The Best Exercises To Manage A Scoliosis
What are the signs of a scoliosis?
- high shoulder
- prominent ribs
- leg length discrepancy
- shoulder blade prominence
- high hip
Can exercise help scoliosis?
Eighty percent of all scoliosis are “Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis”. The spine starts to curve in the early teenage years as it grows, but once we reach bone maturity in the late teens the shape of the bones can’t change. So we can’t straighten the majority of scoliosis. But if we don’t keep the spinal joints as free as possible and keep the muscles in good shape it can catch up to us, especially as we get older. These exercises are designed to mobilise joints, stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles related to scoliosis.
Spinal joints become restricted at the apex of the curves. If you know where your curves, are you can target them with these exercises. If you’re not sure, you can just do all of the exercises (because anyone can actually benefit from these exercises).
If you have a scoliosis, try to make these exercises part of your daily routine. We brush our teeth to maintain them every day. Your spine deserves the same.
Can you straighten some types of scoliosis?
Some people have a functional scoliosis. This means that the bones have not changed shape and is great news because these people can actually straighten their scoliosis. To assess if your scoliosis can be straightened we take x-rays, do a spinal examination and a test called Adams test to assess your spine.
Shoulder problems too?
One thing I’ve noticed in my chiropractic office in Barcelona is the amount of people with scoliosis that have issues with their shoulder. If the spine curves in the thoracic region it can make the shoulder blade protrude into a position that predisposes the shoulder to problems. So if your shoulder blade sticks out use this video to learn how to strengthen the shoulder.
Stefan Becker
Barcelona Chiropractor