Scoliosis-specific exercise, what is it? and Why do we need it?
Let’s start with the word “exercise” to begin. Have you ever seen a study where exercise wasn’t recommended for a specific condition? Not really, right? According to Medlineplus.gov, these are the benefits of exercise:
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- Strengthen bones and muscles
- Reduce your risk of heart disease
- Help your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels
- Help you live longer
- Help your mental health and your mood
- Help keep your thinking, learning, and mental skills sharp
- Improve your sleep
- Improve your sexual health
- Reduce your risk of falls
- And more… See the full article on Medlineplus.gov here
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Now, what about the scoliosis-specific part of this? Why not just any exercise? Well, you can. As someone with scoliosis, you can do any exercise that your body allows. Any exercise that your body allows? Yes, don’t do anything that hurts. Keep in mind, though, that we work with lots of professional athletes and highly dedicated amateur athletes who do every form of exercise and movement imaginable. Awesome! And you too! You should do what you love. And scoliosis-specific exercise can help you continue doing just that.
Scoliosis-specific exercise is designed with the changes of the scoliosis spine in mind. The scoliosis spine side-bends and rotates — there are exercises that address these changes. When we address these changes, we are able to lengthen and elongate the spine closer (even if it’s a millimeter) to a more physiologically normal position. Once we are there, we are able to perform the exercises a bit better. The result is more strength, less discomfort, and lots more stamina to continue doing what you love.
We find that the more someone loves to move, whether it’s cycling, walking, gardening, dancing, or any and every sport… the more they need their bodies to perform as well as possible. They become aware of the changes that scoliosis has created for them that might make gardening, for example, challenging. They might feel their hips more on a walk than their friends that they walk with. Or if they are a professional athlete, then it can become essential to gain an understanding of how to exercise with scoliosis to improve performance and reduce pain.
What is Scoliosis-specific exercise?
In a nutshell:
- Adaptive exercise that allows those of us with scoliosis to strengthen within the rules that the different shapes of our spines dictate.
- Exercise that recognizes that our muscles and connective tissues are put together differently and that with some small changes to an exercise, we can strengthen the correct muscles in a sit-up or plank or other core and spine strengthening exercises.
You can see lots of examples of scoliosis-specific exercises on our Instagram page. Come hang out with us; you’ll see some very strong spines!
Are you ready to start today? Whether you are someone living with scoliosis or a professional helping those with scoliosis, join our Scolio-Pilates On Demand here. You will have two weeks of free scoliosis-specific exercises with a live class every Thursday at 3 pm ET (New York, USA) and access to over 100 classes. It’s time to take control. Be a Scolio-Mover!”
Are you a professional looking to serve those with scoliosis? Learn the steps towards becoming an Authorized Scolio-Pilates Practitioner.