By Nicolas Desjardins, PhD in Natural Medicine · DBA(c) · Master’s in Neuroscience (in progress), designer of the Q-Technology system. Nicolas Desjardins is not a medical doctor. October 2026.
Lire cet article en français : Scoliose : ta radio montre la forme
The short answer. Scoliosis is a curve of the spine: a structure, which an X-ray measures in degrees. To stay upright, keep your gaze level and avoid falling, your body organizes itself around that curve: the pelvis, hips, knees and neck compensate. That organization belongs to postural control, and it doesn’t show on an X-ray. During the Test Posture Parfaite, we look at part of it: the tilts of the pelvis and shoulders, neck rotation, strength and stability tests. Never the curve.
This article is written for adults. It does not replace medical advice or your scoliosis care.
The curve is the structure. Postural control is the organization.
Your scoliosis is described to you in degrees: the Cobb angle, measured on the X-ray. That is structural data, and it matters. But two people with the same angle can stand and move in very different ways. That difference isn’t explained by the bone alone: it also depends on how the nervous system organizes the body around it.
The orthopedic surgeon Jean Dubousset gave that organization a name: the cone of economy (a concept taken up by Lee et al., 2022, and Kato et al., 2025). When you stand, your body sways constantly within a small cone above your feet. As long as it stays near the center, standing takes little effort. The further it drifts, the more effort it takes to catch itself.
How the spine adapts: what your body does to stay upright DOCUMENTED
When the spine is no longer aligned, the body doesn’t collapse: it compensates. A literature review (Lee et al., 2022) describes the compensations seen in adults with spinal deformity:
- the neck arches more to keep the gaze level;
- the pelvis tilts backward and shifts back;
- the hips extend;
- the knees and ankles bend.
All these compensations aim at the same thing: keeping the head above the feet and the eyes level. It is a smart adaptation, but it comes at a price.
What compensation costs DOCUMENTED
Several studies have measured that price in adults with spinal deformity, before surgery:
- More sway, more muscle activity. In 33 adults with symptomatic degenerative scoliosis, before their surgery, compared with 20 people without scoliosis, the center of mass and the head swayed more. The muscles of the lower back and legs worked harder (Haddas and Lieberman, 2019). The authors note that more sway costs more energy, just to stand.
- Balance that relies less effectively on the senses. In a pilot study of 11 adults, sensory organization scores were lower in 5 of 6 conditions. Reactions were also slower when the floor moved backward under their feet, compared with published reference values for their age. The lowest scores went with reported falls (Godzik et al., 2020).
- A wider cone in those who compensate less well. In a study of 23 adults who were candidates for spinal surgery, the authors propose the size of the cone of economy as a marker. In 12 of them, who were older, it was clearly larger than in healthy young adults (Kato et al., 2025).
What to remember: with scoliosis, the curve isn’t everything. There is also the work your nervous system does, every minute, to stand upright around it. That work can be measured: more sway, more muscle activity.
Even in adolescents, foot orthoses showed no effect on the angle DOCUMENTED
A meta-analysis of randomized trials added foot orthoses to bracing in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. The orthoses improved how pressure was distributed under the feet, with no demonstrated improvement in the Cobb angle (low to moderate quality of evidence; Lin et al., 2025).
That is exactly the distinction we’re making: the structure is one thing, the organization another. An intervention can change how the body distributes itself without changing the curve. This study is about orthoses, not about our circuits. And no one should promise you to act on the curve.
What we look at, and what we don’t touch
What we don’t touch: the curve. We don’t measure the Cobb angle, we promise nothing about scoliosis, and the test replaces no imaging. The test doesn’t measure your balance on a platform or a risk of falling either, and we claim nothing about falls.
What we look at, before and while you wear the circuit, during the Test Posture Parfaite (fifteen minutes, with a certified tester, no equipment):
- the tilts of the pelvis and shoulders on three planes, in centimeters;
- neck rotation, scored out of 7 on each side;
- strength and stability tests, right and left, holding or giving way.
If it shows nothing, the test is refunded.
What we observe OBSERVATION: while the circuit is worn, we observe a postural correction during the test: tilts decrease, neck rotation evens out, tests that gave way now hold. It is a correction of the organization, never of the bone.
Functional assessment, non-medical · Before/after protocol · Observations from internal tests · Individual results vary · Not a medical claim.
Our hypothesis HYPOTHESIS: the passive resonant circuit removes nothing and blocks nothing. It gives the nervous system a coherent, stable reference. This is a hypothesis about the mechanism, and it may be wrong.
Support, not cure. While you wear the circuit, the effect is there. Take it off, and you’re back where you started, like glasses: you wear them, you see; you take them off, you don’t. The curve stays the same either way.
FAQ
Can an insole correct scoliosis?
No. In a meta-analysis of randomized trials in adolescents, foot orthoses added to bracing improved foot-pressure distribution, with no demonstrated improvement in the Cobb angle. Q-Technology circuits promise nothing about the curve.
What is postural control?
It is the way your nervous system organizes the body to stay upright and balanced, with a level gaze. It relies on vision, the inner ear and the sensors in your feet and muscles. With spinal deformity, studies show it works harder to compensate.
What is the cone of economy?
It is the small zone above the feet within which the body sways when standing. Jean Dubousset described it. The closer the body stays to the center, the less effort standing takes.
Does the Test Posture Parfaite replace an X-ray?
No. The X-ray measures structure. The test looks at function: tilts, neck rotation, strength and stability tests. Neither replaces the other. Keep your medical follow-up.
Does the postural correction seen during the test affect scoliosis?
No. It concerns how the body is organized while the circuit is worn: tilts, neck rotation, tests that hold or give way. It never concerns the curve of the spine. Functional assessment, non-medical · Individual results vary.
How can I check for myself?
Book a Test Posture Parfaite: fifteen minutes, €33, with a certified tester. You compare before and after, on your own body. If it shows nothing, it is refunded.
Your X-ray shows you the shape. Come and see how you organize around it: book your Test Posture Parfaite, refunded if it shows nothing.
Sources
- Lee JK, Hyun SJ, Kim KJ. Reciprocal Changes in the Whole-Body Following Realignment Surgery in Adult Spinal Deformity. Asian Spine J. 2022;16(6):958-967. https://doi.org/10.31616/asj.2021.0451
- Haddas R, Lieberman IH. The Change in Sway and Neuromuscular Activity in Adult Degenerative Scoliosis Patients Pre and Post Surgery Compared With Controls. Spine. 2019;44(15):E899-E907. https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0000000000003009
- Godzik J, et al. Postural Stability and Dynamic Balance in Adult Spinal Deformity: Prospective Pilot Study. World Neurosurg. 2020;141:e783-e791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2020.06.010
- Kato S, et al. Enlargement of the “cone of economy” as a biomarker of decompensation in unbalanced adult spinal deformity patients. Eur Spine J. 2025;34(5):1761-1770. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-025-08807-y
- Lin Z, et al. Can foot orthoses be an effective supplement to brace therapy for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2025;38(5):944-959. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538127251337689
