Jeannie Bassi beated scoliosis with lifting weight

[littleone]

I have this dilemma about lifting heavy weight or not. Read a lot that squats and deadlifts are bad for our backs.. but I came thru this story and I dont know what to think. I have emailed her now and I will wait to see what she will reply to me.

Here is the link and I will quote where it states about her scoliosis journey:

Jeannie Bassi from Jeannies Beach CrossFit in Virginia Beach, VA grew up in Thailand, where she competed in Varsity sports against 8 International teams in Southeast Asia.

When she was young she was diagnosed with pretty severe scoliosis, and had to wear a hard plastic body brace for over 2 years to keep her spine from getting any worse. She was told that the 38 degree curve in her spine would prevent her from doing most sports. It was then she took action and began doing 'functional' movements in her room: squats, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups. Long story short, she went from a 38 degree to a 12 degree curve by working her muscles properly and efficiently.

Source:http://jeanniesbeachcrossfitaboutme.blogspot.com/

What are your inputs on this??

[darrin90]

I have this dilemma about lifting heavy weight or not. Read a lot that squats and deadlifts are bad for our backs.. but I came thru this story and I dont know what to think. I have emailed her now and I will wait to see what she will reply to me.

Here is the link and I will quote where it states about her scoliosis journey:


Source:http://jeanniesbeachcrossfitaboutme.blogspot.com/

What are your inputs on this??

Well, if this story is true and the girl actually did reduce her scoliosis curvature with almost 70% by doing excercise in her room, I am completely shocked. All the articles I have red and all the information I have found regarding how to reduce the Cobb Angle in a scoliosis sufferer, has claimed that excersice doesn't have any effects other than reducing pain and building muscles. I have literarly browsed the entire web looking for information about scoliosis and read several books. Everywhere I look there is a staitment saying that bracing and/or surgery is the only threatment for effectively reducing the Cobb Angle in a scoliosis patient.

I think this information is really interesting, and if its actually true, ortopedic doctors should reconsider other threatment options for patients with scoliosis.

[hdugger]

I don't know anything about the truth of the article, but juvenile scoliosis behaves differently from adolescent scoliosis. Although it tends to progress more aggressively, there are also many more cases of it reversing altogether. So, maybe the exercise did it or maybe it just reversed on its own.

Exercise *can* reduce curves in adolescent and adult scoliosis as long as the exercise is continued. It's not a frequent occurrence--I think I've counted 8 instances so far--but it does happen. Search for Martha Hawes on this site, or look up the research from the SEAS group in Italy.

[Pooka1]

I don't know anything about the truth of the article, but juvenile scoliosis behaves differently from adolescent scoliosis. Although it tends to progress more aggressively, there are also many more cases of it reversing altogether. So, maybe the exercise did it or maybe it just reversed on its own.

I would add based on the unscientific cross-section of these testimonials that JIS appears to respond to bracing, at least prior to the growth spurt but hopefully through that spurt. That's assuming the numbers coming out of Montreal are believabe which we have seen in several cases are not.

[hdugger]

I would add based on the unscientific cross-section of these testimonials that JIS appears to respond to bracing, at least prior to the growth spurt but hopefully through that spurt. That's assuming the numbers coming out of Montreal are believabe which we have seen in several cases are not.

I had forgotten about that. I wonder if that means it's also more responsive to the VBS (going slightly off-topic). I hadn't paid that much attention to the age of the kids in the VBS studies, but I had the sense that they were disproportionately juvenile.

[LindaRacine]

Just the fact that she was told that her 38 degree curve would keep her from doing most sports makes the whole thing a bit fishy.

[hdugger]

Just the fact that she was told that her 38 degree curve would keep her from doing most sports makes the whole thing a bit fishy.

Yeah, I saw that, but I attributed it to some cross-cultural difference (she was raised in Thailand).

[Twisted Lifter]

littleone:
Your concern about weight lifting is, in my nonprofessional opinion, a common misconception. I refer you first to the Dr. Orr interview thread and to his remarks on exercise and weight bearing activities. Weight lifting will contribute positively to bone density and to muscular strength. It will contribute to maintaining a healthy weight, which helps keep excess strain of the body.
I will refer you to my own thread "My Way of Coping", where you can read my story and see a few photos.
Insofar as deadlifts and squats go, you should have no difficulty with them. So long as you focus on proper form and weights that are manageable, you ought not to make your back any worse. Perhaps better.
My experience is that weight lifting will not fix anything, but it will help keep you healthy and stronger. Be careful. Watch form. You shouldn't have any more issues than anyone else.