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Jun 7, 2018

Health Advice

How to Correct Functional Scoliosis With Exercise Therapy

What is Functional Scoliosis?

Functional Scoliosis is also known as non-structural scoliosis. It refers to a type of scoliosis characterized by a temporary curvature in the spine without rotation of the vertebras. The good news is that this is the mild version of scoliosis, which means it is highly treatable.

First, functional scoliosis occurs when external factors, not the spine itself, causes the spine to adopt a curved posture. It has been linked to underlying conditions such as leg length discrepancy, chronic muscle spasm, and inflammatory conditions.

For example, a mother carrying a baby on one hip for long periods of time causes the back muscles to overextend in an abnormal form. Taking into account that the mother will adopt this position several months on the daily basis, it can develop a muscle spasm that affects the spine alignment without her realizing it.

As well, certain sports that require constant asymmetrical movements such as tennis, golf, or skiing can lead to developing nonstructural scoliosis. In this case, movements are not maintained for long periods of time, instead, they are repetitive movements performed with certain degree of force applied to it. This can cause an immediate pain or injury that is seen as just that. Then the player may adopt resting positions that offer him or her immediate pain relief while doing other activities.

Moreover, the spine itself does not require any treatment due to the curvature of the spine not being severe. The treatment will be focused on the muscles and surrounding tissues that may be leading the spine to adopt a curved posture.

Types of Functional Scoliosis

Functional scoliosis can be classified into four types:

Postural: As the name suggests, the curvature of the spine is due to prolonged use of a wrong posture.
Compensatory: This is one of the most frequent types of scoliosis we see at the clinics. It is caused by leg-length discrepancy. The reason why it is so common is because we all have certain degree of leg length difference, even if it goes unnoticed.
Sciatic: This one is often associated with the postural type. In this case, the curve develops from trying to avoid pain caused by the sciatic nerve
Inflammatory: This is when the curvature of the spine is caused by an inflammation, but not necessary in the same area or structure. What often happens is that the muscle spasm develops as a natural response of the body against the inflammation.

Functional vs. Structural Scoliosis

On the other hand, structural scoliosis involves both a lateral curvature and rotation of the vertebrae. Unlike functional scoliosis, structural scoliosis does alter the spine’s structure. It is considered permanent, it is highly treatable, but the treatment process is much more intense. Structural scoliosis can be caused by abnormal development of the bones, degenerative conditions such as arthritis, or external specific factors such as tumors.

Symptoms of Scoliosis

Scoliosis does not cause pain in most cases. However, back pain can be present for some individuals. This is because the curvature of the spine is creating stress or pressure on the spinal discs, nerves, muscles, joints or ligaments of the back. Pain may also be a sign of another health problem in the area, so it important to seek medical help and monitor one’s progress. Other symptoms may include”

Unbalanced shoulders (one appears higher than the other)
Unbalanced hips
Head is not centered over the body
One shoulder blade prominently sticks out
When bending forward, ribs are unbalanced
Waistline is flat on one side

There are a couple factors that may increase risk for scoliosis. Things such as family history of scoliosis, being a female, a spinal bone pushed forward, abnormal short extremities, and conditions related to tissue development while the womb.

For proper diagnosis and treatment call our clinics.

Exercise Therapy Treatment

As mentioned previously, the treatment will be focused on the muscles and surrpunding tissues that have impacted the spine. This is because most patients will present a muscle imbalance. What this meas is that on one side of the curvature, the muscles are weak whereas in the other side the muscles are tense. The end goal will be to restore these muscles to maximum health.

Exercise has been proven to be a therapy for scoliosis. However, each patient must have a custom designed program of care. Everyone’s scoliosis is different andit is important that treatments address these differences. The following are sample exercises that can help people with functional scoliosis. We recommend to get a professional assessment to get a treatment plan design to your needs.

Common Exercises

Row
Rows will work the back muscles and create support for the trunk. There are many different ways to do a row using either a machine or free weights. Make sure to perform this exxercise one side at a time.

The 4 point kneeling, or commongly known as bird dog, is a great exercise to extend the erector spinae in charge or strengthening and rotating the back. Bird dog exercise helps improve endurance of these muscles by maintaining a neutral spine and pelvis.

The hips are often affected as a consequence of scoliosis. Hip flexors can become very tight due to bad posture, hence the need of stretching them. By doing so, you will gain more range of motion in the area.

Side planks are a great exercise tstrengthen the lower back, abdominal muscles, and the spine. This is very important to stabilize the muscles. The side plank also helps for those individuals whose shoulder blades are imbalanced. The weight of the body onto the arm will reduce stress on the side that is tighten while working out the opposite side.

How Can PhysioChiroWellness Help?

At PhysioChiroWellness Integrated Health Centre our highly-skilled practitioners work together to create fully integrated health solutions that may include physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, naturopathy, medical aesthetics amongst others. Our professionals will work together towards achieving an optimal health for all our patients through a holistically approach when treating any condition or pain they may present. This service is provided in our Vaughan, On & Newmarket, On clinics and can be booked at any time.

How to Correct Functional Scoliosis With Exercise