The CLEAR Scoliosis Protocol in Charlotte, NC: Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC

By Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC, Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center, Charlotte, NC · Last reviewed October 27, 2026

Most families who come to Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center in Charlotte have been told to watch and wait or to consider surgery. Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC is a Senior Fellow of the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute and holds a seat on its Board of Directors. This page explains what each part of the CLEAR protocol does, what has and has not been shown in published research, and how a program runs at Clear Life.

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What the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute is

CLEAR stands for Chiropractic, Leadership, Educational, Advancement and Research. The institute was founded in 2000 by Dennis Woggon, DC, and is a nonprofit that trains and certifies chiropractors in its scoliosis method; certified doctors may call their clinics CLEAR Scoliosis Centers (CLEAR Institute). The institute states that CLEAR Scoliosis Centers are privately owned and that clinical decisions belong to the treating doctor.

Woggon invented several devices used in the protocol, including a whole-body vibration platform, vibrating traction, and the scoliosis traction chair; the institute states he takes no royalties from their sales (CLEAR biography). That is worth knowing when you read claims about the equipment.

What each component does, and how strong the rationale is

The protocol is described in a paper presented at the 2013 SOSORT congress (Woggon and Martinez), and the published two-week program by Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC and colleagues used mechanical traction, Mirror Image positioning, proprioceptive neuromuscular training, whole-body vibration, and corrective exercise (Whelan, Paige, and Dick, 2026).

Whole-body vibration. The patient stands or sits on a vibrating platform at the start of the session. The proposed purpose is neuromuscular: reducing guarding and asymmetric muscle tone so that the corrective work that follows meets less resistance. I cannot point to a trial that isolates the contribution of vibration to curve change in scoliosis, so this is a mechanistic rationale.

Traction and corrective positioning. The spine is loaded and held in positions chosen from the patient's own radiographs, opposite the curve pattern, with time and position progressed as tolerance improves. The proposed mechanism is the viscoelastic response of spinal soft tissue to sustained load. Published reports measure radiographic change; they do not measure ligament tissue. Positional discomfort is common early. Sharp pain, numbness, or any new neurological symptom is reported at once and the setup is changed.

Scoliosis-specific exercise and neuromuscular training. Exercises are prescribed for the curve type and performed in corrected positions, and they become the home program. Physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise is the conservative treatment with the most guideline attention; the 2016 SOSORT guidelines include 12 recommendations on it during growth (Negrini et al.).

Spinal adjusting. Adjustments are directed by the radiographic findings and placed early in the session to increase motion before traction and exercise. Adjusting alone is not a scoliosis treatment, and the protocol does not use it that way.

Cervical evaluation. Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC's retrospective cross-sectional analysis in Cureus reported loss of cervical lordosis across the adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis studied (doi:10.7759/cureus.91098). That is an association in a cross-sectional sample. It supports evaluating the neck in every scoliosis patient; it does not show that the neck drives the curve.

What the published evidence shows

The research listed by the CLEAR Institute consists of a protocol description, case reports, case series including a two-week series in seven patients, and a safety survey (CLEAR research page). I found no randomized controlled trial of the CLEAR protocol.

The intensive-format paper co-authored by Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC reported two adolescents with Lenke 5C curves who completed 20 sessions over two weeks, with ScoliBrace fitted during week two (PMC12866304). In case 1, the lumbar curve measured 35.7 degrees before, 21.7 after the intensive, and 10.4 at 12 months, a 71% reduction ((35.7 minus 10.4) divided by 35.7 equals 0.709). Two cases cannot estimate how often this happens, and with a brace worn after the intensive, the result reflects the combined program, and the separate contribution of CLEAR care cannot be isolated.

For context, rigid bracing has randomized evidence. In BrAIST (New England Journal of Medicine, 2013), 72% of braced high-risk adolescents avoided progression to 50 degrees, against 48% under observation; more hours of wear meant higher success (PubMed 24047455). That is why bracing stays on the table for growing patients at Clear Life when the curve and maturity call for it.

Evidence tier: CLEAR, case-level. Bracing, randomized and controlled cohort evidence. PSSE, guideline-supported. A family deciding between options deserves to see those tiers side by side.

How a CLEAR program runs at Clear Life in Charlotte

The first visit includes weight-bearing radiographs, Cobb angle measurement, curve classification, skeletal maturity staging, and a neurological screen. Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC reads and measures the radiographs and reviews the findings with the patient and family, including whether bracing is indicated.

Treatment follows three phases. The mobility phase uses tools such as the scoliosis traction chair, vibrating and standing vibrating traction, the Denneroll traction table, and flexion-distraction. The adjusting phase uses structural adjusting by hand, drop table, or instrument. The stability phase uses body weight and lever arm systems, the Scoliroll, self-corrective exercises, and, when indicated, ScoliBrace. Repeat radiographs at defined intervals document whether the curve changed, with the number of exposures kept to what the clinical decision requires.

Two formats are offered. The intensive format runs daily sessions over one to two weeks, matching the 20-session, two-week program in the published report, followed by a home program and monitoring visits; it suits families traveling to Charlotte. The standard format runs two to three sessions per week over a longer period for patients who live nearby. After corrective care, patients move to wellness care.

Adults with scoliosis

Adult goals differ. In skeletally mature patients, stabilizing the curve, reducing pain, and improving function are more realistic aims than large Cobb angle reduction, and the protocol is adjusted to adult tissue tolerance.

Frequently asked questions

What is the CLEAR scoliosis protocol?

The CLEAR protocol is a non-surgical, multimodal chiropractic scoliosis program developed by the nonprofit CLEAR Scoliosis Institute, founded in 2000 by Dennis Woggon, DC. It combines whole-body vibration, traction and corrective positioning, scoliosis-specific exercise, neuromuscular training, and spinal adjusting, in intensive two-week or standard formats.

Is the CLEAR protocol available in Charlotte, NC?

Yes. Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC, a Senior Fellow of the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute with a seat on its Board of Directors, offers intensive and standard CLEAR programs at Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center, 8814 Rachel Freeman Way, Suite 103, Charlotte, NC 28278. Call 980-368-0766.

What evidence supports the CLEAR protocol?

Published evidence consists of case reports, case series, a protocol description, and a safety survey. A 2026 Cureus report of two adolescents with Lenke 5C curves treated with a two-week CLEAR intensive plus ScoliBrace documented a lumbar curve change from 35.7 to 10.4 degrees at 12 months in one case. The CLEAR Institute's research list includes no randomized trial.

Is the CLEAR protocol better than bracing?

There is no head-to-head trial. Rigid bracing has randomized evidence: in BrAIST (NEJM 2013), 72% of braced high-risk adolescents avoided progression to 50 degrees versus 48% under observation. At Clear Life in Charlotte, NC, Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC combines CLEAR care and bracing when a growing patient's curve calls for a brace.

What is the difference between intensive and standard CLEAR programs?

Intensive programs run daily sessions over one to two weeks, followed by a home program and monitoring visits, and suit patients traveling to Charlotte. Standard programs run two to three sessions per week over a longer period for patients who live nearby. Both use the same components.

Does the CLEAR protocol work for adults?

Adults can be treated, but goals differ. In skeletally mature patients, curve stabilization, pain reduction, and better function are more realistic than large Cobb angle reduction. The published CLEAR evidence for adults is case-level.

How is progress measured in the CLEAR protocol?

Progress is measured with repeat weight-bearing radiographs and Cobb angle measurement at defined intervals, alongside symptoms and function. The number of radiographs is kept to what the clinical decision requires.

Sources

1. CLEAR Scoliosis Institute, Ask a CLEAR Doctor (founding, certification, nonprofit status)
2. CLEAR Scoliosis Institute, biography of Dennis Woggon, DC (equipment and royalties statement)
3. Woggon AJ, Martinez DA. Chiropractic treatment of idiopathic scoliosis with the CLEAR Institute method: a description of the protocol and the tenets behind its application (SOSORT 2013)
4. CLEAR Scoliosis Institute, research on CLEAR scoliosis treatment
5. Whelan J, Paige P, Dick JM. A non-surgical multimodal approach to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (Lenke 5C) using an intensive two-week CLEAR Institute protocol: a report of two cases. Cureus. 2026;18(1):e102006
6. Dick JM. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of abnormal cervical mechanics in patients with scoliosis. Cureus. doi:10.7759/cureus.91098
7. Negrini S et al. 2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth. Scoliosis Spinal Disord. 2018;13:3
8. Weinstein SL et al. Effects of bracing in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(16):1512-21

Related pages

• CLEAR scoliosis care program
• About scoliosis
• Treatment options
• Bracing for scoliosis
• ScoliBrace in Charlotte
• SpineCor in Charlotte
• Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) in Charlotte
• Schroth and SEAS exercise in context
• Research and evidence
• Published research of Dr. Justin M. Dick, DC
• A non-surgical multimodal approach to AIS (Lenke 5C) using an intensive two-week CLEAR protocol: a report of two cases
• Reduction of AIS: 13-month follow-up
• Reduction of AIS utilizing the labyrinthine righting reflex
• A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of abnormal cervical mechanics in patients with scoliosis
• Scoliosis second opinion in Charlotte
• Questions and answers
• Book your evaluation