire body. The enteric nervous system is part of the central nervous system, which sends information back and forth from the gastrointestinal tract to the brain and spine.

The enteric nervous system is intricate and advanced at determining when to activate or stop digestive processes. It contains over 600 million neurons, which is one of the reasons it’s often referred to as the second brain of the body.

Not surprisingly, digestion and mental health, as well as nervous system health, are closely related to each other. Because the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system are closely linked, the condition and shape of the spine can be very impactful on the function of your digestion.

For this reason, correcting scoliosis and other spinal deformities can often lead to significant relief from digestive problems. Scoliosis correction works on the enteric nervous system by reducing pressure and inflammation from misaligned bones and joints.

When scoliosis is corrected, it can create a balancing effect on the nervous system. Patients who have experienced scoliosis correction report feeling relief from a variety of conditions like anxiety, mental fog, and nervousness, but also from digestive disorders like GERD, acid reflux, constipation, nausea, diarrhea, and Crohn’s.

Scoliosis, Back Pain and Digestion

If you’re experiencing scoliosis and suspect that it may be contributing to back pain, scoliosis expert Dr. Katalina Dean of the Scoliosis Center of Utah is prepared to provide you with a completely individualized treatment plan intended to help correct the shape of your spine.

Scoliosis can cause back pain and digestive distress. Conditions like constipation, acid reflux, Crohn’s, IBS, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, incontinence and gas can all contribute to back pain, in addition to the back pain that can be caused by the abnormal curvature of scoliosis.

Because the nervous system, the spine, and digestive tract are all so closely interconnected, treating one can help to relieve symptoms in the other. Similarly, when one of the systems is in distress, the other systems can also be negatively affected.

The Difference Between Direct and Indirect Pain

Scoliosis can cause direct pain by pressing on the digestive tract. In severe cases, this can impede digestion and make the stomach and other digestive organs less functional.

Scoliosis can also cause indirect pain, not by putting pressure on the digestive tract, but by inflaming the nerves that communicate with the gastrointestinal organs. This can contribute to a general feeling of unease, in addition to digestive disorders.

Treatment at the Scoliosis Center of Utah

At the Scoliosis Center of Utah, we are proud to offer the highest quality of corrective care available for scoliosis. In addition to offering Chiropractic BioPhysics®, which is a unique form of scoliosis correction that can help to move the bones and joints long term, we also offer the ScoliBrace® for qualifying patients.

The ScoliBrace® can help to actually reverse the progress of scoliosis, rather than simply pause the worsening of spinal deformation like braces offered by traditional medicine. At the Scoliosis Center of Utah, we use non-invasive techniques to allow the body to heal and rebalance itself.

The back pain experts at Scoliosis Center of Utah serve the entire Midvale community to help those suffering from discomfort and scoliosis-related pain to begin living their most healthful, balanced, vitalic lives.

If you’re looking for scoliosis treatment in Midvale, Utah, and have been experiencing back pain or digestive distress that you suspect may be connected to scoliosis, it may be time to book your appointment.

Chiropractic BioPhysics® and ScoliBrace® customized treatment plans have helped thousands of patients experience relief from their symptoms and conditions connected to scoliosis.

This includes digestive distress and other conditions like migraines, headaches, and more. If you’re ready to begin your own journey to health and well-being, call us today to schedule your consultation.