Patients researching non-surgical scoliosis care in Charlotte, NC often run into the acronym CLEAR without much explanation of what it actually is. Dr. Justin Dick, DC, owner of Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center, is a Fellow of the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute and serves on its Board of Directors, and the protocol framework behind his own published research traces directly back to that organization. This page explains what the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute is, what Dr. Dick's specific role within it involves, and exactly what our own published research under a CLEAR-based protocol does and does not establish.

What Is the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute?

The CLEAR Scoliosis Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by Dr. Dennis Woggon, a Palmer College of Chiropractic graduate with more than four decades of clinical experience in spinal rehabilitation. CLEAR stands for Chiropractic Leadership, Educational Advancement, and Research. The organization was not originally built around scoliosis specifically; it grew into a scoliosis-focused research and education body after a large number of scoliosis patients began seeking out its founder for care in its early years. CLEAR itself does not treat patients directly. Instead, it develops a structural chiropractic protocol for scoliosis, teaches that protocol to doctors of chiropractic through postgraduate coursework sponsored by accredited chiropractic universities, and functions as a research and education network connecting independently owned and operated clinics around the world.

Dr. Dennis Woggon retired from clinical practice in May 2024 and passed away in September 2024. The organization he founded continues to operate as a chiropractic scoliosis research and education network.

Learn more directly from the organization at clear-institute.org.

Dr. Justin Dick's Role at CLEAR

Dr. Justin Dick holds a Fellowship with the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute and serves on its Board of Directors. That is a governance and leadership role within the organization, distinct from simply having completed CLEAR's postgraduate coursework. At Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center in Charlotte, NC, Dr. Justin Dick applies the structural rehabilitation framework associated with CLEAR, which centers on mechanical traction, corrective positioning, proprioceptive neuromuscular training, and manipulation aimed at measurable Cobb angle change, and he has published peer-reviewed clinical research documenting outcomes under that framework.

How the CLEAR Framework Shows Up in Our Published Research

Dr. Justin Dick has multiple peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed publications documenting outcomes under a CLEAR-based treatment protocol at Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center. In a case report co-authored with Sandy Spurgeon, a 14-year-old male with severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, Risser 2, presenting with a 42.4 degree Cobb angle, was followed through 13 months of consistent adherence to the Clear Life Scoliosis Reduction treatment plan. His Cobb angle was reduced to 23.8 degrees, alongside improvements in mobility, chest expansion, and respiratory capacity. In a separate case series, two adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients with Lenke 5C curve patterns completed a two-week intensive CLEAR Institute protocol of 20 sessions, with bracing introduced during week two. One case showed a lumbar Cobb angle reduction holding at a 71 percent total reduction at 12 months, and the second held at a 60 percent total reduction at 12 months.

I want to state plainly what this research is and is not. These are case reports and a small case series from a single treating clinic, not randomized controlled trials, and they have not yet been independently replicated by other CLEAR-affiliated or non-affiliated researchers. Bracing was introduced concurrently in the intensive protocol cases, so the correction in those cases cannot be attributed to manual protocol elements alone. The CLEAR Scoliosis Institute's own published materials describe broader outcome claims across its network of doctors, but I am not going to cite figures I cannot independently verify from a peer-reviewed source. What I can stand behind is what has actually been published, peer-reviewed, and indexed on PubMed under my own name.

Sources: Reduction of AIS: A 13-Month Follow-Up · Lenke 5C Intensive Two-Week CLEAR Institute Protocol Case Series

Conservative Scoliosis Pathways at a Glance

Pathway	Basis	Evidence Tier	Honest Note
Observation only	Standard of care for small, stable curves	Longitudinal cohort data	Appropriate only for curves and growth stages with low progression risk
Bracing	SOSORT-endorsed for curves generally above 25° during growth	Multiple RCTs, SOSORT guidelines	Most externally validated conservative option for larger growing curves
CLEAR-based structural rehabilitation (Clear Life)	CLEAR Scoliosis Institute protocol framework	Case reports, small case series (Dr. Dick's own published work)	Single-clinic data, not yet independently replicated, often combined with bracing

Why This Matters When Choosing a Provider

Plenty of chiropractic clinics use scoliosis-related marketing language without a clear description of what organization trained them, what that organization's role actually is, or what has been independently published about outcomes. Dr. Justin Dick's Fellowship and Board of Directors service with the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute is a matter of institutional record, and his published research is indexed on PubMed and open for any physician, physical therapist, or skeptical parent to read in full. That transparency is the standard I hold this page to.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does CLEAR stand for?

CLEAR stands for Chiropractic Leadership, Educational Advancement, and Research. The CLEAR Scoliosis Institute is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 that develops and teaches a structural chiropractic protocol for scoliosis.

Does the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute treat patients directly?

No. The CLEAR Scoliosis Institute trains doctors of chiropractic and functions as a research and education network. Treatment is delivered at independently owned and operated clinics, such as Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center in Charlotte, NC.

What is Dr. Justin Dick's role at the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute?

Dr. Justin Dick, DC is a Fellow of the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute and serves on its Board of Directors, a governance and leadership role distinct from simply completing the organization's coursework.

Has Dr. Dick published research on the CLEAR protocol?

Yes. Dr. Justin Dick has multiple peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed publications on outcomes under a CLEAR-based protocol, including a 13-month follow-up case report and a two-case intensive protocol series, both produced at Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center in Charlotte, NC.

Is CLEAR-based chiropractic care backed by randomized controlled trials?

Not yet. The published evidence specific to the CLEAR protocol, including Dr. Dick's own research, is at the case report and small case series level, which is a lower evidence tier than a randomized controlled trial.

Where is Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center located?

Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center is located at 8814 Rachel Freeman Way, Suite 103, Charlotte, NC 28278, and can be reached at 980-368-0766.

Serving Charlotte and Surrounding Areas

Dr. Justin Dick and Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center in Charlotte, NC treat patients traveling from Huntersville, Ballantyne, Matthews, Concord, Mooresville, Rock Hill SC, and Fort Mill SC.