How to treat scoliosis at home: techniques and tips

Read in this article:

1. Everything you need to know about scoliosis
2. Why does scoliosis develop?
3. Exercises for spinal health
4. Relaxing muscles at home
5. Massage cape as a prevention of scoliosis
6. A device that will help prevent scoliosis
7. Scoliosis can and should be fought

The word "scoliosis" usually evokes images of children's physicals. Indeed, this pathology is very often detected in children. But this does not mean at all that adults are not at risk of spinal curvature with all the ensuing consequences. However, everyone can avoid a threat to their own health and even improve the situation, because there are several ways to improve your posture at home.

Everything you need to know about scoliosis

To solve any problem, you need to at least find the reasons why it appeared and understand its essence. In our case, we need to understand what scoliosis is, why it develops and why it is dangerous.

Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine. In a healthy person, the spinal column looks like a straight line from the back, but with scoliosis it resembles the letter C. This means that the spine is curved in one direction - to the right or left. It also happens that the straight line is broken in several sections at once, and then the spinal column becomes like the letter S.

The pathology manifests itself not only in the curvature of the spine, which becomes noticeable over time and does not add beauty to the figure. Symptoms of scoliosis include many unwanted changes in the body, such as a feeling of stiffness in the spine. A person gets tired quickly, and by the end of the day, back pain usually appears.

Depending on the degree of bending, the degree of scoliosis is determined. The minimum - the first - refers to the deviation of the spinal column from the vertical by no more than 10 degrees. With IV degree scoliosis, the angle of curvature may exceed 61 degrees.

The consequences of scoliosis can be completely dangerous. Firstly, the deformation becomes more and more noticeable over time, and physical and psychological discomfort appears. The person feels uncomfortable and problems arise in communication. Secondly, many body systems and internal organs suffer:

• The ribs shift, reducing lung capacity and impairing respiratory function;
• The blood supplying arteries are compressed, disrupting blood flow and organ nutrition;
• Shortness of breath appears;
• Blood pressure increases;
• An extra load is created on the heart muscle;
• The functioning of the spinal cord, which is responsible for the normal functioning of many organs, is disrupted;
• The abdominal organs are displaced, which leads to digestive disorders, which over time become chronic;
• The load on individual parts of the spinal column increases, and this causes salt deposits and pinched nerves.

The pathology, which first manifests itself as back pain, can over time develop into respiratory, heart failure and other dangerous diseases.

Diagnostics

By contacting JSC “Medicine” (academician Roitberg’s clinic), patients will be able to undergo a full examination. Innovative equipment is presented here, doctors use modern techniques. Diagnosis of the disease takes place in several stages. The first is a physical examination. The doctor examines the patient in several positions: standing, lying, sitting. When the patient is standing, the doctor pays attention not only to the spine and asymmetry, but also measures the length of the legs, which helps to understand whether there are differences in the indicators or not.

The specialist also checks how mobile the lower back is, at what level the shoulders and shoulder blades are, and their symmetry. During the examination, the doctor examines the chest, abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. When the patient is sitting, the doctor measures the length of the spine, looks at how noticeable the curvature of the spine is from the side, and how the pelvis is located in different poses of the limbs.

While the patient is lying down, the specialist will determine the level of curvature of the spinal arch and examine the abdomen to understand how weakened the muscles are. The second stage of diagnosis is x-ray. If a doctor has diagnosed scoliosis of the spine, X-rays should be taken at least twice a year. The first x-ray is taken in a standing position, then in different positions with moderate stretching of the spine, which allows you to fully assess the situation and determine the level of deformation. After the image, the doctor will determine the angle of curvature.

The third stage is instrumental. If the disease progresses rapidly, it is impossible to frequently take x-rays, because with each image the patient receives a dose of radiation. To avoid this and obtain new information about the development of the disease, clinic specialists use ultrasound. In some cases, the patient is prescribed an MRI. The clinic practices an individual approach, the patient’s complaints are taken into account, the doctor will give advice, clarifications, and answer questions.

Why does scoliosis develop?

It is quite possible to avoid all these consequences, but to do this you need to eliminate the causes and do everything possible to restore the normal position of the spine. In most cases, scoliosis “grows out” of incorrect posture in a child, so in childhood it is important to pay attention to ensure that the child holds his back correctly when doing homework or watching TV. But adults should also brush up on how to sit at a desk correctly, especially if you spend most of the day in the office.

The cause of scoliosis is also called weakness of the spinal muscles, although to some extent this is a consequence of lack of physical activity. If you spend the day working on the computer, then get in the car and drive home, and spend the evening watching movies or using a smartphone in your hands, you don't give your muscles the slightest chance to maintain sufficient strength and keep your spine in the correct position.

Curvature of the spinal column develops against the background of inflammatory, infectious diseases, tumors, and injuries. Here you can no longer do without the help of a doctor, and the main task is to contact a specialist in a timely manner.

If curvature of the spine is your case, do not despair. There are quite affordable ways to correct your posture at home and even reduce the manifestations of scoliosis. And it's not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Special exercises, modern equipment and attention to your own body will help you get your spine in order.

Causes

Thoracic scoliosis begins to develop in childhood and adolescence. The most common is idiopathic, the cause of its development cannot be determined. Among the total number of cases, this type of scoliosis accounts for 80%. Girls are mostly at risk; they are more likely to develop the disease than boys.

Also, the cause of scoliosis (20% of cases) is congenital deformity of the spine. Among the causes are diseases of connective tissues, severe injuries, amputation of limbs, different lengths of limbs.

Exercises for spinal health

Exercises for posture can be selected at your discretion, made up of various complexes, and combined with each other. The main condition is to exercise every day, because your health directly depends on it.

Simple exercises will help you maintain correct posture or correct it:

• Deep lunges with a straight back and raised arms. Stretch up so that you feel the stretch in the spine;
• Bend over with your arms behind your back. When the body is tilted, the arms are raised up and moved forward as far as possible, the shoulders and chest open, the back does not round;
• Bend over the wall, arms parallel to the floor. The back should remain straight;
• Joining your hands behind your back while sitting in the lotus position. The back is straightened, the shoulder blades are brought together;
• Cat pose on all fours. On inhalation, the back bends, on exhalation, it rounds;
• Raise your right arm and left leg, standing on all fours, so that they form a straight line with the body. After 30 seconds, the leg and arm need to be changed;
• Grasp the feet with the palms in the same position, the pelvis looking forward.

One of the best exercises for correcting posture is the sphinx pose. You need to lie on your stomach, raise your body, resting your hands on the floor. The movement is performed by bending the spine; a pleasant tension should be felt in the back, but not pain.

Those who are 30

It is not uncommon for the disease to be diagnosed at the age of 25-30. But what should patients do at this age? Is it possible to correct scoliosis or slow down the progression of the disease? Most likely, scoliosis at this age was already in the early stages. There are cases when, after treatment, the disease reappeared.

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to overcome scoliosis at this age. But you shouldn’t let the disease take its course either. After all, having started scoliosis, you can see how it progresses and develops into the 3rd stage. So, the vertebrologist will prescribe a comprehensive treatment, which consists of:

• manual therapy;
• massage;
• physical therapy.

Treatment can be carried out at home, remembering that the exercises are performed regularly. The effectiveness of the technique depends on the perseverance of the person and the characteristics of the body. Medicine knows examples when the course of the disease completely stopped, and the patient was able to reduce scoliosis to the first degree.

Relaxing muscles at home

Those who work remotely and spend whole days at their desks should also take care of their spinal health. To do this, you need to know how to relax your back muscles at home and avoid overstraining them.

The best solution for this situation is massage, but not everyone has the opportunity to use the services of a massage therapist every day. Special massage pillows can replace such a session. For example, model Beurer MG 149

She will give you a shiatsu massage while you work or relax.

The pillow contains special massage heads that reproduce the basic movements of the shiatsu technique: pressing and kneading. To a certain extent, such a device can do even more than a massage therapist. Pillow:

• Performs a deep massage, automatically changing the direction of movement of the heads;
• Easily controlled from the remote control built into the belt;
• It has a heating function, which enhances the massage effect and activates blood circulation;
• Allows you to adjust the rotation of the heads;
• It is fixed on the body, so you can safely continue to do your business while the device works your muscles.

Using such a pillow for just a few minutes a day, you will very soon feel that your back is less tired and the pain has gone away. Working out the muscles will stimulate them and help maintain the correct position of the spine.

Main symptoms of pathology

1. Regularly occurring headaches, which manifest themselves as a result of compression of the nerve endings between the vertebrae, while the nerve impulse is weakly transmitted and brain function slows down;
2. Inattention and fatigue;
3. Dizziness;
4. Respiratory failure;
5. Discomfort and pain in some areas of the spine. This is already a dangerous signal, in which a specialist should be contacted immediately;
6. Decreased academic performance;
7. Pathological changes in posture;
8. Different position of the shoulders, asymmetry of the shoulder blades, iliac bones;
9. Pathological change in the functioning of internal organs.

Massage cape as a prevention of scoliosis

Those who strive for maximum comfort should pay attention to the massage cape. This device relieves tension not only in the back and lower back, but also in the neck and shoulder girdle. You will certainly appreciate the many settings of the cape, which make it possible to adjust its functions to suit you.

So, in the Beurer MG 254

Can:

• Set the desired massage intensity;
• Switch the direction of movement of the heads;
• Select a massage area;
• Turn heating on and off;
• Adjust height;
• Set a timer for a specific time to work out the muscles.

The cape can compensate for lack of physical activity, normalize blood pressure, improve sleep quality and increase skin elasticity. By working the muscles, fatigue and tension disappear, the posture while sitting becomes more correct and relaxed, which means the load on the spine is reduced.

Correction of curvature

Treatment of the disease should consist of a comprehensive solution to the problem. Doctors advise performing special therapeutic exercises that will evenly affect all back muscle groups. It would be useful to take a course of massage that promotes normal blood circulation.

For more severe forms of scoliosis, doctors advise resorting to surgery. The postoperative recovery period is best spent in special health resorts.

A device that will help prevent scoliosis

The secret to successfully combating scoliosis is maintaining the correct posture. But it is quite difficult to constantly control exactly how you sit. But there is a device that can do this for you - Beurer PC 100 PostureControl .

The small gadget attaches to clothing and does not interfere with working at the computer, writing or reading. But if you sit for too long, the device will remind you to change your position and stretch your muscles with gentle vibration. The device is controlled through the 8sense application, and its benefits are confirmed by the opinion of physiotherapists and doctors.