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Is breast-stroke swimming bad for scoliosis?

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  • Is breast-stroke swimming bad for scoliosis?

    My daughter has joined a group for swimming, nothing competitive but she gets a good work-out 2-3 times a week. We want her to stay as fit as possible as she very probably having surgery in the next few months. The swimming instructor said that she should avoid breast-stroke because of her scoliosis (T50, L30) and has her do backstroke and free-style instead. Just wondering if anyone knows or heard anything on that cause it doesn't make much sense to me since breast-stroke is a balanced movement where as the other two styles make the body rotate....
    Thanks,
    Pola

  • #2
    I'll be interested to hear what kind of responses you get. My daughter just had surgery about 4wks ago and is wondering if she'll be able to do any kind of swimming this summer. What did your doctor say about post surgery swimming? I will say, my daughter plays soccer and is pretty muscular. Her surgeon said the surgery took longer than expected because of the muscles in her back. I'm sure your daughter also has strong back muscles. Good luck finding answers.
    Kate

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    • #3
      Pola, I've never heard that one, and my daughter also was on a swim team, right up to surgery, and I agree w/Kate, her doctor said she recovered great from surgery, due to being in good physical shape. And her stroke was breaststroke . . . ?? Kate, my daughter was back in the water swimming about a month after surgery, took awhile, but we swam 3-4 times a week, for 6 months post-op. We laughed because I was finally able to beat her, but believe me that didn't last long at all; she was pretty much back to normal after a month or so. pat

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      • #4
        Pat,
        Thanks for the reply. How old was your daughter when she had surgery? How long ago, and how is she doing now?Were there any restrictions initially on what type of/or stroke of swimming she could do?
        Kate

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        • #5
          Hi Pola, things have clearly moved on since you last posted, so sorry to hear that bracing hasn't controlled her curve. Did you have your greek appointment since you last posted. Are you OK?

          Re swimming; all I have heared and read suggests that swimming is good for backs, including the ones who have scoliosis. We have been swimming with Lisanna 2-3 times a week for the last year and it hasn't done her any harm.

          best wishes

          gerbo

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          • #6
            Hi Pola,
            I asked our "rehabilitation specialist" (don´t know the equivalent in other countries), when my daughter was diagnosticated. Your daughter´s swimming instructor is/may be right. That doctor told us that swimming could be beneficial for her back, but breast stroke and butterfly swimming are not a good option because they increase the lumbar lordosis while reduce the natural thoracic kyphosis. . Althought front and back crawl seem to rotate the trunk, they stretch the spine, and make it more flexible.
            My daughter is 29L 19D, and she has lordosis too, while her kyphosic curve is rather small; so it makes sense to me, but everybody and every-scoliosis is different,
            Take care
            Ailea
            2004: Daughter diagnosed at 13 L38º. Risser 0.
            Treatment: Cheneau brace
            2009: Brace free, 18 years old, Risser 5, L25º

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            • #7
              breast stroke hurts

              Hi Pola -- Just thought I'd chime in with my own perspective as someone with a 70-deg. curve...when I swim, I've noticed that doing the breast stroke hurts a bit, because of arching the back when you come up for air.
              Chris
              A/P fusion on June 19, 2007 at age 52; T10-L5
              Pre-op thoracolumbar curve: 70 degrees
              Post-op curve: 12 degrees
              Dr. Boachie-adjei, HSS, New York

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              • #8
                Hi Pola,

                You're post really has me thinking. My daughter is 17 months post-op and joined the swim team this year. We mentioned this to her doctor and he never told us she shouldn't do the butterfly or the breaststroke. He told us before surgery that swimming was great for her back and he still thnks so. Just to be safe, I sent him an e-mail after reading your post, but he is out of the country until the end of the month! I am going to contact another doctor at the hospital and see what she says.

                Mary Lou
                Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

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                • #9
                  Great to read all the posts. I heard all my life that swimming was considered one of the best, if not the best, form of exercise one can get. I started swimming laps when in college and got hooked. Swam through pregnancies and always felt great when I kept it up. I was also diagnosed with mild scoliosis when I was my daughters' age (don't ask me degrees or anything, that was 30 years ago...) I did some physiotherapy for a few months and then forgot about it. I haven't stopped working out (on and off ofcourse) and I am a great believer in exercising for keeping sane and healthy...

                  So Pat, I am thrilled to hear your daughter is a swimmer and is gone back to it after surgery. Although Anastasia is not in a competitive group I see it as an 'investment' in her future for 'keeping fit' after surgery along with her dancing that I hope she will continue. Is breast-stroke still her style?

                  Gerbo, thanks for your interest...we went to Greece a week ago and confirmed that her T curve is now 50, up 10 degrees. So, considering all the facts we have, age, Risser, etc, etc, probably no brace can hold her from progressing. The orthotist still believes in holding out as long as we or she feels ok with her 'image'. For him fusion is only necessary for aesthetic reasons, which I am sure calls for debate....We are not rushing into surgery now but we are slowly coming to terms with it and learning more about it.

                  Ailea that is great information from your doc. It does make sense....Streching the spine and keeping it flexible is what our kids need and ofcourse the aerobic workout.

                  Mary Lou Id like to know what your doctor says. I hope she is clear for all swimming. Was your daughter swimming before surgery?
                  Our kids with scoliosis, braced, unbraced, pre-op, post-op are all much better off when they exercise.
                  Take care everyone,
                  Pola

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    That doctor told us that swimming could be beneficial for her back, but breast stroke and butterfly swimming are not a good option because they increase the lumbar lordosis while reduce the natural thoracic kyphosis. . Althought front and back crawl seem to rotate the trunk, they stretch the spine, and make it more flexible
                    life is so confusing, i would have argued that breaststroke is better because it strengthens muscles on either side of the back more symmetrically, whislt frontcrawl could be bad as it stimulates muscles more on one side, depending on which side you breath. Haven't they found a higher incidence of scoliosis in swimmers? Backcrawl doesn't do a lot to the backmuscles but indeed might be good in helping to keep the spine flexible. It all depends on what you think is more important, spineflexibility or balanced muscles (or both?)

                    gerbo

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                    • #11
                      Kate, My daughter had her surgery 17 months ago, and it was two months before her 14th birthday. For restrictions after surgery, her doctor just told her to hold off on fly at first. He pretty much told us she would know what she could do at first and what she couldn't do. She wasn't supposed to dive right away; but, I think about 3 months after surgery, she tried (when I wasn't looking!) and it was fine, no big deal, she said.
                      Pola, Hello! She's pretty much a breast-stroke and free-style, she still doesn't do fly, but she really was never that great at it anyway. Her only limitation (which is why she's not so much into competitive swimming anymore) is her inability to do flip turns, fused too low (L-3). And when I say her inability, it might very well be possible, but she hasn't attempted it yet. Pat

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                      • #12
                        I've also heard that because you are in the water, without gravity being a factor, swimming does not affect (good or bad) a scoliotic curve. Scoliosis is a structural/bone problem. Swimming is great for muscles/soft tissue balance and improvement. Gravity is a non-factor in swimming so I'm not sure it would be a bad thing to do, after having the surgeons blessings post-op. That goes the opposite way - swimming can not improve a scoliosis issue. It can improve muscle tone, but not structural curves.
                        Carmell
                        mom to Kara, idiopathic scoliosis, Blake 19, GERD and Braydon 14, VACTERL, GERD, DGE, VEPTR #137, thoracic insufficiency, rib anomalies, congenital scoliosis, missing coccyx, fatty filum/TC, anal stenosis, horseshoe kidney, dbl ureter in left kidney, ureterocele, kidney reflux, neurogenic bladder, bilateral hip dysplasia, right leg/foot dyplasia, tibial torsion, clubfoot with 8 toes, pes cavus, single umblilical artery, etc. http://carmellb-ivil.tripod.com/myfamily/

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                        • #13
                          Our doctor is so great! I sent him an e-mail, like I said and received an e-mail telling me that he was out of the country. Well, surprise! He e-mailed me anyway and here's what he said, "Let Jamie go for it. I have no reservations." I also got a call from his nurse and she says Jamie can do whatever she wants to do, but if it hurts, don't do it.

                          Pola,

                          Jamie did swim a lot before surgery, but not competitively.

                          Mary Lou
                          Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by gerbo
                            i would have argued that breaststroke is better because it strengthens muscles on either side of the back more symmetrically, whislt frontcrawl could be bad as it stimulates muscles more on one side, depending on which side you breath.
                            I'm currently doing front crawl / freestyle as a form of physical therapy, and to help alleviate the problem you talk of, they have me swimming in a mask and snorkel, so that I don't need to turn my head and come up for air.
                            This is apparently quite a normal thing for someone with an injured neck to be given as a form of therapy... reportedly quite frequent with people who have hurt their necks in car accidents.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              life is so confusing, i would have argued that breaststroke is better because it strengthens muscles on either side of the back more symmetrically, whislt frontcrawl could be bad as it stimulates muscles more on one side, depending on which side you breath. Haven't they found a higher incidence of scoliosis in swimmers?
                              Well, I only posted what the doc who treats my daughter explained us; but in fact it summarizes what several different specialist in spine and scoliosis have told us, during all this months of appointments and research.
                              On the other hand, some of them advised my daughter to do anysport, and that the benefits of swimming over other sports are like and old legend
                              I´ve been trying to summarize all the information I got so I encourage my daughter to do sport, but I also ask her to avoid tennis, golf, rhytmic gymnastics(wich she loves and had been practising since 5 years old)...
                              Backcrawl doesn't do a lot to the backmuscles but indeed might be good in helping to keep the spine flexible. It all depends on what you think is more important, spineflexibility or balanced muscles (or both?)
                              While swimming(backcrawl), you stretch your back, but with butterfly or breast stroken it bends constantly. There are also a lot of muscles involved (unless when I do backcrawl, I can feel all my muscles working, even muscles I didn´t know that were there before ...I´m a little lazy )
                              2004: Daughter diagnosed at 13 L38º. Risser 0.
                              Treatment: Cheneau brace
                              2009: Brace free, 18 years old, Risser 5, L25º

                              Comment

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