Stacey Adams has known for years she has scoliosis but it didn’t stop her from practicing yoga.

“I don’t have pain, just achiness,” Adams, 45, said.

An X-ray in 2004 showed a 40-degree abnormal curve in her spine. Family members would comment about the sideways “S” curve in her spine when she wore a bathing suit. Clothes sometimes hung awkwardly.

In 2008, another X-ray showed her scoliosis had progressed to 49 degrees. That raised her concern.

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that can occur in children during a growth spurt, afflicting girls more than boys. Most causes are unknown.

In some cases, scoliosis is caused by neuromuscular diseases. In adults, scoliosis is often due to trauma or degenerative issues.

When Adams’ husband learned his chiropractor was hiring someone trained in a non-surgical and non-bracing treatment approach for scoliosis, she decided to give it a try.

Dr. Diana Doty, a chiropractor who recently joined Hiler Chiropractic Clinic in Naples, offers the alternative treatment, a combination of machine-based ligament stretching, chiropractic adjustments and exercises aimed to correct the curve over time. The treatment is promoted by the nonprofit Clear Institute, based in St. Cloud, Minn.

“The Clear Institute isn’t a technique,” Doty, 26, said. “It is a combination of techniques to get scoliosis patients better.”

She acknowledges that traditional medicine, in which pediatric orthopedic surgeons monitor children or treat them with bracing or surgery, are dismissive of alternative approaches. The Clear Institute is trying to make its protocol an acceptable option, she said, adding that both children and adults can benefit.

“We are attempting to get this mainstream,” Doty said.

Many parents don’t want their child with severe scoliosis to go through the risks of surgery, when steel rods are implanted and the spine is fused, or to go through the frustration and embarrassment of bracing, she said.

Adults with degenerative scoliosis want relief from pain and other problems that can arise. In general, orthopedic surgeons oppose chiropractors and the Clear Institute, she said.

“They see us as competition and there is a bias against the chiropractic community,” Doty said.

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Adams, who travels by air frequently for her work developing online educational materials for teachers, began her treatment with Doty last month.

After X-rays were taken during the initial visit, Doty instructed her through a series of exercises. Some of it involved equipment to stretch ligaments in the neck and spine so they can slowly change shape.

One piece of equipment is a vibrating traction machine, which places Adams on her back with a strap under her chin. A 5-pound weight is attached to the strap, which dangles off the table behind her neck. The table vibrates the neck to loosen the muscles.

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