One Side Down: The Causes and Solutions for Uneven Hip Dips

The hips are considered to be a component of the pelvis. When a person has hip dip on one side, also known as lateral pelvic tilt, one hip may sit higher than the other, and one hip may seem more rounded than the other. This condition is referred to as "lateral pelvic tilt." Scoliosis can be diagnosed based on several factors, including uneven hips.

Scoliosis is to blame for uneven hips because the aberrant spinal curvature is tugging on the pelvis and distorting its position, and this causes the hips to seem inconsistent. It is possible to correct the incorrect curve of the spine while simultaneously addressing the issue of unequal hips by employing proactive treatment based on chiropractic care.

When addressing the symptoms of scoliosis, such as unequal hips, individuals need to clearly understand the degree to which the spinal disease can differ from one individual to the next. Before we get into the intricacies of having unequal hips, let's talk about the aspects of the disorder that contribute to how visible the postural symptoms can be.

The Gravity Of The Condition

Scoliosis can affect a person's life in many different ways. Still, the severity of the disease is likely to have the most considerable influence on how they experience symptoms when they live with the disease. The severity of scoliosis can range from low to moderate to severe to extremely severe. The patient's scoliosis X-ray results determine where the problem falls on our severity scale for that particular ailment.

The scoliosis X-ray, in conjunction with a thorough physical examination of the patient and the recording of the patient's medical history, is the primary method by which we learn everything we need to know about a problem to treat it effectively. X-rays of a patient's spine during therapy for scoliosis help us diagnose, evaluate, and monitor the disease to see how the spine reacts to the treatment. A measurement called the "Cobb angle" is obtained by drawing intersecting lines from the tops and bottoms of the curvature's most-tilted vertebrae. Based on this measurement, it is possible to determine the severity of the ailment (bones of the spine).

The angle formed by the lines may be expressed as several degrees. The Cobb angle of a patient lets us determine where they fall on the severity spectrum of their ailment, ranging from mild to moderate to severe to extremely severe.

• Scoliosis is mild when the Cobb angle is measured between 10 and 25 degrees.
• A Cobb angle value of between 25 and 40 degrees is considered moderate scoliosis.
• A Cobb angle value of forty degrees or more indicates severe scoliosis.
• A Cobb angle reading of eighty degrees or more indicates highly severe scoliosis.

The severity of the ailment provides information about how serious a patient's illness is and assists in predicting expected symptoms and rates of progression. I say "likely" because even with this information, we still aren't able to predict with one hundred percent accuracy how a patient's body will respond to the condition and treatment, nor can we tell how quickly it will progress. I say "likely" because even with this information, we still can't predict how a patient's body will respond to the condition and treatment.

Symptoms associated with scoliosis, such as changes in posture, strongly depend on the degree of the problem. Scoliosis is a progressive disorder, which means that it becomes worse over time at different rates. Additionally, as a curvature grows in size and severity, its symptoms become more visible. Posture alteration is one of the scoliosis's most typical visual indications and symptoms. These postural changes can affect several different body parts, including the hips.

Signs And Symptoms Of Scoliosis That Might Be Seen

A patient's symptoms and visual alterations can differ substantially depending on the degree of curvature and the amount of curvature they experience, as was previously mentioned. Because adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (also known as AIS) is the most frequent form of the problem, accounting for 80 percent of all known diagnosed instances, we will concentrate on this particular kind of scoliosis for the reasons we have at the moment. Teenagers may diagnose scoliosis based on their posture, body symmetry, and the outward look of their shoulders, shoulder blades, back, and hips. These are the most apparent telltale indicators of the condition.

In addition, you may have noticed that the things you wore previously do not appear as comfortable as they once were. Necklines can look as though they've been pulled more to one side, and it's also possible for shirt sleeves and pant legs to look as though they're hanging lower on one side than the other. In addition, it is not uncommon to see that the distance between the arm and the body is significantly greater on one side than on the other.

The following are some additional indications and symptoms of scoliosis that are connected to posture:

• Asymmetrical ribs that stick out farther on one side than the other
• When the body is bent forward, the protruding ribs become more visible.
• Concerns of unevenness during the action
• Arms that are kept close to the sides and held firmly during movement
• It seems as though the head is not centered over the torso.
• One of the shoulders or the blade of the shoulder sitting higher than or more conspicuously than the other shoulder
• Legs that give the impression of being of varying lengths
• A tiled eye line
• A curved spine, mainly when the individual is in the bent-forward posture.
• One hip sits higher and looks rounder than the other due to an unbalanced hip structure.

Scoliosis can also cause non-visual symptoms such as trouble with balance and coordination, exhaustion and lethargy, and discomfort in the back and shoulders (in adults). Because children and adolescents (those aged 10 to 18) have not yet reached skeletal maturity, most adolescents with scoliosis do not report any pain associated with the condition. Growing spines constantly extend, and this motion works to offset the compression generated by an aberrant spinal curvature, which is the underlying source of discomfort associated with scoliosis.

Scoliosis is a painful condition for adults because the spine and its associated arteries, nerves, and muscles are susceptible to compression after achieving skeletal maturity. As a result, adults with scoliosis suffer from discomfort. What should you do after noticing the symptoms of scoliosis, such as unequal hips, and getting an official diagnosis of the condition?

Selecting An Appropriate Scoliosis Treatment Strategy

If you or a family member has been diagnosed with scoliosis, the next step is to decide on the treatment strategy you will follow. Because various treatment modalities lead to multiple results, this crossroads represents a significant decision point for anybody who has scoliosis.

Traditional and functional therapy modalities are the primary options for patients seeking care.

A Traditional Approach

Even though the conventional method of treating scoliosis has been the most common method for treating the condition for a considerable amount of time, this does not always indicate that it is the best choice; luckily, it is no longer the only alternative. The problem with this strategy is that it directs patients toward spinal-fusion surgery, primarily guided by the end objective of traditional scoliosis treatment, which is to slow down or stop the progression of the condition.

There is no need to have "correction" as the end aim of treatment to manage progression, even if it is an essential part of other treatment methods, including mine. However, managing progression is a fundamental part of my treatment approach. In the traditional process, patients with mild disease are typically advised to watch and wait to see whether the problem worsens. However, because this is a progressive ailment, we know that almost every instance will occasionally decline.

We also know that teenagers who are beginning puberty or are already going through it are likely to have sudden and unpredictable growth spurts. We know that growth is the primary factor that causes progression. Patients with mild curvatures are instructed to return for X-rays regularly in the conventional treatment method. Depending on the doctor, they can occur every three months to every year, or even more frequently. An enormous growth surge might happen in a teenager at such times, and the progression of their curvature can directly result from this growth.

Bracing is the only proactive treatment utilized in the conventional technique before a patient approaches that surgical-level threshold. At this point, spinal fusion is indicated as the best alternative. The classic braces known as Boston and Milwaukee utilized in this method do not have a correction as their final objective but rather the stopping of development. Surgery has the same end goal as regular braces. There is a significant gap between just preventing an illness from growing worse and genuinely addressing the issues that led to its development in the first place.

In addition, spinal fusion is a permanent procedure that is both expensive and invasive, and it carries with it the potential for various unfavorable side effects and the possibility of problems. Fortunately, as our knowledge of scoliosis has progressed, so have the treatment choices made accessible to people suffering from the condition.

My preference is for a different strategy that is less intrusive, integrative, and more proactive and has the objective of correcting and improving function as its ultimate destination. In addition, several individuals are dissatisfied with the outcomes of the spinal fusion procedure on multiple levels, including those about beauty.

Why Does Scoliosis Surgery Not Correct An Uneven Hip Alignment?

People opt to have scoliosis surgery for various reasons, but one of the most common is aesthetic. In other words, patients want their bodies to look the same as before they were diagnosed with scoliosis. However, this isn't always a reasonable expectation. In addition, the final objective of scoliosis surgery, which is to arrest the growth of the condition, is not assured either.

The aesthetic consequences of fusing a scoliotic spine can vary depending on several circumstances. Several factors can predict how a patient's general posture and body symmetry will adapt after surgery, including the severity of the ailment, the patient's age, the kind of condition, and where the curvature was placed along the spine. Many patients are dissatisfied with the fact that they do not seem the same as they did before the commencement of their scoliosis; nevertheless, fusing the spine is not the same as fixing the aberrant curvature of the spine. I have to remind individuals of this fact when they express their disappointment.

Additionally, it may take time for the body to adjust to its new position after surgery. The potential effects also rely on the location along the spine where curvatures are present. Lumbar curvatures, which are found in the lower back, can generate an excessive pelvic tilt, which makes it more challenging to restore even the hips. As a result, the pelvic tilt was more pronounced after the fusion. Spinal fusion surgery focuses on the spine, and therefore. At the same time, it may be possible for the procedure to correct a curved spine by keeping it in place successfully. Still, it is not always possible for the system to restore symmetry in other connected parts of the body, including the hips.

Approach To Treatment That Is Functional

At the hipdips, I provide patients and their families with a completely new treatment strategy that has a possible outcome dependent on the patient's ability to straighten their scoliosis and perform their daily functions. Although controlling advancement is a significant component of my strategy, achieving correction is the objective I'm shooting for in the end.

Consequently, the conventional method offers little benefit in straightening a curved spine or preventing the curvature from worsening. All it does is retain the spine in its corrected position by artificial means (attaching hardware to the spine until the vertebrae are fused). My functional approach is based on chiropractic and prioritizes maintaining the spine's general function rather than the amount of curvature. As a result, patients can lead a better quality of life in the future with a more practical spine. As the underlying cause of the postural changes is addressed proactively and effectively on a structural level, related symptoms, such as uneven hips, are improved throughout the process as we work toward a curvature reduction. Associated symptoms include a decrease in the amount of curvature in the spine.

Explain How Uneven Hips Can Be Caused By Scoliosis.

Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine that can occur in either direction and might involve rotation. As was stated, this is a progressive ailment, which means that it is inherent to the disease to deteriorate with time. When the pelvis, which links to the spine and hips, leans to one side rather than forwards or rearward, an individual may experience unequal hips. This condition is sometimes referred to as "lateral pelvic tilt." Because of this tilt, the top hip will move upwards while the bottom hip will move downwards.

Because of this postural change, the hips are no longer parallel to the ground, and the shoulders are above them; this is why uneven hips often occur alongside uneven shoulders; when one hip is pulled downwards, the shoulder on the same side of the body is pulled upwards. When this postural change happens, the hips no longer sit parallel to the ground, and the shoulders are above them. It is common for associated postural abnormalities, such as unequal hips and shoulders, to become more pronounced as a curvature advances and grows in size. The irregular forces applied to the body due to the curvature also increase.

When it comes to the hips, unequal hips are one of the most visible signs of AIS. For the hips to be level, they should be level. When a scoliotic spine curves and twists, it pushes on the ribs and pelvis, which distorts their position. One hip may appear higher or rounder, while the other seems flattered. Because of the asymmetrical stress distribution, it imposes on the body, scoliosis can result in unequal hips. To go back to the therapy, let's talk about how proactive treatment addresses unequal hips.

How Is It Possible To Treat Uneven Hips Caused By Scoliosis?

The most important thing to fix unequal hips caused by scoliosis is to treat the condition itself, which is the underlying cause. At the Center, we address unequal hips and other related postural scoliosis symptoms by first and foremost influencing the disease on a structural level. As a result, we can treat the condition more comprehensively.

Due to the structural basis of scoliosis, the therapy must focus on correcting this aspect of the condition to be effective. We aim to reduce the aberrant curvature of the spine by using a functional approach based on chiropractic. We also work towards developing core strength so that the muscles connected to the spine can better support and stabilize it.

My objective is to rectify the incorrect curvature and restore as many healthy curves in the spine as possible to enhance the biomechanics of the spine. The negative pressure generating the associated pelvic tilt is eased when an aberrant curvature is lessened, and the hips can begin to settle back into an equal posture. When the unequal forces applied to the body due to the scoliotic spine are reduced, the associated postural symptoms also improve.

As a chiropractor specializing in treating scoliosis, my primary focus is correcting the scoliotic spine's misalignment using specific chiropractic adjustments. With these adjustments, the vertebrae of the curvature will be aligned correctly. It can improve alignment outcomes by doing exercises and stretches unique to scoliosis. These exercises and stretches should aim to relax the associated muscles so that the spine can get support and stabilization from the surrounding muscles.

Conclusion

Scoliosis is a complicated and progressive spinal disorder that can present itself in various ways and have a wide range of severity levels. Unequal hips are one of the most prevalent symptoms of scoliosis. They arise due to aberrant spinal curvature, which causes unpleasant spinal tension and uneven pressures to be applied to the body.

When hips are equal, they form a straight line parallel to the shoulders above and the ground below. out-of-alignment spinal structures can pull on the rib cage and pelvis, which can cause them to shift out of place and cause one hip to sit higher than the other. We address the underlying structural basis of the illness with a proactive functional chiropractic-centered approach. This way, we can treat symptoms associated with scoliosis, such as unequal hips.

Chiropractic care, in-office therapy, custom-prescribed home exercises, and specialist corrective bracing are some treatment modalities that may be used here at the hip dips to get the most individualized and beneficial outcomes.