About scoliosis exercises

Scoliosis is a medical condition characterized by abnormal curvature of the spine. In scoliosis, the patient’s spine is curved from side to side and viewed from the rear; it may look like the letter “S” or “C”, rather than a normal straight line. Scoliosis may cause serious discomfort to the patients, and even lessen the normal lung capacity or place some additional pressure on the heart. However, in most of the cases it only restricts the patient’s physical activities by contributing to an uneven musculature on one side of the spine, uneven hips or leg lengths, slow nerve action, or a rib or shoulder blade prominence. Scoliosis exercises are an important part of the scoliosis treatment, as they are specially designed to strengthen the back, shoulders and upper back, and make the muscles on these parts of the body more flexible. Regular exercise will also help to improve the posture. A patient should always consult a health care professional before starting an exercise program.

Legs and arms extensions

For this exercise, one should use a stability ball and start with the hips positioned right over the ball. While keeping one toe down, the exerciser should extend one hand up, keeping the opposite hand’s palm down and lifting the leg up. The position is held for a couple of breaths and then slowly released and repeated on other side of the body. Three sets of ten repetitions should be enough for the starter program.

Back extensions

The exerciser should also support this exercise with a ball, starting with the abdomen placed on top of the ball and knees placed on the mat. It is important to choose the proper size of a ball, in order to perform a safe and efficient exercise. Hands and arms are raised, and they are parallel with the ball. The position is held for at least five breaths, building up to ten.

Upright Row

This simple exercise starts in the safe standing position. The arms are placed down in front of the body, and the palms are positioned in such a way to face the legs. Exerciser should hold light weights in the hands and start the exercise by pulling the arms straight up, so that the elbows are just a little bit higher than the hands. Then, the hands are again returning to the starting position, and the exerciser takes a short break, lasting a couple of breaths. The exercise is continued for three sets, gradually building up to ten.