Question
My daughter is 13 and a half and has been complaining of back pain for a while now. She has begun to have migraines as of around 6 months ago which I had put down to puberty. I chanced upon a zigzag alignment of around 8 vertebrae around the small of her back and noticed yesterday that she has similar issues between her shoulder blades as well with around 8 vertebrae affected. The effect is that alternate vertebrae are to one side with the remaining to the other. She swims regularly (training), does karate and street dancing. She has a recurrent (for the past 8 years) cruciate injury to her left knee (cause unknown -she said she went over on the side of her foot whilst walking between two classrooms on the level) which means that she cannot straighten her leg without pain. She often (chooses to?) limp.

The doctor thus far has said 'scoliosis' but I do not see any signs of either a C or an S.  Might chiropractic help or acupuncture or ?

Answer
Hi Kathryn,

Chiropractic sounds like a necessity for this kid.  With all of that activity you wonder where the cruciate strain comes from?  Holy smokes.

First, the bumps down the middle of the back are known as spinous processes.  They often grow crooked.  So don't get too worried at that alone.  

Estimating scoliosis without a standing xray is just a guess.  Often scoliosis is not all that important.  2% of females have a notable one.  

My best advice is to get a Chiropractic consultation.  They can evaluate the scoliosis to see if there is reason for concern.  Cervical treatment can often help migraines a great deal.  Many Chiropractic docs are conversant with extremities and can help with the knee as well.

The doc will be able to give guidance about what other professions might add to the improvement of your daughter.

Hope this helps.