Filed Under (Corrective Exercise, Exercise Rehabilitation, General, Low Back Pain, Scoliosis Exercises) by Rick Kaselj on 26-01-2010
I was in a meeting and we started talking about one of my recent exercise & injury manuals, Effective Exercises for Scoliosis.
The person I was meeting with let me know about his daughter who was in a scoliosis brace from the age of 3 to 16. He asked me for some advice on what she should be doing when it comes to scoliosis exercises.
Of all the things she can do - the number one thing - is exercise.
3 Scoliosis Exercise Tips
With scoliosis, there is a very large spectrum of clients. There are clients that can have minor scoliosis or major scoliosis.
Here are some tips for a client that has minor scoliosis. Often times this kind of client will let you know during your assessment that they have been told by their doctor that they have minor scoliosis.
#1) Work o
n Cardiovascular & Strength Conditioning
Often times the big thing is to work on their overall conditioning. As with the example above. She was in a brace for 23 hours and did not wear the brace for 1 hour while she exercised.
Focusing on cardiovascular and strength condition is important. Cardiovascular exercises like walking and stationary bike are excellent for the scoliosis client to build cardiovascular fitness.
I would begin this type of client with strength training in a setting where they can use machine. The machines allow for the scoliosis client to learn the proper movements, perform them with proprioception decreased and have the body stable. The exercises I would focus on are the ones involving primary movements of push, pull and squat.
#2) Stretching is Huge
Stretching helps with muscular imbalances and decrease muscular tension in the scoliosis client. I go through a stack of stretching for the scoliosis client in the Effective Exercises for Scoliosis manual.
#3) Breathing
This seems like a funny one, but it is important for a scoliosis client. With scoliosis, you have a change in the curvature of the spine which affects the position of the ribs and can affect breathing.
Working on breathing assists in keeping the respiratory muscles strong and helps with relaxing the muscles.
I hope these tips help when you see your next scoliosis client.
Let me know if you have any tips when training a client with scoliosis.
Rick Kaselj, MS
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Thanks Rick!
Apparently we have seen the constantly rising number of people suffer from scoliosis, it’s crucial we as the fitness professional to design a special exercise program for the scoliosis clients.
Thank you so much for your great tips, looking forward on your upcoming blog post.
Tannis
[Reply]
Thanks Rick, you rock!
Here’s a presentation that explains what scoliosis actually is:
http://www.wepapers.com/Papers/91851/What_is__Scoliosis.ppt
[Reply]
Rick Kaselj Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 7:19 am
Edna,
Thank you so much for the comment.
Great link to what scoliosis is.
Rick Kaselj
http://www.RotatorCuffExercises.com
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[Reply]
Hey Rick!
Thanks for the blog post.
Exercise is indeed a cure-all for most health conditions from obesity to scoliosis. However, while most of us realize and acknowledge the benefits of exercise, the key to the effectiveness of scoliosis exercises lies in doing them correctly. When it comes to treating scoliosis, the value of the three components of exercise – Breathing, Stretching and Cardiovascular. Have you ever given a second thought to your breathing while exercising or even when resting? Most of us tend to take breathing for granted. Moreover, when we seek treatment for scoliosis, we emphasize only on trying to rectify the alignment of the spine and we still do not realize the significance of proper breathing. Learning and practicing correct breathing techniques is such a small step but the pay off can be tremendous!
[Reply]
Rick Kaselj Reply:
March 22nd, 2010 at 2:06 pm
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Excellent point about scoliosis exercises and breathing.
I go through breathing in the Effective Exercises for Scoliosis Manual.
Take care.
Rick Kaselj, MS
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[Reply]