pictures of my back: Scoliosis, lordosis and kyphosis. Discussion

[mamamax]

Hi Christian - this web site will help you with Schroth: http://www.schroth-skoliosebehandlung.de/home_en.php

[Christian0710]

Thank you for the website Mamamax. it's very helpful
Have you read the book yourself? And have you seen a Schroth therapist?

[foofer]

Hi Lorraine,



Exercises that have actually helped me very much with neck pain the last month are:
Chin tucks and face-lying neck lifts. Whenever sit and read I use my longus cervicis and lungus capitis (check them on google, they are also referred to as neck flexor muscles and are important for neck pain sufferers) to look down. So instead of bending my neck forward, I keep the back of my neck long by tucking my chin to tilt my head downward to look at the book which strengthens the front neck flexor muscles. Yea I look like a chimpanzees while doing it, but it's pain free :-)
I'am currently reading the book "Fixing you: Neck pain and headaches" And I sent an e-mail to the physiotherapist who wrote the book with some pictures. In the book it describes how the shoulders are often the culprits of neck pain, because if they are sitting too low on the back the levator scapulae (which attaches from the neck to the shoulder blade, check google) are overworked, causing neck pain and headaches, and if the shoulders are hunched as in my case, my theory is that my upper trapezius is doing all the work, creating headaches.

Hi Christian,

I ordered this book from Amazon after you mentioned it here. My biggest problem with all my back issues is a headache that has increased over time in both frequency and intensity. This summer was a bad one for pain for me, and I kept telling everyone, "If only I could get rid of the headache, I could tolerate the rest......."

The month of September is a 30 day challenge for me to do the exercises as often as possible (at home diligently, at work in my office, whenever no one is looking on the floor or even when they are) When I do them I experience hours of relief; when I don't it's headaches-as-usual. So I thank you and I'm amused that someone in Denmark turned me on to a book originating from an author in Denver. I live in Colorado.

How are you doing and what was the result of your x-ray expeditions?

Amy

[Christian0710]

Hey Amy,

I'm glad to hear you are active in coping with your own pain. Yea, the internet is an amazing thing, makes people able to help each other from a distance

I'm interested in hearing how big a difference this month can make for you. I myself have started exercising all the deep muscles of the neck and the deep abdominal muscles a lot lately, (almost an hour a day) and it feels great. I think in the long run it will pay off, and I know it's a long process. From my instructor course I learned that when you work out a muscle in the beginning, what you are really doing is learning to activate the muscle by stimulating the corresponding nerves to it. And that's great, because we want our sleeping muscles to activate so over compensative muscles don't have to de extra work resulting in stiffness.
What I'm struggling with at the moment is understanding the 3-dimensional problem that scoliosis creates (3 dimensional rotation) and understanding how to straighten the back by rotational and breathing exercises.

Here are some of the X-ray pictures that I got form the hospital

Cervical region (Neck)
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...n0710/Neck.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...alsideview.jpg

Thoracic region
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...racicspine.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...nesideview.jpg

Lumbar region
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...umbarspine.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...nesideview.jpg

[Beatriz Torres]

Can you check in the Three Dimensional Treatment for Scoliosis by Christa Lehnert-Schroth, PT book on fig. 154 if your left lumbar curve is similar ? You can write me a private message .

[Christian0710]

Hi everyone,
I thought It was time to update my scoliosis journal.

I have been exercising systematic and my pain has begun decreasing much (until I had a shoulder accident, and now I have to wait 3 more weeks doing elastic band rotator cuff exercises argh :P) I actually gained about 20Lb of muscle (mostly stabilizer and trunk musculature), but now I'm losing a bit while I'm recovering from shoulder injury.

I really want to correct this scoliosis more than anything in the world. I found something in the Schroth method book that I wanted to put into consideration considering the Iliopsoas and quadratus lumborum musculature.

Here is a small quote from "The three-dimensional treatment of scoliosis" regarding the Iliopsoas musculature.
Iliopsoas (p. 52)
"It affects lateral movement to the side of the contraction(...)" This means lateral flexion of the spine e.g. my right Iliopsoas will make me sidebend right (making the arch of the spinal curve go left)
"(...) and at the same time rotation to the opposite side" My right iliopsoas will pull on the transverse process so my spinal column rotates left (making the right transverse process go ventrally and the left go posteriorly)

If I have a lumbar curve going left, then my right Iliopsoas is probably pulling my lumbar spine downward (giving me a lumbar lordosis) while it's rotating my spine to the left, so I am going to stretch it very much and do some deep tissue work.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3.../scoliosis.jpg


The quadratus lomborum.
The question is: In which side is the quadratus lumborum dominant or weak?
In the picture (underneath) Crista Lehnert Schroth says that "In scoilosis, this muscle works unilaterally, pulling transverse processes of lumbar spine to one side" Could it be that it attaches mostly to the posterior side of the transverse process and so the dominant side rotates the spine in opposite direction?
She further writes:
"In case of inactivity (of Quadratus L.) , this musles no longer pulls on the transverse process" This must mean that if the Quadratus L. is weak it can't counterbalance the pull of the iliopsoas (which attaches to the transverse process as well) so if my right quadratus lumborum is weak it's not counterbalancing the pull of the iliopsoas thus rotating my spine left.

In this picture the quadratus lumborum is weak on the left convex side, therefore the spine rotates right.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...umbarspine.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...uslumborum.jpg


Hmm I really got to figure it out, but it's not easy and it really takes a lot of careful studying. It would be great to get some input from someone who is into anatomy.

[Moreno]

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to take some pictures of my back in an attempt to better understand the problem and get to know scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis better. I believe that better understanding leads to motivation which leads to change. It is my wish that we can discuss the different back problems in this post, and include knowledge from anatomy books, our own problems, exercises that help etc.

Theory: If you have lordosis strengthen your abodminals, glutetues muscles
Stretch: ilioposas (Hip flexer muscles) and quadriceps.
I have been following this theory for about a year and to be honest I don't believe it. I think stabilizing the lower part of my lumbar muscles(erector spinae) is important for my back to be tall, stable and erect, but It's just a theory, and I don't know it is the answer??


Kyphosis: Eradicating neck pain.
I am working on my Kyphosis by strengthening my Longus cervicis, and Longis capitis front neck muscles, doing the chin tuck exercise and always keeping my chin tucked when looking down.
When lifting objects I bull my shoulders down and back so my upper trapezius is not doing the lifting, but instead using my lower trapezius and bicep muscle to lift with.


Scoliosis: My question is: I have a left lumbar curve. People always tell me to stretch the right concave side, but to me it looks like my lower back muscles are more developped in my left region of my lower back, pulling the spine to the left. And then as overcompensation my right upper trapezius muscles at my neck is overdeveloped. Does that make sense??


Pictures
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/DSC00277.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/DSC00269.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/DSC00268.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/DSC00275.jpg

Update: might as well include pictures in top of post
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...0/Backview.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...0/DSC00296.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...0/DSC00284.jpg

Bending test 2
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...0/DSC00306.jpg


I believe that In order to eradicate this problems (Yes I know, I'm always optimistic), it's important to understand the problem 100% in order to exercise correctly. I want my daily neck pain to disappear and I want my back to be straighter and I am willing to do whatever it takes, and I will find a solution, and I hope some of you have the same goals. I Hope some of you are willing to look into these things and discuss some of your theories, and if you want post pictures of your own problem.
The most important thing is, not to focus on the negative, but to focus on how we can change it to the better.

Kind regards,
Christian Fischer

look my photo... https://www.facebook.com/moreno.vlad...type=1&theater