lower lumbar curves

[lucida]

My lower back has a curve... not sure of the degree and is very achy and and has spasms of pain etc etc.... I am looking for some kind of expercise or massage that would help loosen that particular areaa s it si notoriously stiff and nothing I have tried so far has loosened or straightened it all,,, any suggestions?

[nell]

I am lucky enough to have a friend who is a masseuse, she does deep tissue massages weekly on my lower back and the back of my left leg, massaging the sciatic nerve because I developed sciatica from my curvatures. When we first started doing the treatments it seemed like my whole back was just one stick hunk of twisted muscle and it hurt to massage any area of it. After a month or two, we found that there were very specific spots that needed to be worked on and that hurt to get massaged but we realized that this also meant that we got through the mass tension build up and are now working on the actual problem areas.

I won't lie, deep tissue massages can hurt like hell. And I find that the pain is not necessarily lessened but way more specific and only in remote areas. At the same time I figure this is better because now I can actually feel where the pain is coming from rather than having a large radiating pain. Why is this better? Because now I can feel when I am moving in a way that is really not good for me=)

So yeah, long story short, try out some deep tissue massage work, also after the massage take a bath with some epsom salt to get rid of those toxins that have been loosened from the massage! Hope this helps!

[ctown]

Hi Lucida,

I will repost what I posted in stephs "newbie" thread.

There are definitely exercises that can help with the pain, but which one's work probably varies from patient to patient. I have a 50deg thoracolumbar C curve (T10-L3ish) and was given a very simple breathing exercise by a movement specialist that has helped to prevent pain when done regularly, i.e., everyday. Regularly is Key. No physical therapy will work in the long run if you don't do it everyday for the rest of your life. That's seems to be the reality.

She also gave me one that I do when pain does come up, like in the morning when I wake up sometimes or after standing for a while. Here they are if you are interested.

Breathing exercise:

Lay on your back and put a folded blanket (about 4inches high) under your lumbar spine, so that your tail bone is just hanging off the edge of the blanket and touching the ground. The blanket basically helps to support the arch in your back. Bend your legs at the knees so that your feet are just about under your knees. Now, when you breath inward, let your stomach expand, and when you breath out let it fall. Try not to breath with your chest, but with your stomach. Do this for 15-20min every morning or night. I noticed a difference after a couple weeks of doing this every day.

Stretching exercise:

Lay on your side in a very loose fetal position. Lift your arm and just let it move around wherever it wants to go. You'll feel when it pulls on those back muscles that are sore (I find holding it up and back like a chicken wing really stretches the sore areas). You can do the same thing with the leg, and while laying on the other side of the body.

If they work for you please let me know! I was surprised that they helped me.

The best thing you can do for the pain and to potentially prevent progression (though ther eis debate as to how often that can be done through non-surgical methods), is to strengthen your core/your abs, and also your gluts. Pilates are really good, but a physical therapist can help design a simple routine for you that you can do everyday, provided they are good and care about backs (I've been to some who just don't care much about backs and it wasn't very helpful). If you can find a scoliosis-specific physical therapist, then you could be golden.
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[Vali]

I had accupuncture and remedial massage weekly for the three months leading upto my surgery. I would not have been able to walk otherwise. The pain was so bad, that i broke out in a sweat like never in my life at my first visit. With subsequent visits and rubbing in a Tissue Salt cream - Magnesium Phosphate, the pain dulled to what i considered comfortable. I also kept up with Pilates and Aquarobics but quit a couple of months before surgery due to the pain and discomfort is was causing. I hope you find something that can help you. Best wishes.

[Scoliosis Hurts]

me too, I recommend massage and what works for me is laying on the floor with my knees at a 90 degree angle - so my legs are up on an ottoman .. keep this position for 15 min per day while listening to relaxing music.

Tell me if you try it!

[Elisa]

me too, I recommend massage and what works for me is laying on the floor with my knees at a 90 degree angle - so my legs are up on an ottoman .. keep this position for 15 min per day while listening to relaxing music.

Tell me if you try it!

That's exactly how I spent my entire childhood and younger years, always was either upside down or my laying on the floor with my feet up somewhere. It just felt so good. I'm going to get my son to try this.