Introduction
Chronic back pain a fact of life for many people, but it is almost TWICE as likely if you have scoliosis according to a 50-year follow-up study of adults with scoliosis. Patients often describe their scoliosis back pain as burning, intense achiness, stiffness, spasms, and even breathtaking in some cases. It becomes more than a nuisance; it becomes the focal point of their lives every. single. day. Scoliosis is not a rare condition, with about 7 million people in the United States developing some form of it that may require treatment from a specialist. Common symptoms of scoliosis include leg pain, which can be caused by nerve compression and inflammation in the nerves due to spinal stenosis. This can result in fatigue and failure during physical activities, making it crucial to strengthen the core and lower back for relief from this painful condition.
Many patients gradually begin planning their lives around chronic scoliosis back pain and it slowly erodes their lifelong hopes and dreams of an active and adventure-filled retirement later in life. I even had one patient describe their experience with scoliosis back pain as being stuck. For adults with scoliosis, it is important to avoid core exercises that place excessive strain on the spine, such as traditional sit-ups, crunches, heavy twisting movements, and exercises that involve bending forward repetitively. These types of effective exercises can worsen spinal alignment and may lead to increased discomfort or further spine issues, making it essential to consider back pain relief strategies during your fitness routine.
“I’m stuck,” she said. “I am stuck between pain and surgery. I am stuck between pain and pain killers. I am stuck between scoliosis pain and my life.”
Understanding Scoliosis: Types and Common Symptoms
Scoliosis presents various types and common symptoms. Understanding these variations is crucial for effective management. Types include idiopathic, degenerative, and adult idiopathic scoliosis, with adult degenerative scoliosis accounting for approximately 20% of scoliosis cases in the U.S. Symptoms may involve back pain, leg discomfort, spinal imbalance, and stiffness, affecting an individual’s upright posture. Identifying the specific type and symptoms guides treatment plans tailored to each individual’s needs, whether through physical therapy, bracing, or surgery. Spending time being aware of the diverse manifestations of scoliosis, including adult idiopathic scoliosis cases, empowers patients to seek appropriate care promptly in order to manage the condition effectively in adulthood. For adults with scoliosis, performing core stability exercises is recommended several times a week—ideally three to five sessions—for best results. Consistent practice helps strengthen the muscles that support the spine, which may reduce discomfort and improve overall function and help maintain upright posture.
Diagnosis Techniques and Importance of Early Screening
Early screening for adult scoliosis is crucial in diagnosing the sideways curvature of the spine condition promptly. Healthcare providers often use physical exams, imaging tests like MRIs and CT scans, and scoliometers for accurate diagnosis. These tests can show the bony structures and soft tissue of the spine, including any potential issues with spinal disks. Identifying scoliosis early can help implement treatment plans before the condition progresses, potentially reducing pain and complications. Hence, the significance of early screening cannot be overstated, as it allows for timely intervention and management strategies tailored to each patient’s needs. For adults with scoliosis, the right exercises, particularly core exercises, may require specific modifications to address the unique curvature and stability challenges of the spine. Healthcare providers or physical therapists often recommend adjusting exercises to avoid movements that exacerbate spinal imbalance, focusing on strengthening supportive muscles while maintaining proper alignment and safety.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options and Their Effectiveness
Non-Surgical Treatment Options and Their Effectiveness: Non-surgical treatments like physical therapy, core strengthening exercises, and wearing a scoliosis activity suit offer effective alternatives for managing painful adult scoliosis without resorting to surgical procedures. These methods focus on improving core muscles, reducing spinal rotation, and enhancing spinal balance. By re-coordinating muscle firing patterns and encouraging physical activity, non-surgical approaches aim to alleviate pain and enhance overall stability without the risks associated with invasive interventions. Conservative treatment, such as regular check-ups and over-the-counter pain relief, may also be recommended by healthcare providers to monitor and manage the condition, including scoliosis surgery (spinal fusion) in severe cases.
Preventive Measures and Lifestyle Adjustments for Scoliosis Management
Maintaining a healthy weight through regular exercise is crucial for managing painful adult scoliosis. Focus on activities that strengthen core muscles, such as pelvic tilts, to provide better support for your spine, including gymnastics. Incorporating yoga or Pilates into your routine can improve flexibility and posture. Remember, core strength matters when aiming to pay attention to your sitting and standing posture to prevent additional strain on your back muscles. Avoid high-impact activities that may exacerbate spinal imbalance. Regular stretching and strengthening exercises prescribed by a physical therapist can help alleviate pain and improve overall spine health.
The Search for a Better Way to Treat Chronic Adult Scoliosis Pain
Pills, potions, lotions, surgeries, even psychologists for treating scoliosis back pain in adults have led us down a road to nowhere, and we need a new and better way to support spinal support needs. Many patients (correctly, in my opinion) have turned to active rehabilitation approaches for treating their chronic scoliosis pain, including specific exercises like yoga, Pilates, Schroth, and inversion tables. These methods have anecdotally provided long-time scoliosis back pain sufferers with varying degrees of success, including the use of painkillers like ibuprofen. However, these approaches only provide temporary pain reduction and fail to produce measurable long-term results for treating the actual scoliosis condition. It is important for adults with scoliosis to monitor their symptoms during any core exercise routine. Signs that a core exercise is making scoliosis symptoms worse include increased back pain, changes in posture, numbness or tingling in the legs, loss of mobility, or heightened discomfort during or after activity. If these signs appear, it’s crucial to discontinue the exercise and consult a healthcare professional for guidance.
Spinal Rotation Is the “Engine” of Scoliosis Progression
Understandably (but inaccurately), most patients see a crooked or bent spine on their x-ray and mistakenly think the curvature itself is the entire “problem” scoliosis creates. In reality, scoliosis is much, much, much more complicated, and it involves the strength and coordination of the abdominal muscles and surrounding muscles. In fact, it really isn’t “bending” so much as it is “twisting.” Core strengthening exercises can complement bracing treatment for adult scoliosis by helping to improve muscle strength and coordination. Strengthening the abdominal and surrounding muscles may support the spine and enhance stability, working alongside bracing to manage scoliosis progression.
Think of the curve in a scoliosis spine as a rubber band that is being twisted from the top and bottom until it makes a “coil” and buckles to the side. This is the true dynamic and biomechanical “driver” of scoliosis progression. One cannot simply “push” on the outside of the curvature (like a scoliosis brace) toward the midline and force the spine straighter. Actually, due to the unique rotation patterns seen only in scoliosis, many times “pushing” on the spine with a hard or soft back brace will INCREASE the spinal rotation and make the scoliosis spine “coil down” even more!
Any realistic treatment effort to treat the unique biomechanics of a spine afflicted with scoliosis is going to have to focus on DE-ROTATING the spinal curve and, furthermore, teaching the patients AUTOMATIC postural control centers in the brain how to correct imbalances and incorporate exercises like the bird dog to do so permanently.
While this may sound a bit new and/or far-fetched, it can be done with an entirely new concept in the treatment of adult scoliosis and the painful symptoms often associated with the condition. We call it the Scoliosis Activity Suit.
6 Ways the Scoliosis Activity Suit Will Reduce Your Scoliosis Pain
Increased Core Strength & Stability
“Core stability” has been a hot topic buzzword around physical therapy offices and gyms for decades, but for the most part is being misused and misunderstood, especially when it comes to adult scoliosis, as it involves various muscle groups, including the lower back muscles, that support the core.
Core strength/stability is plays a crucial role in more than just how many sit-ups or back extensions one can perform during a workout. The adult scoliosis patient has specific needs, and spinal stability and core stability should be more focused on “specific muscle recruitment” than general muscle strength or endurance.
Without getting too “wonky” on spinal anatomy, it needs to be recognized that intrinsic spinal muscles (groups of muscles within the spine that are involuntarily controlled but make up the bulk of one’s true “core stability”) are not significantly influenced by voluntary motion exercises like yoga, Pilates, Schroth, or weightlifting (these activities only train the muscles used for lifting or resisting gravity, not coordinating your automatic spinal alignment to gravity and the lower body, such as engaging the opposite leg effectively). Thus, it requires a unique “reflexive re-training” approach so the brain learns to activate and use the “true core stabilization” spinal muscles patients do not have conscious control over.
The Scoliosis Activity Suit works with your body’s natural movements, creating new muscle memory while actively reducing and stabilizing adult scoliosis.
Unlike rigid scoliosis braces, the Scoliosis Activity Suit has been designed through advanced engineering and human biomechanical analysis to stimulate and engage deep-layer “intrinsic” spinal muscles while you perform the normal activities of daily living.
Reduced Spinal Rotation & “Torque” on the Scoliosis Spine
Scoliosis curve progression is driven by spinal rotation causing a torque type “corkscrew” effect seen on a 2-dimensional x-ray as just a bending spine. This “torque” is being caused by the coordinated misfiring of spinal muscles to hold the spine in a twisted position when upright to gravity, which can lead to complications such as cases of scoliosis, damage to the rod and screws or breakdown at the fusion points. In rare cases, this can result in paralysis, especially in individuals with conditions like cerebral palsy. Anyone who just stands in a semi-twisted position for any length of time will tell you it is a lot harder and tiring than just standing normally, so it stands to reason holding your spine in a twisted position for long periods of time would be exhausting and uncomfortable.
The Scoliosis Activity Suit targets the spinal rotation and reduces the scoliosis curve by causing your brain to untwist it, thus reducing torque on the spinal column.
Re-Coordinating Posture Muscles
They say, “many hands make light work,” and that is also true when it comes to muscular support and body awareness of the spinal column.
The human spine is covered with five layers of spinal muscles (numbering literally in the hundreds) and they are designed to work together in a coordinated fashion. Unfortunately, mis-coordinated muscle firing patterns are very common in patients with scoliosis (and especially in adult patients with chronic scoliosis pain).
The Scoliosis Activity Suit actively recruits muscle firing patterns and gets them all firing at the same time again, thereby reducing fatigue, spasms, and pain!
Improved Spinal Balance
While virtually all scoliosis curves are twisted from spinal rotation, some curve patterns also develop a body shift as part of the natural compensation for the condition, particularly in the thoracic spine. This unbalances your body’s natural center of gravity, making the spinal muscles work harder to hold you up to gravity and becoming painful if forced to do so day after day. In structural scoliosis, the curve of the spine is rigid and can’t be reversed, leading to further imbalance and potential pain. However, by strengthening your core muscles, you can improve the curvature of your spine and achieve a straight line of improved spinal balance, providing relief from the pain caused by scoliosis.
Fortunately, the Scoliosis Activity Suit can be recommended to improve both the spinal twist and body shift at the same time.
Click on the Scoli-Fact to see the rest of the Scoliosis Facts!
Scoliosis Curve Reduction
79% of adult scoliosis patients using the adult Scoliosis Activity Suit are able to reduce their spinal curves by 6 degrees or more after using the Scoliosis Activity Suit for 18 months, incorporating exercises such as the dead bug and raising their right arm for better results.
Many still believe adult scoliosis cannot be improved non-surgically, but patient after patient using the Scoliosis Activity Suit is proving them wrong.
While curve size reduction does not always correlate with scoliosis pain reduction, an overwhelming number of the patients in the study also reported less pain and improved quality of life.
Using the Scoliosis Activity Suit Encourages More Physical Activity
Since the Scoliosis Activity Suit creates resistance and reaction from the walking motion, many adult scoliosis patients are increasing their overall activity levels as part of their daily routine. This can have many significant health benefits, including the best exercises for weight loss, improved circulation, decreased stress, and greater range of motion — all of which can and do contribute to less pain and improve quality of life.
How to Live With Scoliosis: Daily Management and Coping Strategies
Living with scoliosis involves daily management and coping strategies. Regular physical activity, such as yoga or gentle exercises, can help strengthen core muscles and improve posture, which is essential for maintaining spinal health. Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding high-impact activities can lessen strain on the spine. Utilizing ergonomic furniture and supportive devices can enhance comfort. Regular check-ups with healthcare providers and adhering to a personalized scoliosis treatment plan are vital for managing scoliosis effectively. Embracing a positive mindset and seeking support from loved ones can also aid in coping with the condition.
What lifestyle changes can individuals with painful adult scoliosis make to manage their condition better?
Individuals with painful adult scoliosis can make several lifestyle changes to help manage their condition more effectively. Engaging in regular physical activity, such as low-impact exercises like swimming or yoga, can help strengthen the muscles supporting the spine and improve flexibility. Maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet can reduce strain on the spine and alleviate discomfort. Investing in a supportive mattress and ergonomic furniture can also provide relief by promoting proper spinal alignment. Additionally, practicing good posture habits, such as maintaining proper alignment while sitting and avoiding slouching, can contribute to better symptom management. Prevention is key when it comes to managing scoliosis, and avoiding activities that exacerbate pain can also be helpful. Seeking guidance from healthcare professionals, such as physical therapists or chiropractors, for specialized exercises and treatments tailored to scoliosis and poor posture can further aid in improving quality of life for individuals with this condition.
What are the potential complications of untreated painful adult scoliosis?
Untreated painful adult scoliosis can lead to worsening pain, difficulty breathing due to restricted lung capacity, nerve damage causing numbness or weakness in the left leg and other legs, and even heart problems. Timely intervention with proper form is crucial to prevent these complications and improve quality of life for scoliosis patients.
Conclusion
Chronic scoliosis pain in adults is a tough condition to treat. Most existing treatment methods are solely focused on surgery or pain medications to manage — not fix — the underlying causes of scoliosis pain. In reality, the primary cause of scoliosis pain is often related to the spinal twisting causing torque on the spinal column, lack of spinal balance and muscle firing patterns, poor ‘true’ core stability, spinal curvature, and reduced spinal mobility.
The pain syndrome often leads patients to less-active lifestyles (which only compounds the problems).
The Scoliosis Activity Suit has been specifically designed to address all of these complications. What was once deemed impossible has become consistently possible for many adult scoliosis pain sufferers who had otherwise lost hope.
Regularity and Frequency: How Often Is Enough?
To effectively enhance your core strength and stability in managing adult scoliosis, regular exercise plays a pivotal role. Engaging in a structured routine that combines frequency and consistency allows for gradual progression and adaptation. Ideally, aiming for at least three to four sessions per week can strike a balance between exertion and recovery. Each session should incorporate both stabilization and strengthening exercises tailored towards the specific needs of scoliosis, ensuring not only muscle engagement but also the promotion of functional movement patterns. By adhering to this frequency, you establish a rhythm that fosters improvement, enabling your body to adapt and respond positively over time, ultimately leading to a more resilient core.
Scoliosis and Associated Conditions (Ehlers-Danlos, Spinal Stenosis)
Scoliosis can often be exacerbated by associated conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and spinal stenosis. EDS, known for its hypermobility and joint instability, can contribute to the challenges faced by individuals with scoliosis. This syndromic relationship complicates spinal alignment, as the connective tissues can become overly flexible, making it more difficult to maintain a stable core. On the other hand, spinal stenosis, which involves narrowing of the spinal canal, can lead to pain and restricted movement, further impacting a scoliosis patient’s quality of life. Understanding these connections is crucial, as it allows for tailored management strategies that address not only the scoliosis but also the implications of these additional conditions. Targeting core strength and stability is essential, helping to provide added support to the spine and potentially alleviating some of the symptoms associated with these intertwined disorders.
