4 Scoliosis Exercises That Really Work: Easy and Effective

The following exercises can help facilitate a healthy and functional spine, but it's important to understand that any singular exercise or exercise program has to be approved by a patient's treatment provider, and for any type of corrective potential, it has to be fully customized to impact scoliosis.

Exercises for scoliosis can help maintain spinal flexibility, making it more responsive to treatment, reduce pain, and improve the spine's surrounding muscle strength and balance for more support. Customized corrective scoliosis exercises are a conservative treatment option.

Before getting to specific exercises that work for scoliosis, let's start with why the place of exercise in scoliosis treatment hasn't always been clear.

Scoliosis and Exercise

As a spinal condition that causes an unhealthy sideways-bending and rotating spinal curve to develop, scoliosis can affect the body in a number of ways.

And as a progressive condition, the effects of scoliosis are likely to get worse over time, as the size of the unnatural spinal curve becomes more severe.

Scoliosis severity includes mild cases, moderate scoliosis, and severe scoliosis, and the more severe a condition is, the more noticeable its effects are going to be, including disruptions to movement.

Scoliosis Effects

Postural changes are the most common symptoms of childhood scoliosis, and pain is the main symptom of adult scoliosis, but as scoliosis introduces so many uneven forces to the spine and body, movement patterns can also be disrupted.

Changes to balance, coordination, and gait are common effects of scoliosis, and the development of an uneconomical gait can cause uneven wear and tear on the spine and pelvis due to uneven weight distribution.

So it makes sense for people to assume exercising with scoliosis might not be recommended, but in fact, it's quite the opposite; it's important for people with scoliosis to lead a spine-friendly lifestyle, and this includes cultivating a healthy activity level.

When it comes to pain management, exercise can help by maintaining spinal flexibility and  counteracting spinal rigidity that increases alongside progression.

Following are 4 generic exercises that can help maintain spinal health, flexibility, strength, and mobility.

Helpful Back Exercises for Scoliosis

A frequent question I'm asked is what type of exercises can help with scoliosis, but as no two cases of scoliosis are the same, treatment plans need to be as customized, including activity recommendations/restrictions.

With different types and severity levels of scoliosis, patients can experience a range of symptoms with different treatment needs, so an exercise that's not deemed appropriate for one patient might be safe for another, and vice versa.

Following are 4 general back exercises for maintaining spinal health and function with scoliosis.

1) Cervical Flexion Exercise

As the first spinal section, the cervical spine's (neck) health curve is key to the alignment of the spinal sections below.

The neck's healthy curve is also key to its ability to support the weight of the head and maintain a healthy range of motion.

Performing a cervical flexion exercise can help strengthen the flexor muscles at the front of the neck; maintaining balanced flexors at the front and back of the neck helps protect the cervical spine's healthy lordosis and prevent the development of forward head posture.

To perform cervical flexion:

1. Lie down flat with a foam roll (a rolled up towel will also work) under the neck.
2. Place the fingertips against the forehead and try to tuck the chin while resisting lightly against the fingertip pressure.
3. Be mindful of head position and keep it still.
4. This type of isometric exercise can be an effective means of strengthening core postural muscles and keeping the neck muscles strong and healthy so they can support and stabilize the spine's healthy curve.

2) Cervical Extension Exercise

Cervical extension exercise should be performed with the cervical flexion exercise to ensure the muscles at the front and back of the neck are strong and balanced.

A potential effect of scoliosis is the development of a muscular imbalance so exercise that can counteract this effect can mean more support and stability for the spine.

To strengthen the muscles at the back of the neck:

1. Hold the spine in a straight line and sit with the head and neck facing forward.
2. Clasp the hands at the back of the head while keeping the elbows close together.
3. Tilt the head back gently while applying resistance with the hands and hold for 5 seconds.
4. Repeat 10 times twice a day, particularly while sitting for long periods of time.

Be mindful of the head’s position; It's important to not pull the head forward and down. A healthy cervical curve means the head is supported, the neck has a wide range of motion, and communication between the brain and the rest of the spine is facilitated.

3) Chest Expander Exercise

As the thoracic spine is the largest spinal section, it's commonly affected by scoliosis, and a chest expander exercise can help maintain the thoracic spine's (middle/upper back) healthy kyphosis, relax the rhomboid muscles, and open up space within the chest for optimal lung function.

1. Stand with the spine straight and bring the hands above the head while inhaling deeply.
2. Push the hands together and lower in front of the chest while exhaling and press the hands into the diaphragm and expel remaining air.
3. Then inhale deeply and continue to press against the diaphragm.
4. When the lungs are full, pull the hands away, and the rib cage should expand as air fills the lungs.
5. Repeat 10 times twice a day.

When performed regularly, the chest expander exercise can help keep the chest muscles loose, reduce chest pain, preserve lung function and the thoracic spine's healthy curve.

4) Lumbar Extension Exercise

The lumbar spine refers to the lower back, and this spinal section is vulnerable to a number of conditions/issues/injuries due to the roles of the lumbar spine; the lower back has to support the weight of the spinal sections above, the entire torso, and its vertebrae feel the effects of strenuous bends, lifts, and twists.

A lumbar extension exercise can help maintain strong extensor muscles in the lower back to help preserve its healthy curve and prevent injury and strain.

1. Sit on a stool with the back held in a straight line and place the hands on the knees.
2. Look upwards while arching the lower back and pushing into the knees with the palms of the hands; this will accentuate the lower back's curve.
3. Be mindful of keeping the shoulders back and the chin up.
4. Hold the position for 5 seconds.

The spine's health is affected by the balance and strength of its surrounding muscles, so exercises that strengthen the spine's surrounding muscles can mean more support and stability for the spine's healthy curves/alignment.

Part of cultivating a spine- and scoliosis-friendly lifestyle is finding a healthy activity level, and in addition to knowing some helpful exercises for scoliosis, patients also have to be aware that not all exercise and activities are safe for people with scoliosis.

Exercises/Activities to Avoid with Scoliosis

While staying active with scoliosis is important, patients have to be mindful of their chosen activities to ensure they don't strain the spine, exacerbate the condition's effects, or interfere with treatment; this is why all exercise regimes have to be approved by a patient's treatment provider.

And for any type of corrective potential, exercises have to be customized by a specialist.

A scoliotic spine is experiencing adverse spinal tension, and in patients who have reached skeletal maturity, scoliosis becomes compressive and can be painful.

While exercise recommendations/restrictions will be case-specific, in general, exercises for scoliosis patients to avoid include those that strain the spine, involve hyperextending the thoracic spine, overusing one side of the body, and/or introduce repeated jarring forces from impact.

Hyperextension

The thoracic spine is the largest spinal section, and exercises that involve hyperextending the thoracic spine aren't recommended as repeatedly arching the back can increase the spine's rotation; remember, scoliosis doesn't just cause the spine to bend unnaturally, but also twist.

Exercise with potential to increase a patient's rotation should be avoided as this can exacerbate the spine's unnatural bend and twist, often restricting gymnastics, certain swim strokes, and dance styles.

Straining the Spine

While strengthening exercises are important for people with scoliosis, lifting weights straight above the head is generally not recommended as it can strain the spine and increase the risk of injury.

Overusing One Side of the Body

As an asymmetrical condition, scoliosis disrupts the body's overall symmetry as a misaligned spine can interrupt the body's balance and alignment.

Scoliosis causes uneven posture and is associated with the development of a muscular imbalance; this can develop due to the unnatural spinal curve pulling its surrounding muscles in opposite directions, with muscles on one side of the spine becoming strained and tight from trying to compensate for the spine's unnatural pull, and muscles on the other side becoming weak from lack of use.

So exercise and activities that overuse one side of the body aren't generally recommended, including certain yoga poses, bowling, and tennis.

Repeated Jarring Impact

Exercises and sports that introduce repeated shock from impact (football, horseback riding) should also be approached with caution and/or avoided because they can introduce more compression to the spine and its surrounding muscles and nerves.

Conclusion

Healthy exercise for scoliosis patients will be approved and designed by a scoliosis specialist.

Staying active can help maintain spinal mobility and strength, making the spine more responsive to treatment, and strengthening core muscles is a key facet of nonsurgical treatment as the spine needs to be stabilized by its surrounding muscles.

Here at the Clear Scoliosis Institute, scoliosis care is nonsurgical, proactive, and integrative; it combines the power of scoliosis-specific chiropractic treatment, physical therapy, bracing when appropriate, and scoliosis-specific exercise to restore balance and stability to the spine and body.

When performed regularly, cervical flexion and extension exercises can help preserve the neck's muscle strength, balance, and healthy lordosis.

A chest expander exercise can help keep the chest muscles loose, increase lung capacity, reduce chest pain, and preserve the thoracic spine's healthy kyphosis, while a lumbar extension exercise targets the lower back extensor muscles for more strength and support for the lower back.

Scoliosis exercises that really work are those that can provide pain relief, maintain spinal flexibility, strength, and help keep the spine’s surrounding muscles loose, balanced, and strong.