Scoliosis was named from the Greek language and means “crooked”. The spine of someone having scoliosis is crooked from side to side not from front to back. It looks “S” shaped in one of more sections and not straight up and down.
Most of us have some scoliosis, or crookedness, in the spine. This crookedness can be present at birth or develop from some trauma later in life. Back pain will occur when this crookedness causes the spine to malfunction in its movements patterns. Scoliosis generally does not threaten our day to day functioning but can become worrisome if the crookedness becomes too great and compresses on the organs inside the body.
By the time we are 18/19 years old the spine has been fully formed and will not increase the scoliosis under normal conditions. If new trauma or prolonged poor posture are introduced the scoliosis may worsen.
Scoliosis must be monitored when we are young and this is the best time to engage in exercise to create a flexible and strong spine. As we are growing the spine can be influenced greatly to move properly so the scoliosis will not cause back pain in the future. Back pain will not be experienced, even in severe cases of scoliosis, if the soft tissue (muscles and tendons) move with ease. See what Martha has to say about her scoliosis and exercise.
Scoliosis surgery involves screwing rods into the spine to keep the spine straight. Once surgery has been performed proper function and flexibility are lost and muscle tightness may increase. This tightness will be difficult to solve through exercise but some relief may be found in massage or acupuncture.
The Backhealer method teaches self-care for your back incorporating massage, breathing, and exercise to lengthen and strengthen the spine.!()