Published Scoliosis Research Charlotte NC | CLEAR Senior Fellow

Q: Has Dr. Justin Dick, DC published peer-reviewed research on scoliosis?

Yes. Dr. Justin Dick, DC has published peer-reviewed papers since 2017, with seven indexed in PubMed through Cureus and one in the Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. The Cureus papers include case reports, case series, and a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 37 patients. The cross-sectional paper is also included in the published proceedings of the 21st International Research and Philosophy Symposium at Sherman College of Chiropractic. No randomized controlled trials are included.

Q: What does Dr. Dick's research focus on?

Three areas. Non-surgical management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, including Cobb angle reduction and long-term follow-up. Cervical sagittal alignment and its relationship to global spinal balance. Conservative structural rehabilitation after motor vehicle collision in adult and geriatric patients.

Q: What can case reports and case series actually show?

Case reports and case series document what happened in individual patients and generate hypotheses for larger studies. They cannot establish that a treatment caused the observed change, and findings do not generalize to other patients without prospective controlled research. This limit is stated in each published paper.

Q: Where can I verify Dr. Dick's publications?

PubMed (search string: Dick JM), PubMed Central, Cureus, Google Scholar, ORCID 0009-0001-2794-2159, ResearchGate, Semantic Scholar, Web of Science, Scilit, SciProfiles, OiPub, and the Index to Chiropractic Literature. Each DOI on this page resolves to the full text.

Q: How accurate is the Cobb angle measurement in these papers?

Morrissy et al. (1990) found the 95 percent confidence limit for repeat Cobb measurement by the same observer was 4.9 degrees when end vertebrae were chosen freely, and 6.3 to 7.2 degrees between observers. Changes under approximately 5 degrees on repeat films can fall within measurement error. Reported changes in these papers are presented in context of that range.

Q: Does Clear Life Scoliosis treat patients from outside Charlotte?

Yes. Clear Life is at 8814 Rachel Freeman Way Ste 103, Charlotte, NC 28278-9570. Patients travel from across the Carolinas and beyond for intensive-protocol scoliosis evaluation and post-collision workups. No referral is required. Online booking is at clearlifescoliosis.janeapp.com.

Published Scoliosis Research by Dr. Justin Dick, DC

CLEAR Institute Board Member with peer-reviewed published scoliosis research practicing in the Carolinas, Winner of an Honorable Mention Award IRAPS 2026 Sherman College of Chiropractic.

By Dr. Justin Dick, DC, Senior Fellow and Board Member of the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute. Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center, Charlotte, NC. Updated November 4, 2026.

Direct answer: Dr. Justin Dick, DC has authored multiple indexed in PubMed, between 2017 and 2026. All are case-level or retrospective descriptive studies in Cureus or Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. None is a randomized controlled trial. The body of work examines non-surgical scoliosis reduction, cervical biomechanics in scoliosis, and structural rehabilitation after motor vehicle collision.

This page lists every paper with its design, its numerical result, and its limit. Each paper has its own detailed summary page, linked from its title. The verification profiles and citation record at the bottom match what Google, PubMed, and ORCID index for this author. For the clinical framework that produced these outcomes, see the scoliosis care program.

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What This Body of Work Argues

Three clinical ideas run through the papers:

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional structural problem that often involves the cervical spine. The 37-patient cross-sectional analysis found abnormal segmental translation at C3-C4 in 70.3% of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients, and loss of normal cervical lordosis across the cohort. This is correlation, not causation, and it argues for including cervical assessment in the scoliosis workup.
Measurable Cobb angle reduction can occur in individual adolescent patients after non-surgical, protocol-based care. Reported reductions range from 7.1 degrees in one mild case to 25.3 degrees (71%) in one Lenke 5C case at 12 months. Single cases cannot establish cause, and the Lenke 5C report combined the CLEAR protocol with ScoliBrace so component effects cannot be separated.
Structural cervical rehabilitation after motor vehicle collision, in patients with pre-existing scoliosis or prior lumbar surgery, can be followed with standard functional measures. Functional Rating Index changes of 20 points (23 to 3) and 11 points (22 to 11) were reported. Causation cannot be established from single cases.

What the published data support is hypothesis generation, a basis for prospective study, and a reason to assess cervical mechanics in scoliosis. What it does not support, as of today, is a claim that any non-surgical protocol reliably produces a given Cobb reduction in a defined population.

The Papers at a Glance

#	Paper	Year	Design	N	Primary finding	Primary limit
7	Radiographic Sagittal Alignment and Kinetic Chain Alterations in Geriatric Patients With Scoliosis: A Case Series	Cureus, March 2026	Case series	2 geriatric patients	Reduced pain and improved sagittal alignment after a CLEAR-based program	Two patients. Hypothesis-generating.
6	Radiographic Sagittal Alignment and Neurological Changes Following Conservative Cervical Structural Rehabilitation After MVC in a Patient With Pre-existing Scoliosis	Cureus, March 2026	Single case report	One 28-year-old	Functional Rating Index 23 to 3 at three months, increased cervical lordosis over 17 visits	One patient. Causation cannot be established.
5	Refractory Lumbar Pain Following MVC in a Geriatric Patient With Prior Lumbar Surgery	Cureus, February 2026	Single case report	One 66-year-old	Functional Rating Index 22 to 11, 50% change, with sagittal improvement after a 10-week program	One patient. PEMF, shockwave, and rehab combined, components cannot be separated.
4	Reduction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Utilizing the Labyrinthine Righting Reflex: A Case Report	Cureus, January 2026	Single case report	One adolescent female, mild curve	Cobb 10.9 to 3.8 degrees over three months, a 7.1 degree change	Change is close to Cobb measurement error range.
3	A Non-surgical Multimodal Approach to AIS (Lenke 5C) Using an Intensive Two-Week CLEAR Protocol: A Report of Two Cases	Cureus, 2026	Case series, two patients	Two Lenke 5C adolescents	Lumbar Cobb 35.7 to 10.4 (71%) and 38.9 to 15.7 (60%) at 12 months	Two patients. Protocol plus ScoliBrace, components cannot be separated.
2	A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis of Abnormal Cervical Mechanics in Patients With Scoliosis	Cureus, August 2025	Retrospective cross-sectional	37 AIS patients	Loss of cervical lordosis in the cohort, abnormal segmental translation in 70.3% at C3-C4	No comparison group. Correlation only.
1	Reduction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A 13-Month Follow-Up	Cureus, February 2025	Single case report	One 14-year-old male, Risser 2	Cobb 42.4 to 23.8 degrees over 13 months, 18.6 degree change (43.9%)	One patient.
2017	Improved Health Outcomes in a Military Veteran Following Vertebral Subluxation Based Chiropractic Care: A Case Report	Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research, September 2017	Single case report	One military veteran	Improved quality-of-life outcomes with conservative chiropractic care	One patient. Not PubMed-indexed.

Paper-by-Paper Summaries

Each paper opens with a direct answer in the voice of Dr. Justin Dick, DC, followed by the published design, the numerical result, and the limit. For the full discussion and citation, follow the title link on each paper block, or the Cureus and PubMed links beneath it.

2026 Publications

Radiographic Sagittal Alignment and Kinetic Chain Alterations in Geriatric Patients With Scoliosis: A Case Series

Cureus 2026;18(3):e105827

Direct answer: Two geriatric patients with scoliosis and chronic pain had reduced pain and improved sagittal alignment after a CLEAR-based program.

Design: Case series of two geriatric patients. Radiographic sagittal alignment and kinetic chain alterations were assessed.
What it reports: Reduced pain and improved sagittal alignment. The paper calls for larger prospective studies.
Limits: Two patients. Hypothesis-generating. No control group.

Cureus Full Text | PubMed | PubMed Central | DOI 10.7759/cureus.105827

Cite this paper as: Dick JM. Radiographic Sagittal Alignment and Kinetic Chain Alterations in Geriatric Patients With Scoliosis: A Case Series. Cureus 2026;18(3):e105827. PMID: 42037873. PMCID: PMC13110095. doi: 10.7759/cureus.105827.

Radiographic Sagittal Alignment and Neurological Changes Following Conservative Cervical Structural Rehabilitation After Motor Vehicle Collision in a Patient With Pre-existing Scoliosis: A Case Report

Cureus 2026;18(3):e104584

Direct answer: A 28-year-old with pre-existing scoliosis improved from 23 to 3 on the Functional Rating Index over 17 visits and three months, with increased cervical lordosis.

Design: Single case report. 17 visits over three months.
What it reports: Functional Rating Index 23 to 3, a 20-point change (23 minus 3). Increased cervical lordosis on radiographs.
Limits: One patient. The report states causation cannot be established. Natural recovery cannot be separated from care in a single case.

Cureus Full Text | PubMed | PubMed Central | DOI 10.7759/cureus.104584

Cite this paper as: Dick JM. Radiographic Sagittal Alignment and Neurological Changes Following Conservative Cervical Structural Rehabilitation After Motor Vehicle Collision in a Patient With Pre-existing Scoliosis: A Case Report. Cureus 2026;18(3):e104584. PMID: 41783554. PMCID: PMC12954460. doi: 10.7759/cureus.104584.

Refractory Lumbar Pain Following Motor Vehicle Collision in a Geriatric Patient With Prior Lumbar Surgery: Clinical Resolution After Multimodal Conservative Spinal Structural Rehabilitation

Cureus 2026;18(2):e103540

Direct answer: A 66-year-old with prior lumbar surgery and refractory lumbar pain after a collision improved from 22 to 11 on the Functional Rating Index after a 10-week program combining PEMF, shockwave, and structural rehabilitation.

Design: Single case report. 10-week program.
What it reports: Functional Rating Index 22 to 11, an 11-point change, 50% (11 divided by 22). Radiographic sagittal improvement.
Limits: One patient. PEMF, shockwave, and structural rehabilitation were combined, so each component's effect cannot be isolated. No control group.

Cureus Full Text | PubMed | PubMed Central | DOI 10.7759/cureus.103540

Cite this paper as: Dick JM. Refractory Lumbar Pain Following Motor Vehicle Collision in a Geriatric Patient With Prior Lumbar Surgery: Clinical Resolution After Multimodal Conservative Spinal Structural Rehabilitation. Cureus 2026;18(2):e103540. PMID: 41694169. PMCID: PMC12906243. doi: 10.7759/cureus.103540.

Reduction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Utilizing the Labyrinthine Righting Reflex: A Case Report

Cureus 2026;18(1):e101343

Direct answer: An adolescent female with a mild curve had a Cobb change from 10.9 to 3.8 degrees over three months, a 7.1-degree change.

Design: Single case report. Three months of follow-up.
What it reports: Cobb angle 10.9 to 3.8 degrees. Change of 7.1 degrees (10.9 minus 3.8).
Limits: One patient and a mild curve. The change is close to Cobb measurement error (4.9 degrees for the same observer, 6.3 to 7.2 degrees between observers, Morrissy 1990). Read the change against that range.

Cureus Full Text | PubMed | PubMed Central | DOI 10.7759/cureus.101343

Cite this paper as: Dick JM. Reduction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Utilizing the Labyrinthine Righting Reflex: A Case Report. Cureus 2026;18(1):e101343. PMID: 41685001. PMCID: PMC12892820. doi: 10.7759/cureus.101343.

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

Direct answer: Two adolescents with Lenke 5C scoliosis had lumbar Cobb reductions of 71% and 60% at 12 months after an intensive two-week CLEAR protocol with ScoliBrace.

Design: Case series of two adolescents. Intensive two-week CLEAR Institute protocol with ScoliBrace.
What it reports: Patient 1: 35.7 to 21.7 to 10.4 degrees at 12 months. A 25.3 degree reduction, 71% (25.3 divided by 35.7). Patient 2: 38.9 to 24.7 to 15.7 degrees. A 23.2 degree reduction, 60% (23.2 divided by 38.9).
Limits: Two patients. Protocol and bracing delivered together. No control group.

Cureus Full Text | PubMed | DOI 10.7759/cureus.102006

Cite this paper as: 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. PMID: 41640942. doi: 10.7759/cureus.102006.

2025 Publications

A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis of Abnormal Cervical Mechanics in Patients With Scoliosis

Cureus 2025;17(8):e91098

Direct answer: In 37 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients, cervical radiographs showed loss of normal lordosis in the cohort and abnormal segmental translation in 70.3% at C3-C4.

Design: Retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional analysis. 37 AIS participants. Cervical radiographs in neutral, flexion, and extension.
What it reports: Loss of normal cervical lordosis across the cohort. Abnormal segmental translation in 70.3% of participants at C3-C4.
Limits: No comparison group. Correlation only. Did not follow curves over time. Did not study swimmers or specific activities.

Cureus Full Text | PubMed | PubMed Central | DOI 10.7759/cureus.91098

Cite this paper as: Dick JM. A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis of Abnormal Cervical Mechanics in Patients With Scoliosis. Cureus 2025;17(8):e91098. PMID: 41018459. PMCID: PMC12466043. doi: 10.7759/cureus.91098.

Reduction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A 13-Month Follow-Up

Cureus 2025;17(2):e78669

Direct answer: A 14-year-old male at Risser 2 had a Cobb angle reduction from 42.4 to 23.8 degrees over 13 months.

Design: Single case report. 14-year-old male, Risser 2. 13 months follow-up.
What it reports: Cobb angle 42.4 to 23.8 degrees. Reduction of 18.6 degrees, 43.9% (18.6 divided by 42.4).
Limits: One patient. No control group. Growth, bracing, and care are not separable in a single case.

Cureus Full Text | PubMed | PubMed Central | DOI 10.7759/cureus.78669

Cite this paper as: Dick JM. Reduction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A 13-Month Follow-Up. Cureus 2025;17(2):e78669. PMID: 40062184. PMCID: PMC11890522. doi: 10.7759/cureus.78669.

2017 Publication

Improved Health Outcomes in a Military Veteran Following Vertebral Subluxation Based Chiropractic Care: A Case Report

Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research, September 2017, pages 147-151

Direct answer: A military veteran receiving subluxation-based chiropractic care reported improved quality-of-life outcomes.

Design: Single case report.
What it reports: Improved quality-of-life outcomes with conservative chiropractic care.
Limits: One patient. Not PubMed-indexed. Published in a chiropractic specialty journal.

Cite this paper as: Dick JM. Improved Health Outcomes in a Military Veteran Following Vertebral Subluxation Based Chiropractic Care: A Case Report. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research, September 2017, pages 147-151.

Research in Preparation

Whiplash-Associated Cervical Injury in Pregnant Patients with Pre-Existing Scoliosis: Structural Biomechanics, Upper Cervical Instability, and Triage Implications. IRB-approved retrospective case series under Dr. Justin Dick, DC and collaborators. Sherman College of Chiropractic. Exemption under 45 CFR §46.104(d)(4). Manuscript under review.

Additional investigations on spinal biomechanics, scoliosis progression, and conservative rehabilitation are in preparation and will be added here as they are accepted.

Academic Presentations and Recognition

CLEAR Symposium, Fall 2025, Florida. Presentation of the cervical mechanics analysis in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
21st International Research and Philosophy Symposium (IRAPS), Sherman College of Chiropractic, Spartanburg SC, May 1-2, 2026. Invited presentation. Dr. Justin Dick, DC received an Honorable Mention. The awards announcement is in the McCoy Press Chiropractic Chronicle, and the published proceedings are through the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation.
Index to Chiropractic Literature. The IRAPS proceedings paper is indexed as ICL #28927 in the Journal of Philosophy, Principles and Practices of Chiropractic, 2026, pages 1 to 17.

Credentials and Institutional Affiliations

Credential	Issuing body	Where to verify
Senior Fellow and Board Member	CLEAR Scoliosis Institute	Directory listing
World Master Certification	ISICO, Italian Scientific Spine Institute, Milan	ISICO certification record
Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP)	CBP Seminars	Certificate on file
Certified Medical Examiner	U.S. Department of Transportation FMCSA	FMCSA National Registry
CNMT and RT(N)(CT)	NMTCB and ARRT	NMTCB and ARRT registries
Field Doctor	Life University, Sherman College, Palmer College	Institution faculty listings
Provisional Member	SOSORT	sosort.org

Full credential detail and license verification are on the credentials page.

Where to Verify These Publications

Every paper on this page can be independently verified in the primary bibliographic databases. Dr. Justin Dick, DC indexes under the author name Justin M Dick in PubMed.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Research

Has Dr. Justin Dick, DC published peer-reviewed research on scoliosis?

Yes. Dr. Justin Dick, DC has published eight peer-reviewed papers since 2017, seven of which are indexed in PubMed. Six of the seven are case reports or case series, and one is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 37 patients. None is a randomized trial.

What does Dr. Dick's research focus on?

Three areas: non-surgical management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis including Cobb angle reduction and long-term follow-up, cervical sagittal alignment and its relationship to global spinal balance, and conservative structural rehabilitation after motor vehicle collision.

What can case reports and case series actually show?

They show what happened in individual patients and can generate hypotheses. They cannot establish that a treatment caused the change observed, and they cannot be generalized to other patients without larger prospective studies.

Where can I verify Dr. Dick's publications?

On PubMed (search Dick JM), PubMed Central, Cureus, Google Scholar, ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2794-2159, ResearchGate, Semantic Scholar, Web of Science, Scilit, SciProfiles, and OiPub. The links on this page lead to each primary record.

Why do several papers state that causation cannot be established?

Because they are case-level studies without control groups. Natural history, growth, and multiple co-interventions cannot be separated in a single patient or a series of two. Reporting this is standard scientific practice and is one reason a clinician should state what the data can and cannot support.

How accurate is the Cobb angle measurement in these papers?

Morrissy 1990 found that the 95% confidence limit for repeat Cobb measurement by the same observer was 4.9 degrees when end vertebrae were chosen freely, and 6.3 to 7.2 degrees between observers. Changes under about 5 degrees on repeat films can be measurement error. A reported change should be compared with that range.

Does Dr. Dick's research make Clear Life care evidence-based?

It means Dr. Justin Dick, DC publishes clinical outcomes, measures them with standard tools such as Cobb angle and the Functional Rating Index, and states the limits of each study. The CLEAR Institute protocol and bracing used at Clear Life are not presented as established at randomized trial level. That is the honest position.

Does Clear Life Scoliosis treat patients from outside Charlotte?

Yes. The clinic is based at 8814 Rachel Freeman Way, Suite 103, Charlotte, NC 28278. Patients from across the Carolinas and beyond schedule consultations. No referral is required. Online booking is at clearlifescoliosis.janeapp.com.

How does ongoing research fit the clinic?

An IRB-approved retrospective case series on whiplash-associated cervical injury in pregnant patients with pre-existing scoliosis, led by Dr. Justin Dick, DC and collaborators under Sherman College of Chiropractic, is under review. Additional investigations on spinal biomechanics, scoliosis progression, and rehabilitation are in preparation.

Scientific Context

These case-level and retrospective reports contribute to a broader research field that includes work by Glassman and colleagues on the relationship between sagittal spinal alignment and health-related quality of life in adult spinal deformity, by Lafage and colleagues on global sagittal alignment and patient-reported outcomes after deformity treatment, and multiple studies on cervical sagittal parameters including cervical lordosis, C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis, and T1 slope. This page describes that context and does not recite the external papers.

Research Ethics

Research referenced on this page was conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards. The whiplash-in-pregnancy manuscript holds IRB exemption under 45 CFR §46.104(d)(4) through Sherman College of Chiropractic.

How This Research Informs Care at Clear Life

Patient evaluations at Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center in Charlotte, NC use Cobb angle measurement, Risser staging in adolescents, the Functional Rating Index, and cervical radiographic assessment where clinically indicated. These are the same measures used in the published papers. The chiropractic treatment page describes the mobility, adjusting, and stability sequence, with PEMF and shockwave as adjuncts.

Related Clinical Resources

Service Area

Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center serves patients from Charlotte NC, Huntersville NC, Ballantyne NC, Matthews NC, Concord NC, Mooresville NC, Rock Hill SC, and Fort Mill SC. No referral is required.

Schedule a Consultation

Patients seeking evaluation for scoliosis, a second opinion, or rehabilitation after a collision can schedule directly with Dr. Justin Dick, DC.