Scoliosis is a spine disorder that causes curving of the spine. It can be both, visible and not visible with naked eye, and both, painful and painless.
In either way, people with scoliosis should make some changes in their everyday lifestyle in order to prevent further curving of the spine and reduce their uncomfortable back pain.
Although the number of scoliosis sufferers is increasing every day, especially nowadays when children spend a lot of time in front of their computers and smart phones, there isn’t much information regarding the treatment, and generally, things that these people should do and avoid when dealing with this serious condition.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Scoliosis?
Even though in some people scoliosis may not cause physical changes in their body, like uneven hips, prominent ribs, one shoulder blade higher and more protrusive than the other, or even breathing problems, they might deal with everyday pains in different parts of their back and neck.
Not all of them have pain, but those who do experience it, can feel debilitating pain and stiffness in some of these areas. This is not usually caused by the curve itself, but because of the spine curving, which causes pressure and stress on the spinal discs, muscles, nerves, facet joints, or ligaments.
Here’s a list of simple yet helpful advice that will help scoliosis sufferers relieve and prevent their pain, and prevent further curving of the spine.
8 Health Tips for Scoliosis Pain Relief
1. Don’t sit in a slouch-down position as it is equally, or even more harmful than a slouch-over position. Try to sit tall whenever you can.
2. If you work a desk job, make short breaks every 30 minutes. Stand up, walk around, do some stretches, and continue with your work.
3. Do stretches for scoliosis given by your physical therapist. It’s really important you do them every morning and before going to bed. If you still haven’t visited a physical therapist, try finding some exercises or yoga poses specifically designed for scoliosis, online.
4. Do yoga. Yoga is extremely helpful for scoliosis sufferers, as besides stretching the body, you will also learn breathing techniques which are very important for people with this condition to get scoliosis pain relief.
5. Swim. Swimming is the most recommended activity for people with scoliosis. Active swimming of around 30-40 minutes a day is just enough. So ones you get in the water, try to swim that long without making longer pauses.
6. Avoid using a pillow when sleeping on your back and stomach. Use it only when sleeping on your side.
7. Maintain a normal weight. Patients with scoliosis are recommended to stay fit and lose some weight if necessary, as more weight means more pressure on the spine that in turn causes more pain and further curving of the spine.
However, being too slim is also not good for scoliosis patients. They need solid muscle mass, especially on their back which will keep the spine in its position and prevent the scoliosis from progressing.
8. Increase your magnesium intake, as it relaxes the muscles reducing muscle pain and cramps. A lot of scoliosis sufferers get scoliosis pain relief and share their positive results from taking magnesium on a regular basis.
Exercises for scoliosis pain relief:
Doing stretches for scoliosis give by your physical therapist is excellent advice. Making sure you are doing all you can to prevent the pain and keep your body in as good of condition as possible would be important. I would imagine that if your pain refuses to be alleviated, or if it gets worse, you’ll want to go see your orthopedist to see if your scoliosis has worsened and to get more advice on how to handle it.
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