I am an experienced physiotherapist, and person with scoliosis that has successfully helped my back pain and alignment for a long time with specific strength exercises.
I've been reading a lot of the posts about exercise, and am wondering why some people maintain that exercise is not likely to be useful to treat the symptoms of scoliosis. I mean - joints don't move themselves, and the spine does not simply hold itself up! People with scoliosis have deformities of the bones that are exaggerated by dramatic weaknesses and lack of joint position sense/body awareness.
Many of you with scoliosis have said that if you derotate certain body segments and draw yourself tall, your curves appear less noticeable. The problem is, you can't hold it very long!
Also, some posters have commented that in the morning, their curves are less noticeable or they feel taller/straighter, but that the spine collapses over the course of the day. Much of this is due to the inability of the muscles to maintain spinal elongation.
So, it makes a great deal of sense that strengthening the muscles in very specific ways (ie. derotating and also strengthening in the lengthened muscle positions in as corrected a position as can be achieved) would be helpful.
Now, I must state that when I fail to do my exercises for a few weeks, I go crooked again. Strength is unlikely to be maintained without regular exercise, when there is a deformity. BUT, if I do my routine for 30 minutes three times per week, I stay straighter and have little pain.
Even though I don't know WHY I have scoliosis and WHY my muscle support of my spine got messed up, I can still treat those symptoms by strengthening and elongating my muscles.
I would love to post a full discussion about why the theoretical and evidentiary basis for exercise is strong, but it will take a bit of time to get the research together and write it.
I look forward to your comments!
B.
I've been reading a lot of the posts about exercise, and am wondering why some people maintain that exercise is not likely to be useful to treat the symptoms of scoliosis. I mean - joints don't move themselves, and the spine does not simply hold itself up! People with scoliosis have deformities of the bones that are exaggerated by dramatic weaknesses and lack of joint position sense/body awareness.
Many of you with scoliosis have said that if you derotate certain body segments and draw yourself tall, your curves appear less noticeable. The problem is, you can't hold it very long!
Also, some posters have commented that in the morning, their curves are less noticeable or they feel taller/straighter, but that the spine collapses over the course of the day. Much of this is due to the inability of the muscles to maintain spinal elongation.
So, it makes a great deal of sense that strengthening the muscles in very specific ways (ie. derotating and also strengthening in the lengthened muscle positions in as corrected a position as can be achieved) would be helpful.
Now, I must state that when I fail to do my exercises for a few weeks, I go crooked again. Strength is unlikely to be maintained without regular exercise, when there is a deformity. BUT, if I do my routine for 30 minutes three times per week, I stay straighter and have little pain.
Even though I don't know WHY I have scoliosis and WHY my muscle support of my spine got messed up, I can still treat those symptoms by strengthening and elongating my muscles.
I would love to post a full discussion about why the theoretical and evidentiary basis for exercise is strong, but it will take a bit of time to get the research together and write it.
I look forward to your comments!
B.
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