3 Ways to Work on Improving Scoliosis
Scoliosis is an incurable condition with progressively worsening symptoms as the spine literally curves into an abnormal position. While in the beginning, scoliosis only presents an aesthetic problem, in later stages, the condition causes a considerable amount of pain and often requires corrective fusion surgery. However, if spotted in time, you can do several things to prevent the further curvature of the spine as well as to help straighten it. This article lists three ways you can improve your scoliosis without surgery and live a pain-free life.
1. Physical Therapy
One of the best ways to improve scoliosis is intense physical therapy, which involves stretching and strengthening exercises. With the help of a professional therapist, these sessions can have many benefits for your condition. First and foremost, the therapist will teach you how your body works by showing you exercises specifically designed to correct scoliosis. With these, you will be able to feel where your problem areas are, which part of your body should be activated, and which ones should be spared to improve your condition.
It might sound like a lot of work, but going through intense physical therapy sessions three times a week can help you alleviate the pressure from your spine. In turn, this will free your upper body in general because everything will go to its rightful place. With mild to moderate cases of scoliosis, physical therapy can even help avoid painful surgery followed by many months of recovery. In order to get the most of it, it’s recommended to start this method immediately after receiving your diagnosis. By doing that, you will get the benefits of learning posture correcting exercises tailored specifically for your body right from the beginning.
2. Stretching Exercises
There are several different types of exercises you can perform at home to alleviate the pressure or even correct the curvature of your spine. Generally, these moves are used as an added form of exercise besides some other scoliosis relieving methods. As most of these exercises are based on stretching moves, they should be done only after consulting with a professional therapist. However, after you learn the exact position of your curve, you will be able to work on correcting it with at-home exercises. For example, doing side planks on your weaker side can help strengthen your back and side muscles, and with them, you can slowly push your spine back towards the center.
Inversion therapy is another great way to relieve the pressure from the vertebrae and all the surrounding tissue. If you are interested in how inversion therapy works, you can read more here and learn about its benefits. Based on similar techniques as yoga, this method is enjoying increasing popularity and for a good reason. In the correct postures, the inversion method stretches the body in all the right places and alleviates gravitational pressure at the same time.
3. Chiropractic Care
While chiropractic care won’t correct your scoliosis to the same extent stretching might do, it certainly helps alleviate the pain and other symptoms caused by this condition. This method is based on adjusting the positions of your spine and other skeletal elements, which are all in an unnatural position due to scoliosis. During a session, by manipulating specific parts of your body and aligning things the right way, a professional chiropractor will be able to correct your whole posture. And because this results in increased blood flow, you will enter a pain-free state and improve your general well-being.
This is one of the safest methods you can use to help with your spinal curvature, although it will require a couple of visits before you begin to feel the results. Similar to physical therapy, your sessions with your chiropractor will also be tailored to your specific needs. Plus, you can expect to get some advice on what to do or avoid outside the sessions, which can help you reduce the discomfort to a level where you will require less frequent therapy. In this stage, your skeletal structure will be in an optimal position, and the only thing you will need to do is maintain it that way.
These natural methods to correct spinal bending are only effective if the condition is still in its earlier stages. For the most efficient results, it’s recommended to begin therapy right after your diagnosis. Should you decide to try any of these methods, it is recommended to ask a qualified professional for advice or treatment. You can also do your research on your own and work alongside a professional to find the solution that best suits your needs.
