scoliosis treatment

Scoliosis is a condition where the spine curves sideways instead of remaining in a natural upright position. The cause of scoliosis is unknown but it’s more common among people with muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. Of the millions who suffer from scoliosis, most have given up on healing the condition because it seems like everything they try just doesn’t work. But, there’s one form of treatment that has been proven to treat the symptoms associated with scoliosis so that patients can regain mobility and enjoy a better quality of life. This treatment is known as manual therapy and in the following article, we’re going to explore its effect on scoliosis. Read on for more.

Symptoms of Scoliosis

In addition to causing unnatural spinal curvature, scoliosis manifests in symptoms like back pain, neck pain, and discomfort in the lumbar spine. You may also experience an uneven hip ratio where one hip is higher than another, which makes it uncomfortable to walk. Scoliosis can affect your gait, compromise your ability to bend, lift and even breathe properly. However, the severity of your symptoms will depend on the extent of your spine’s curvature, specifically in the mid-back area.

Scoliosis Treatment

If scoliosis is spotted early enough, say in adolescence, then back braces might be prescribed to slow down the curvature’s progression. If left untreated, scoliosis can cause debilitating pain later on in adulthood. That’s because the body has to compensate for the effects of scoliosis on your spine, pelvis, hips, neck, and shoulders. Manual therapy offers a comprehensive approach to scoliosis treatment because it has the ability to correct misalignments in all the areas mentioned above. Manual therapy integrates a number of functional techniques that help to correct dysfunction from the joints and soft tissue. In fact, joint mobilization and soft tissue massage are two of the most effective manual therapy treatment methods for treating scoliosis. These two methods can improve flexibility in the lumbar spine and relieve symptoms like low back pain and mobility problems. The great thing about manual physical therapy for scoliosis is that you’ll walk away with a better understanding of where the pain is coming from. You’ll also get recommendations on how to maintain the right posture to improve your condition by standing, sleeping and sitting in the right manner. Sometimes, the patient’s own body mechanics contribute to the symptoms, and treating that alone can improve your scoliosis significantly. In a nutshell, manual therapy for scoliosis is a holistic approach that includes a combination of ongoing treatments, as well as mobility and strengthening exercises that’ll reduce symptoms and strengthen your spine over time.

Benefits of Physical Therapy for Scoliosis

In addition to improving strength and mobility, regular manual therapy treatment has a lot to offer scoliosis patients. It can significantly improve your ability to enjoy the recreational activities you once did before the condition progressed. In addition, manual therapy can promote: – Better sleep: Scoliosis can make it extremely difficult to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep due to the improper spinal posture. In fact, a large number of scoliosis patients suffer from bouts of insomnia. Regular manual therapy treatment can help to improve your sleep by diminishing the amount of pain you feel. – Increased mobility: Getting regular manual therapy treatments will align your back muscles in order to improve spinal mobility. This makes it easier to perform daily tasks that may have caused you aches and pains in the past. – Improved body awareness: The more you increase awareness of your body, the better your posture and body mechanics will be. Manual therapy can help you feel more attuned to your body so you can modify your movement habits and reduce scoliosis symptoms. – Improve circulation: Manual therapy treatment stretches the muscles to improve blood circulation. This can significantly improve flexibility and mobility.