need help on physio...

[ermintham]

hi i suffer frm mild scoliosis. the curvature is nt tt bad.....but the varying size of muscles on my body is worrying.

the physiotherapist(PT) said the cause of my scoliosis is due to my right back muscle being weak. thus i tend to sit or stand slanted to one side.....and even run like that...

so my left back, leg shoulder muscle is much stronger and bigger and i tend to use them thus causing back pain.

recently, i injure my right knee due to torn ligament and my muscle atrophied...causing the difference to be greater...

i am on physio...doing straight leg raises and all to strengthen my quads but i find it hard coz i tend to tense up on my left side and not work my quads in the end....coz of my difference in strength on both sides...

anyone can help teach me how to strengthen the right side of my back muscles to make it equal?

my left leg starts to bcum numb alr.

[Jen-jen]

Hi, some ways that I were told were to stretch your right arm over your head then lean to your left and try to stretch your right arm so that you are kind of in a lunge position. Another one is to put weights (I find a heavy shoulder bag works) on your right hand side because that tends to make you lean slightly to the left to compensate it - and hence strengthen your muscles. These work for me but they haven't been recommended by a doctor or anyone superior.

I have a question that I need to ask you: do you have physiotherapy for just your legs or your back as well? I am looking into physiotherapy for my scoliosis and could do with advice.

x x

[ermintham]

i have physio for my leg...

i stopped physio for my back 2 yrs ago coz i realise it doesnt help much....or rather i was performing all the excercises wrongly..


anyway, u were sayin weights on the right that will cause me to lean to my left? but im already leaning to my left coz of my scoliosis...dun really get wat u trying to say here

[orangie0313]

Hey

Yea i have scoliosis and i am stronger on one side.My mom take me to pilates/physical threpy.Now since i have been doing pilates and physical threpy for a while i am getting stronger.I feel a huge diffrence.I also heard that pilates kind of helps your scoliosis.It wont strighten your spine but it helps it.Pilates is not just great for your spine but for lots more.Hope this helps!

[ermintham]

Yea i have scoliosis and i am stronger on one side.My mom take me to pilates/physical threpy.Now since i have been doing pilates and physical threpy for a while i am getting stronger.I feel a huge diffrence.I also heard that pilates kind of helps your scoliosis.It wont strighten your spine but it helps it.Pilates is not just great for your spine but for lots more.Hope this helps!

does pilates help strenghthen ur weaker side? care to share some of the exercises?

i always use my stronger side sub consciously...

plz help....my back pain is getting worse...thanks

[ermintham]

anyone to help

[ermintham]

anyone to help me?

[The Slice]

Ermintham, I have a couple of questions for you.
How old are you?
When is the last time that you had your scoliosis checked?

You say that you are experiencing numbness in your left leg? That could be a sign of a worsening curve. If you are concerned about a difference in the size of your two legs, I wouldn't, the difference is because your injured leg has been immobile for some time. While it may have a slight effect on your back, I doubt that it is a major factor in the development or severity of the curve. If you are still growing, I would definitely have your folks take you back to have your curve re-evaluated. Orangie313 is correct, exercising will NOT straighten your back, but it will keep everything more flexible and help in terms of stopping the progression of the curve with a brace, and if needed, may improve the amount of correction that can be obtained in surgery. The back pain and the numbness in the leg is a huge red flag that you need to see your doctor, or the orthopod and have your back checked again.

[ermintham]

hi Slice, im actually 20..doubt im growing. my worry is not the lack of muscles in my injured leg. its getting it to work. due to my scoliosis its hard to work that side of my body.

ya i think its worsening, my arm (on the non-injured side and where the curve swings to) gets numb too.

[ermintham]

i would also like to know wats the name of the condition in which the spine is twisted? not jus normal 2d curve. think of it in 3d.. like wringing my body like a cloth

[tonibunny]

That's still scoliosis, Ermintham. Scoliosis causes the spine to twist (or rotate) as well as curve from side to side, but some people have more rotation than others.

[The Slice]

I would still go again and get checked out by an orthopod to see if your curve has progressed. If you are noticing an increase in the rotation, and are experiencing numbness, it's a god posibility that the curve has gotten worse. I know a young man who was 6' 4" when he was graduated from HS, and grew another 3" after that. If you were being treated for scoliosis 2 or 3 years ago, it is not unreasonable to think that the curve has worsened. It's also possible that you may have some other predisposing factor that may contribute to the scoliosis which could allow the curve to progress beyond the end of your adolescent growth. Get it checked out as the further it progresses, the more chances there are for problems and the more difficulty in correcting the curve with surgery.

[ermintham]

ok thank you. will go and check it out.

from wat i know physio helps in relieving the pain and making our muscles stronger. but the curve can only be corrected thru surgery rite?

[The Slice]

That is correct. Neither bracing or exercising will correct a curve. What they will do is hopefully stop or slow the progression of the curve (if caught early enough) to avoid surgery. The exercises will help keep the muscles in shape and will help keep your back limber. This is good if you do have surgery as it may help in the amount of correction that can be obtained.

[ermintham]

i realise with the rotation...whenever we do daily activities, be it walking runniing climbing stairs...sitting down and even lying down...our body tends to be twisted.

and thus we tend to use the muscle (of the side our body twist to)more often..


my doctor told me to do more exercise...and as i do....i realise the imbalance gets greater..coz i subconsciously twist according to my rotation..so the weaker muscles remain unused and the stronger ones get stronger....how do we counter this?

anyone can share wat their physio taught them....