Torso Rotation Strength Training for Scoliosis

I just got a private message from a mom who tried the plank with her daughter.

She said that her daughter had no problem performing the exercise on one side. Then she tried the other side and had significant trouble staying up. Her pelvis kept rocking back and forth. She called the difference "drastic".

Although most people (including myself until recently) haven't heard of this phenomenon scientists are well aware of it. Just 30 minutes of strength training per week can correct this completely and in theory it could have a positive impact on Scoliosis.

Imagine that muscles on one side of the spine are pulling with 10 pounds of force and the muscles on the other side are pulling with 7 pounds of force. This imbalance goes on 24/7 for a lifetime. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see that curve progression might result from this. In fact it's hard to imagine how this wouldn't create a curve.

I would love to test this on my son but he is on vacation until July 2.

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Originally Posted by Dingo

I just got a private message from a mom who tried the plank with her daughter.

She said that her daughter had no problem performing the exercise on one side. Then she tried the other side and had significant trouble staying up. Her pelvis kept rocking back and forth. She called the difference "drastic".

Although most people (including myself until recently) haven't heard of this phenomenon scientists are well aware of it. Just 30 minutes of strength training per week can correct this completely and in theory it could have a positive impact on Scoliosis.

Imagine that muscles on one side of the spine are pulling with 10 pounds of force and the muscles on the other side are pulling with 7 pounds of force. This imbalance goes on 24/7 for a lifetime. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see that curve progression might come from this. In fact it's hard to imagine how this wouldn't create a curve.

I would love to test this on my son but he is on vacation until July 2.

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Dingo...

I can't be the only one thinking that you'll never know what, if anything, worked for your son. It sounds like you're trying everything possibly imaginable. And, the most likely scenario is that his curve won't progress regardless of what therapies are undertaken. Don't you occasionally just want to let him be a kid?

--Linda

Dingo...

I'd like to apologize for that last post. It sounds snotty. I didn't mean it to be. You do, however, have more than your share of theories.

--Linda

LindaRacine

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the most likely scenario is that his curve won't progress regardless of what therapies are undertaken

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I wish you were correct but unfortunately I don't think you are. My son is a young juvenile with an S curve and significant rotation. His odds of progression are very high. If you have access to any studies or literature that suggest otherwise please post them because they'll help me sleep better.

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Don't you occasionally just want to let him be a kid?

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"Watch and wait" can't help my son and 15 minutes of exercise can't hurt him. I should also add that my son doesn't know he has Scoliosis. We exercise together and he thinks we do it to help his muscles grow.

taken from your post.
Imagine that muscles on one side of the spine are pulling with 10 pounds of force and the muscles on the other side are pulling with 7 pounds of force. This imbalance goes on 24/7 for a lifetime. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see that curve progression might come from this. In fact it's hard to imagine how this wouldn't create a curve.

Dingo, taking the above quote from you, then how can 15 minutes of exercise a day prevent it from getting worse?

You dont know as Linda said if your sons curve is going to get worse, take it from someone who has a very sick adult son who has Diabetes 1,( juvenile onset at 14), please dont let this take up your whole life worrying as our children pick up on our feelings, whether he thinks he is just improving his muscles or not, children are a lot more switched on than we realise.

All the best
Lorraine.

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Originally Posted by Dingo

I just got a private message from a mom who tried the plank with her daughter.

She said that her daughter had no problem performing the exercise on one side. Then she tried the other side and had significant trouble staying up. Her pelvis kept rocking back and forth. She called the difference "drastic".

Although most people (including myself until recently) haven't heard of this phenomenon scientists are well aware of it. Just 30 minutes of strength training per week can correct this completely and in theory it could have a positive impact on Scoliosis.

Imagine that muscles on one side of the spine are pulling with 10 pounds of force and the muscles on the other side are pulling with 7 pounds of force. This imbalance goes on 24/7 for a lifetime. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see that curve progression might result from this. In fact it's hard to imagine how this wouldn't create a curve.

I would love to test this on my son but he is on vacation until July 2.

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Dingo - some years back i had a PT exercise much like that. It helped a lot. You know, i never carried on with those exercises past a few weeks. And people wonder why exercise "seemingly" does not work .. a little thing called, compliance. Think folks have done studies on that ;)

You are a good dad and it sounds like your son is growing up with a healthy attitude towards exercise as a way of life!

I agree...I think you're doing a great job Dingo, and your posts are always very interesting and informative. I don't think 15 min. of exercise a day (which is healthy regardless of whether or not it's related to scoliosis) is taking away any of his ability to "be a kid." It's ONLY 15 minutes! He has the whole rest of the day to "be a kid"! Plus, it seems like you make it fun for him. You're lucky you were able to notice his scoliosis at such a young age and get started with exercises while he's the most pliable and not as "set" in his scoliotic position. At the very least, if he does ever reach the point of surgical levels, you'll know you did everything in your power as a father to prevent it.

MissEmmyF
mamamax

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At the very least, if he does ever reach the point of surgical levels, you'll know you did everything in your power as a father to prevent it.

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Thanks you guys. And yes, if I ultimately fail I plan to go down swinging. :)

Lorraine 1966

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how can 15 minutes of exercise a day prevent it from getting worse?

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Studies have found that just 30 minutes of strength training per week can manage Scoliotic curves.

Here is a story and video of an 8 year old doing Torso Rotation Strength Training. In her case she only works about 4 or 5 minutes, most likely twice per week.

2007 - The Journal Of Musculoskeletal Medicine: Exercise for managing adolescent scoliosis

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In most cases the curvature can be reduced. Brief exercises performed twice a week are adequate. Braces are not necessary.

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I guess that's why these forums are such a good idea, we can all put our ideas forward and debate things. I should have put it better and said exercise would not under any condition have helped me, and I know of and have read of so many people who have fought against the idea of surgery for years and then finally had to have an operation anyway.

I do hope you dear little boy is helped by this and everything works out as you hope and dream, believe me. I just get so worried about peoples attitude to the thought of surgery thats all, and my way of thinking why not just get it over with if its going to happen anyway. But then everyones scoliosis is not the same thats for sure and thank goodness for that.

I also know the feeling of that you just have to do all you can for your children and feel confident that you could do no more.

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Also I just read the article you recommended about Emma the 8 year old little girl, will her spine stay the same for years and years??? There is no scientific literature as the medics said to back it up. I wish there was of course but there isn't.
Please understand I am not having a go at you Dingo or people like you, it is only my opinion and Betty how about coming down here and giving me a little help!! So glad you are on here.

Regards
Lorraine.

Lorraine 1966

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I do hope you dear little boy is helped by this and everything works out as you hope and dream, believe me.

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I genuinely appreciate that. All I ever think about is my son's spine. I know that's not the healthiest thing but I've always had a propensity to overfocus on things.

There aren't any longterm studies on torso rotation so it's hard to know what to do. But I just can't stomach "watch and wait." If there is something out there that credible scientists think will help I want to do it.

BTW all the best to your son with Diabetes. Scientists believe they've finally unraveled the cause of Type 1 Diabetes. Evidently it's triggered by a common virus called the Enterovirus in genetically susceptible children.

Study Of Human Pancreases Links Virus To Cause Of Type 1 Diabetes

Unfortunately this virus can survive chlorination and it's commonly found in swimming pools among other places.

Occurrence of enteroviruses in community swimming pools.

Thankyou dingo for your kind words about my son and the references you gave me to read, I can understand how you eat, sleep and breath always thinking and worrying about your son. Most of us with children would much rather these things happen to us instead, wouldn't we.

Have you ever noticed though the ones who do get something quite serious wrong with them seem to be the type of children who can cope with it. In fact quite often I think they can teach us a lot about life lessons instead of the other way around.

All the best
Lorraine.

Hi Dingo and everyone:

I thought I'd share a bit of info on the plank exercise with you. It is a great way to make the lateral trunk muscles work HARD. The muscles that do the work are the ones closer to the ceiling. I find that doing it on the elbow is way too hard for many people, however, so there are several effective modifications that don't involve the upper extremity. (I never work these with load on my arm because my shoulder and neck would hurt; also one has to concetrate so much on holding the shoulder positon that less attention is available for the spine).

How the exercise would help a person with a left convex curve in their lumbar spine, and a right convex curve in the thoracic spine: doing a plank with the right side up forces those weak muscles to work, to pull the joints back to the midline. At the same time, the thorax, which has drifted right, gets drawn left to sit aligned over the pelvis. For this curve pattern, the right ribcage should be drawn forwards and the right pelvis should be drawn back to derotate the thoracic and lumbar segments.

If done with precision, the modified planks are a powerful way to build bulk on the weak side. The version I do is the three-curve Schroth version, and as long as I do it regularly (every other day or do), all my curves above line up much nicer.

You can see MissEmmyF doing a version for her left muscles in her photo album.

Cheers,
B.

I spoke to my PT about my old torso rotation exercises the other day and he was not happy... he said it puts extreme pressure on the spine. He said the spine is most vulnerable bent over (sorry for my translation I do not speak PT) and in rotation. He told me not to do them even though they seemed to have helped...

Can someone explain this further? I trust my PT but at the same time my back felt and looked better when I was doing those (along with 3 hours of other aerobics and strength training so I can't be completely sure it was just the rotation). Anyone else hear that this exercise is actually bad for your lower back becuase it places too much pressure on the lower discs?

trcylynn

Personally I think it's safe but I'm not a therapist. Dr. Mooney mentions that it's a safe exercise in one of his studies but I can't find the quote right now.

For what it's worth here is a thread full of physical therapists discussing torso rotation.