Not many people understand how devastating idiopathic scoliosis can be. As with any major condition, certain things help and other things make the condition worse.
Ask most people and they will tell you that scoliosis is a muscle or spine problem, but actually, it is a genetic condition that can be triggered by many environmental factors.
Scoliosis occurs because of a communication issue between the brain and your muscles and as we mentioned, certain activities help agitate it while others help manage it.
In this article, we are going to touch on a couple of tricks that you can do to manage scoliosis better. Every tip on this list will include both adults and children, and we will specify the age group if one particular applied to only one group.
1. Intervene Early
Probably the best tip anyone could give you on how to manage scoliosis, early intervention is key for most body conditions out there.
But for scoliosis in children, particularly, it’s best not to wait. When taking your child to a doctor’s appointment regarding the condition, he will tell you to wait a certain amount of time before starting treatment.
If your child has a mild curve in the spine area, it is best to intervene earlier before the curve reaches 30 degrees. As always, you can always ask for a second opinion, which might prove essential when combating the condition.
2. Sleep on a Quality Mattress
There is no mattress out there that can effectively cure you of the condition, but it can certainly help you. Choosing a mattress is a rather tricky task, especially if you have scoliosis.
But as a general rule of thumb, medium-firm or firm mattresses are your best option; just make sure the mattress size fits you or your child’s height.
3. Frequently Change Body Positions
Not everyone knows this but sitting or standing in one single position for a longer time agitates and stresses the spine to such a degree that you are effectively doing more harm.
If you or your child happens to suffer from scoliosis, it’s considered best practice to do a stretch every once in a while and change sitting or standing positions are frequently as you can. If you happen to suffer from the condition but you’re stuck to your desk working the whole day, then make sure to purchase an office chair with excellent back and lumbar support that will help you manage the condition.
4. Ask For Help Regarding Home Chores
Scoliosis can be further agitated and worsen if you happen to have to do activities that require bending. As you might know, many chores around the home require you to bend over and pick up something, of which the most common ones are related to cleaning.
So, if a family member happens to suffer from scoliosis, the best passive thing to do is to help them regarding chores that require bending. If you happen to suffer from it, ask family members to do those chores for you.
There are many ways to combat this condition; we are only explaining tips that can help you manage it. If you want to get rid of this problem entirely, then the best way to get rid of it is to wear scoliosis braces. If you happen to be looking for a pair that will greatly help you battle the condition then you can click here for a review of the best ones out there.
5. Stretch More
Visit any doctor regarding it and he will tell you that the best possible way to manage it is by exercising.
While we mentioned that you shouldn’t do any chores that require bending, stretching is something that works oppositely. Stretching activities can be your saving grace when looking to mitigate the pain and discomfort that comes along with scoliosis.
There is a handful of stretching activities out there that help you mitigate it, of which certain ones are considered better.
This includes stretching by hanging from a bar, bending the curves, spinal molding, and static chest stretch.
6. Improve Your Core Strength
Along with stretching, improving your core strength through certain exercises will also help you manage the condition.
Core exercises are some of the best methods of mitigating it, along with stretching. Training your core strength means improving your muscle support in the spine area. So, to help with that, the best core strength exercises to help with scoliosis include standing on a BOSU balance trainer, upright rows, and various superman exercises.
7. Play Soccer
Doctors advise parents to sign their children to play soccer if they happen to have a curved spine. Soccer is a particular sport that drastically helps with managing the condition since it is a good aerobic sport that works on your muscles.
However, not every position is advised to play, and the only one that doctors will tell you not to play is a goalie. So, if you want to sign your kid for soccer, make sure he isn’t going to be the goalkeeper.
But, as with anything health-related, it’s best that you first take him to an appointment before signing up from any particular sport.
8. Dancing Also Helps
Much like soccer, dancing is something that helps improve your muscles.
And much like the goalkeeper position, certain dance moves require repeated bending of the back. While this might instantly come off as a no-go, we would heavily advise that you simply avoid those dance moves instead of quitting altogether.
Dancing is a particular activity that can brighten a person’s day, teach him about long-term commitment, and of course, help with muscle training which ultimately helps manage scoliosis.
9. Genetic Testing
If your child has a curved back, then chances are he has certain imbalances.
As scoliosis is something that plagues up to 3 percent of the total US population, much research is done every reach on methods on how to treat it and prevent it.
One method that is becoming really popular nowadays is to treat those particular imbalances. This might prove an effective solution to combating the condition, and the best place to start is to do genetic testing.