Does swimming help with scoliosis: how to swim correctly, exercises

When a spinal deformity occurs, doctors often recommend that the patient take up swimming. The pool is especially useful for scoliosis stages 1, 2 and 3. It is forbidden to train only if there is instability between the segments of the spine, when the angle of curvature is more than 10-15o on an x-ray during diagnostics in a lying position. Let's consider whether swimming helps with this pathology, and what exercises should be performed in this case.

Basic Rules

The duration of your visit to the pool must be regulated. You need to train at least three times a week. The water should be within – +28-32o.

If stage 2 scoliotic curvature is diagnosed, it is recommended to use a foam board and fins during exercise.

Swimming for scoliotic deformity of the spinal column is an effective technique. In this case, it is important to decide on your own style and not interrupt your studies. The main requirement for starting therapeutic swimming is the absence of contraindications.

Scoliosis and sports: are these two things compatible?

You can meet a person diagnosed with “curvature of the spine” quite often. Almost every third person suffers from this. These are some of the early symptoms:

1. Headache;
2. Pain in the back and limbs;
3. Pain in the neck;
4. Discomfort in the shoulders.

At the initial stages, the disease can be stopped and even cured. This will require various exercises and examinations. The further you go, the worse the symptoms will be. Internal organs will begin to suffer. There may be problems with breathing and circulation. At such stages, the use of medications, physical training, and observations will be required. There are times when surgical intervention is necessary.

How and why does spinal disease occur?

Slouching, stress on the spine and any other deformation in its shape will already lead to pain and discomfort. But that's not all. Injuries, various other diseases, even poor nutrition can have such consequences. Of course, curvature can also be a congenital phenomenon.

However, some sports can alleviate the patient’s plight if the regimen is followed correctly and, after consulting with a doctor, identify those sports that will not harm you.

Types of sports loads allowed for curvature:

1. Swimming. The most optimal look. It is useful for everyone, without exception, not only for people with scoliosis. And, by the way, such people can swim at absolutely any stage of the disease’s progression. This exercise has a lot of useful properties: strengthens muscles, blood vessels, respiratory and nervous systems, helps with heart disease, gets rid of excess weight, and also gives a person a boost of energy and vigor. In fact, one of the most accessible and optimal sports for both sick and healthy people.
2. Dance exercises. Here you need to be a little more careful. Not every type is suitable for a person with spinal problems. Before giving your preference to this sport, you should definitely consult a doctor and approach it consciously. After all, one wrong, sharp, strong movement can only worsen your health. And this applies not only to the spine. Although the load on it is much greater than on other areas. In addition to the disadvantages, this sport also has its advantages. Dancing will help develop flexibility and strengthen muscles. They will add grace to your gait and make your posture straight. Needless to say, during exercise you burn a lot of calories and lose excess fat. The skin becomes tightened and elastic.
3. Horseback riding. Using this technique, both scoliosis treatment
   and prevention can be carried out. But there are limitations. This kind of therapeutic horse riding can be enjoyed by people whose curvature has just begun to appear. For those who are already at the second stage of development or higher, training with horses is already contraindicated. Horseback riding itself helps strengthen the muscles in the back area. It also has a beneficial effect on the spine, blood vessels and joints due to the massage effects when driving.
4. Yoga. The benefits of these exercises have long been known. There are very few clinical prohibitions, but there are many advantages. Starting from weight loss to physical and spiritual peace. The most important thing when doing yoga is to monitor pain sensations. Naturally, you don’t need to immediately rush headlong into the pool and start with very difficult asanas. Especially if a person has not been involved in sports at all. Training must be regular, otherwise it will not bring any benefit. They can only cause harm and pain in the muscles.
5. Exercise classes. Needless to say, this type of activity should also be treated with caution? Consulting a doctor will never be superfluous. He will be able to tell you which exercise machines you need and which ones are contraindicated. And of course, you shouldn’t ignore the coach’s instructions. Lifting heavy objects is contraindicated for people with spinal curvature. And other strength exercises that put a strong load on a weakened and diseased spine.
6. Aerobics or Pilates. A similar system of exercises was invented at the beginning of the twentieth century and is suitable for recovery after surgery or any injury. Although in the second case you need to approach this type of fitness with caution. Pilates exercises are based on a combination of breathing and physical activity. Typically, exercises are performed slowly, with little or no force used. Such exercises help restore the body as a whole, internal organs, and the spine. Help restore and strengthen the respiratory tract, nervous system, and posture.

What doctors don't recommend doing

If you have a curvature of the spine, it is absolutely contraindicated to play different types of football and volleyball. And also hockey and basketball. In general, those where there is a very high probability of getting seriously injured in a collision, fall or run. And cycling.

Lifting weights, of course. This can only be done within moderate limits and with the permission of a doctor. Otherwise, the patient risks only making things worse. Any load that exceeds the permitted load will cause failures in treatment. Ligament tears may appear and intervertebral discs may begin to move. All this will cause pain and other unpleasant sensations, in addition to complications of treatment.

Summarizing

You can and should do sports if you have a curvature of the spine.
Of course, following the regimen and doctor’s instructions. Do not lift more than required and do not engage in traumatic exercises. The rest contributes to treatment and will help the patient get back on his feet. But this does not mean that you need to exercise only once a month or once a week. Training should be regular. It is advisable to maintain the pace even after the end of treatment. Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr

Things to consider

The exercises are selected by an experienced instructor personally for each person, and they must be performed under his supervision. When choosing the initial posture and exercises, you should take into account the stage of the disease and the direction of the curvature. An important role is played by the patient’s level of physical fitness, as well as existing concomitant diseases. They should not act as restrictions on training.

You should breathe correctly while swimming. This helps prevent the formation of problems such as respiratory or cardiovascular failure. During dosed training, you should regularly hold back your inhalation and exhalation, this makes it possible to train the intercostal muscles.

It is necessary to completely exclude exercises that increase the mobility of spinal segments. It is prohibited to perform circular movements, use equipment and exercises in water that promote inert traction. You need to move your limbs in parallel with breathing. An important requirement is constant training of the time of sliding and self-extension of the spine.

But what is the connection between swimming and postural problems?

Posturologists around the world recommend swimming to those who suffer from postural problems. In their opinion, swimming will help gently lengthen the spine. Nowadays, swimming is recommended less and less, but there is still a belief in society that it is beneficial for those with scoliosis.

But this is a false belief: swimming has a negative effect on your posture!

Swimming does not help lengthen the spine; on the contrary, it increases postural problems as dominant muscles become stronger at the expense of weaker ones, further exacerbating postural imbalances.

Not to mention, swimming accentuates your dorsal curve. People with severe postural problems such as hyperlordosis and scoliosis may find this sport quite challenging to engage in.

Drawing up a personal program

A personal program must be drawn up, taking into account the characteristics of the body, the level of training of the patient and the stage of the pathology.

If swimming is prescribed as therapy for scoliosis of degrees 1 and 2 , breaststroke on the stomach is suitable. To train your legs, you can use the front crawl style. It is advisable to visit the pool even with degrees 3 and 4 scoliotic curvature of the spine. Although in the latter case it helps more not to correct posture, but to strengthen the cardiovascular system.

Also, for stage 4 scoliosis, it is recommended to train with breaststroke style on the chest and perform breathing gymnastic training. You need to swim at speed, but the distance should be short. Moreover, when this training is carried out, the entire process must be supervised by the instructor.

It is important that each exercise is performed correctly. It should be noted that breaststroke includes the following stages:

1. Worker. It involves performing a stroke with the arms and pushing with the legs.
2. Slips. At the moment the person is not moving. He should train to ensure that this phase lasts as long as possible. At this moment, the spinal column is stretched and straightened.

For example, at a distance of 25 meters, sliding is performed 8-10 times. With such training, a muscle corset develops, thanks to which the spinal column is maintained in proper shape.

At first, the load must be distributed correctly. Excessive overload is prohibited; increasing the distance and number of swims should occur gradually. Children must swim under the supervision of a coach.

Why does swimming accentuate the scoliotic curve?

The problem is that a swimmer's body works very asymmetrically.

For people suffering from scoliosis, swimming can cause pain after just 20 minutes of exercise.

Indeed, those with scoliosis cannot benefit from a stable biomechanical structure in which weight and stress on the muscles are balanced.

Since there is no way to harmoniously distribute muscle forces, the muscles of the body are formed asymmetrically. For the same reason, muscles that work asymmetrically risk further worsening the scoliotic curve.

There are cases when the condition of scoliosis improves by several degrees, and this is due to the fact that the muscles create stronger compensations. That is, some muscles run the risk of remaining in constant tension throughout life, creating pain, hernias, injuries, etc.

Theoretically, the gym is more suitable for scoliosis precisely because you are not moving in free gravity conditions. Each exercise is done carefully and slowly, giving stability to the spine.

Conversely, swimming is bad for scoliosis precisely because there is greater mobility in a gravity-free environment. Allowing more mobility to the scoliotic spine means increasing the risk of injury.

A curved and asymmetrical spine does not have the correct physiological angles. They are narrower in some places, so greater mobility in the aquatic environment causes the vertebrae to make incorrect movements.

In the gym, all this happens in a state of stability, and the muscles do not work in conditions of mobility.

However, even gyms have a limit for those who suffer from scoliosis: You cannot increase the load (this problem can only be solved with the help of Rectifier Starecta).

In any case, whether you want to swim or train in the gym, you must wear the Rectifier.

Exercises in the pool for scoliosis 1 and 2 degrees

For scoliotic spinal deformity, the following trainings can be performed:

1. Lie on your back and alternately move your arms. The initial pose is to stretch your arms along the body. With this pathology, you need to swim up to 200 m.
2. The crawl can quickly cover a long distance. To do this, you need to lie on your chest, make strokes parallel to the axis of the body. The legs move up and down. The head must be in the water so that you can breathe; turns are performed regularly in one direction or the other. To relieve the load on the spinal column, you need to swim 200 m.
3. Butterfly requires a lot of effort, which is why not many people prefer this style. We lie down on our chest and perform symmetrical strokes with our arms and push-offs with our legs. To properly train the musculoskeletal system, heart and blood vessels, you need to swim 200 meters.

If swimming is so bad, why do thousands of therapists still recommend it?

On a cultural level, it has always been believed that swimming is the most necessary sport for those suffering from scoliosis.

According to our internal statistics (these are statistics we share with our clients every year), one in three people have been recommended to swim at least twice a week to improve their scoliosis.

Swimming is recommended due to the lack of gravity. But Starecta, in his book, which can be obtained for free (https://www.starecta.com/book/), explained that it is not gravity that causes scoliosis, but anti-gravity forces.

Paradoxically, it is the anti-gravity muscles that cause the skull to droop when it is not sufficiently supported by the teeth. So gravity certainly has no effect on the causes of postural problems.

Thus, the "obvious solution" of floating in zero gravity is quite dubious, since it does not take into account the real problem of scoliosis.

Even a very old Italian institute of science presented a study to the International Lumbar Spine Society that focused on the relationship between swimming and scoliosis.

The study strongly refutes the idea that swimming is a cure for back scoliosis problems, and indeed, provides evidence that shows how the sport can also worsen spinal curves or even cause back pain.

The study compared 112 competitive swimmers who trained 4-5 times a week with 217 similarly aged students who did not participate in the sport or did so at a recreational level.

From the data collected, it was concluded that swimming not only will not cure scoliosis, but in some cases, it can worsen the situation or even cause back pain!

Even if practiced only once or twice a week, swimmers often develop various asymmetries with a general emphasis on the curve.

Training for grades 3 and 4

At this stage of scoliosis, all training should be performed under the supervision of a trainer. Incorrectly performed movements can lead to complications.

Recommended exercises for stages 3 and 4 of the disease:

1. We lie on our backs and move our arms at the same time. You need to swim 100 meters in this style.
2. For a deformed spine, the breaststroke swimming technique is recommended. We lie on our back, move our arms and legs symmetrically. In this style you need to swim up to 300 m.

Diagnosis at the mirror

Take a look at how your child holds his back, how he sits at the table, whether his posture is sluggish or strong, whether his right and left shoulders are at the same level. Look at him from the back when he is standing: are the right and left “triangles” (the spaces between the arms lowered along the sides and the sides themselves) the same? Ask your child to slowly bend forward with his arms down and look behind him to see if one of his shoulder blades is sticking out. If in doubt, look at the child in the mirror - the deformation will immediately become noticeable.

By the way

Scoliosis can also occur in preschoolers, but most often it develops during school years. Almost half of high school students have spinal curvature. Parents of boys need to be especially careful - they have it more often. scoliosis occurs than in girls. And the sooner treatment is started, the better.

Did something bother you? Hurry to the orthopedist. You need to be especially attentive to your child’s posture when he has made a sharp leap in growth. X-rays will provide the most complete information about the disease.

Swimming for scoliosis in children

Therapeutic swimming helps to normalize the condition of the spine and back. When the child does not have physiological curves, procedures can be performed while lying on the chest. If there are increased bends, it is better to lie on your back.

Swimming with scoliosis of varying degrees in children requires compliance with certain requirements:

• the initial posture can be changed, due to the characteristics of the spinal deformity. For example, if changes in the shape of the spine in the thoracic region are detected in a school-age child, it is recommended to adopt an asymmetrical position. If there are problems in the shoulder girdle, during training you need to put your upper limb forward; the initial pose for performing training is standing, raising your arm up;
• with a C-shaped deformity, the leg, which is on the depressed side of the back, is pulled back.

Can Starecta Rectifier help?

If you are passionate about swimming and really don't want to give up this sport, the only way to continue swimming without problems is to use the Rectifier Starecta.

The Rectifier is placed between the teeth and the skull, and thus prevents the skull from sinking and worsening scoliosis. In addition, the Rectifier pushes the skull upward, returning it to its correct position.

In this way, the spine is stretched and muscle tension in the back is eliminated or at least reduced.

By reducing or eliminating back muscle tension, you can finally exercise without interruption every three months due to acute pain. You can swim without pain or even go to the gym if you want.

Treatment as fun

The main treatment for scoliosis is gymnastics, which builds up the muscle corset, which does not allow the back to bend to the side. The exercises are simple. For example, lying on your stomach and fixing your legs under the bed, “swim breaststroke.” Or, lying on your back, clasping your hands at the back of your head and again strengthening your legs under the sofa, slowly rise up and try to hold your back at an angle of 45 degrees for a few seconds.

The child should do gymnastics regularly. But will a restless person selflessly do tedious, monotonous exercises? Parents will have to get creative. For example, buying several discs is interesting to do exercises while showing videos. When the child, lying on his back, does exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles, the Amazon appears on the screen, and the child imagines that he is floating in a boat on a stormy river. When it’s time to work out the back muscles, the “traveler” is helped to climb the slope by the picturesque landscapes of the Alps...

Article on the topic

Physical education for kids: mastering the gymnastic stick

It is better to go to the pool twice a week instead of gymnastics. But there's a problem. If you have scoliosis, the crawl is contraindicated, jumping into the water is prohibited, and you can move on to backstroke swimming only when the muscles are stronger. What kind of coach will delve into these subtleties if there are a dozen children in the group? Parents will have to work with their child themselves or look for a personal trainer.

Dancing works great on the back - especially ballroom and classical. It's good to take horse riding lessons: hippotherapy works every muscle and vertebra. Juggling is useful for scoliosis. It develops a confident sense of balance, trains the muscles of the arms, back, and abdomen. Even carrying a book on your head from the kitchen to the room is a great exercise for your back.

Contraindications for swimming

Therapeutic swimming is a universal treatment available to most people. It is contraindicated only for persons who have:

• Acute respiratory diseases.
• Excessive mobility of vertebral segments.
• Open wounds.
• Venereal diseases.
• Tuberculosis.
• Infectious lesion of the skin.
• Eye diseases.
• Chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Urolithiasis disease.

For other people, the use of swimming and physical exercise in water will be an effective means of restoring the musculoskeletal system.