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things I can do for my girlfriend?

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  • things I can do for my girlfriend?

    Hi There
    I was just wondering if maybe some of you could tell me if there are some simple massage or exercise techniques that I could perform on my girlfriend, who suffers from scoliosis. I did a search on the net and all I could find was this:

    http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cy...ts_massage.php

    Any suggestions?

    thx!

  • #2
    I think you're great for looking for ways to help your girlfriend. I found that my last boyfriend's care and concern about my back was a great help in and of itself, if only emotionally.

    There are different types of scoliosis, and you should just explore with your girlfriend what feels good to her. My case is pretty severe, and hers may not be as bad. I have an "S" curve with both curves being about 50 degrees, and have had spinal fusion surgery years ago.

    For me, the right side of my back always hurts, primarily in two places: First, in the hip/waist area where my body seems to "collapse" because of the curviture. This area is very painful and sensitive, and difficult to reach with massage. I liked it when my boyfriend massaged it with very gentle pressure. Second, my right shoulder and upper back, where I have what is called a rib hump. It felt good to me when my boyfriend would just press on this area, applying steady and strong pressure.

    Aside from the really sensitive hip/waist spot, I kind of like being massaged pretty roughly, or manhandled a bit. You will have to ask your girlfriend what feels good to her. Using long, streching massage strokes seemed to help relax the muscles near the spine, which always hurt and seem tighter on the right side. He would also pick up my right arm and move the whole arm in a circular motion, pull it gently toward my back, and pull it straight out, away from the shoulder socket. Same thing with my right leg.

    Another thing my boyfriend did on a daily basis was crack my lower back. This required applying fast and strong pressure equally to both sides of my hips. If it is done wrong it hurts a lot, but feels soooooo good when you get the right spot.

    I also like being twisted in the opposite direction of my curviture, like sitting on a barstool and having one friend turn the chair (my hips) one direction and another frind turn my shoulders the other direction. This sometimes cracks my middle back. (Chiropractic for the poor!) But this should be done carefully and gently.

    One thing she can do on her own is yoga, which has helped me tremendously. Here's a great stretch she can try that has the same effect as the barstool trick:

    Lie on one side of the body, with legs straight. Raise the top leg so the knee is at a 90-degree angle. Place the bottom arm (the one closest to the floor) on the bent knee. While maintaining this position (with the bent knee of the top leg on or near the floor), now twist the upper back in the oppostie direction and lie the back as flat on the floor as possible. Correctly done, the top shoulder should now be touching the floor, and the top arm also on the floor, perpindicular to the body. But there is no need to push it if that top shoulder isn't flat on the floor. It just gives a better stretch, and can be done eventually with practice. Just have her do the strech as far as she can. Then you roll over to the other side of the body and do the same stretch to the other side.

    BTW, there are Phase I and Phase II excersize videos for scoliosis patients for sale on www.scoliosis.com. Each one is about $20 or you can buy both at once for $30. I haven't tried them, though, so I can't vouch for them, but I plan to check it out.

    I'm not a doctor or an expert or anything, but I hope any of this info from my experience is helpful to you and your girlfriend.

    All the best!

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