Scoliosis Exercises To Avoid: Do *NOT* Do These Exercises

While the place of exercise in scoliosis treatment was once questioned, we now know that scoliosis-specific exercises, when combined with other forms of treatment, can help facilitate corrective results; however, there are also scoliosis exercises to avoid.

While scoliosis-specific exercises can help facilitate corrective results, some exercises can exacerbate the condition and interfere with treatment. Exercises to avoid are those that overuse one side of the body, risk injury, and involve repeated hyperextension.

Before getting to the specific types of exercise that people with scoliosis should avoid, let’s first talk about what’s happening inside the body of a person recently diagnosed with scoliosis.

Being Diagnosed with Scoliosis

When it comes to being diagnosed with scoliosis, this means an unnatural sideways spinal curve, with rotation, and a minimum Cobb angle of 10 degrees is present.

Cobb angle is a measurement obtained during an X-ray that shows how far out of alignment a scoliotic spine is and places conditions on a severity scale of mild, moderate, severe, or very severe.

The higher the Cobb angle, the more severe the condition, and the more likely it is that symptoms will be noticeable.

Being diagnosed with scoliosis means living with a progressive condition: a condition whose very nature is to worsen over time, particularly if left untreated or not treated proactively.

So, where a person’s scoliosis is at the time of diagnosis is not indicative of where it will stay; even if a patient is diagnosed with mild scoliosis, particularly if left untreated, it can easily progress to moderate, severe, or even very-severe scoliosis.

Many people assume that a life with scoliosis means a sedentary one with limitations, but that has never been further from the truth than it is right now.

Fortunately, we have learned enough about the condition and how it responds to treatment over the years to know that people can survive with scoliosis and thrive with it.

Part of maintaining a good quality of life with the condition is undergoing proactive treatment and leading a scoliosis-friendly lifestyle, and this includes knowing which exercises are safe and which to avoid.

Scoliosis and Exercise

While patients recently diagnosed often worry about activity restrictions, for those undergoing proactive conservative treatment, there are likely to be fewer restrictions as this approach preserves as much natural spinal function as possible.

Patients that are in good physical shape and have an active and healthy lifestyle are not only more likely to respond to treatment, but they’re also more likely to be able to see the full course of treatment through till the end, and a healthy body is one with an internal environment that’s more conducive to healing.

When combined with other types of treatment that, first and foremost, impact conditions on a structural level, scoliosis-specific exercises (SSEs) can be an integral part of treatment.

Scoliosis-specific exercises can help strengthen the spine and its surrounding muscles so it’s optimally supported and stabilized. In addition, certain SSEs can activate specific areas of the brain for improved brain-body communication.

While exercise definitely has a place in the treatment of scoliosis and in the maintenance of a healthy scoliosis-friendly lifestyle, there are also exercises that people with scoliosis should avoid.

When dealing with conditions like cervical kyphosis, reversal of cervical lordosis, and retrolisthesis, it's crucial to avoid certain exercises, including those involving inversion tables, as they may exacerbate symptoms like dowager's hump.

When managing scoliosis, especially complex types like rotoscoliosis and s-shaped scoliosis, it's crucial to avoid certain exercises that could exacerbate the condition and lead to further complications.

Before answering some common exercise-related questions, let’s talk about why certain exercises are bad for scoliosis in general.

Exercises to Avoid When Having Scoliosis

When it comes to the types of exercise and activities to avoid with scoliosis, that will depend on what the end goal is.

If someone is looking for exercise that will cure scoliosis, this is unrealistic. While scoliosis is highly treatable, it is not curable, so no exercise/activity can fix a person’s scoliosis.

Now, suppose a patient is interested in exercises that will augment treatment, here at the Scoliosis Reduction Center. In that case, part of my treatment plans include custom-prescribed home exercises that address the specifics of a patient and their condition. Still, those exercises are only one element in a customized treatment plan.

In addition, general exercise is very different from scoliosis-specific exercise; the former doesn’t have the potential to augment corrective results, while the latter does.

It should also be clearly stated that no form of exercise should be attempted without first having it cleared by a patient’s scoliosis treatment provider, and this is to ensure that chosen exercise doesn’t interfere with treatment or exacerbate the condition’s symptoms.

When managing levoconvex scoliosis, especially levoconvex lumbar scoliosis, it is crucial to avoid certain exercises that can exacerbate the condition; knowing which scoliosis exercises to avoid is essential for effective and safe management.

When considering scoliosis exercises to straighten the spine, it is important to avoid certain activities, especially for individuals with congenital scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis, or severe spinal curvature; specifically, exercises often associated with bodybuilding with scoliosis, improper levoscoliosis exercises, and some s curve scoliosis exercises should be avoided to prevent worsening the condition and potentially necessitating scoliosis surgery as a last resort treatment option.

When dealing with scoliosis, it's essential to be cautious about certain exercises, including swimming with scoliosis, as some activities may exacerbate the condition or lead to discomfort.

While activity restrictions are often condition-specific, in general, exercises/sports to avoid are those that overuse one side of the body, increase the risk of injury, or involve repeated hyperextension.

When dealing with scoliosis, it's crucial to be cautious about the exercises you choose. Exercises for scoliosis in adults should avoid exacerbating muscle imbalances associated with conditions like dextroscoliosis, levoscoliosis and vertigo.

Additionally, consider your sleeping position since scoliosis can affect sleep quality and even cause buttock pain. Finding the best sleeping position for scoliosis can help you achieve a good night's sleep while providing pain relief.

Prioritizing a neutral sleep position and avoiding exercises that strain the spine can contribute to better overall comfort and well-being when living with scoliosis.

Exercises that Overuse One Side of the Body 

Exercises and activities that overuse one side of the body can exacerbate the symptoms of scoliosis.

Scoliosis introduces a lot of uneven forces to the body, which is why its main visual symptom is postural deviation.

A disruption to the body’s overall symmetry, such as uneven shoulders and hips, happens to be the condition’s earliest sign in children and adolescents, so activities that involve overusing one side of the body can exacerbate symptoms of scoliosis.

One of the issues that people with scoliosis can face is uneven muscle use as muscles along the spine struggle to support its unnatural curve, and this accounts for sore, stiff, and weakened muscles.

Certain yoga poses and activities like golf, tennis, and bowling that don’t work the body’s muscles can exacerbate the condition's asymmetrical nature.

Exercises that Increase Risk of Injury

Certain exercises like free weight lifting and repeated collision sports come with extra risks for people with scoliosis, and that’s not to say that every person with scoliosis can’t lift weights or take part in collision sports, but it does mean that at the very least, they should be approached with caution and approved by the scoliosis treatment provider.

Certain weight-lifting maneuvers such as deadlifting straight over the head can place a lot of extra weight and strain on the spine, and as a scoliotic spine is already made vulnerable, this can lead to injury and increase compression: a big issue for people with scoliosis.

Collision sports like hockey and football can involve repeated shock from impact, and as the overall biomechanics of the spine are disrupted by scoliosis, its ability to absorb and distribute stress can be impaired, making these types of activities particularly risky for people with scoliosis.

Exercises that involve Repeated Hyperextension

Hyperextension of the spine involves over-extension to the point where vertebrae can rotate further into the unnatural spinal curve.

Remember, scoliosis is a 3-dimensional condition, meaning it doesn’t just bend unnaturally to the side but also twists from back to front, front to back: rotational component.

Any exercise or sport that involves repeated torso extensions of the thoracic spine (middle/upper back), such as deep backbends (as in some yoga positions), gymnastics, high jumps, diving, and certain dance maneuvers, should be avoided.

So now that we’ve discussed scoliosis exercises to avoid in general, let’s address some specific exercise-related questions:

Is planking bad for scoliosis?

If a patient’s treatment provider clears planking, it can be an effective means of increasing core strength, which helps with optimal spinal support and stabilization.

In addition, planking works the body’s muscle groups symmetrically, so if done regularly and properly, it can help address condition-related muscle imbalances.

How do I strengthen my core with scoliosis?

The planking question feeds nicely into a core-strengthening inquiry because planking is an excellent way for people with scoliosis to increase core strength.

Again, it’s not just the spine that’s charged with maintaining its natural curves and alignment. It’s also the job of its surrounding muscles.

Here at the Center, in-office therapy and custom-prescribed home exercises are a big part of my treatment approach because a stronger core means less pressure on the spine and its individual parts.

Some traditional core-strengthening exercises should be avoided by people with scoliosis, such as sit-ups, pull-ups, and push-ups, because they unnaturally arch and strain the back.

Is walking good for scoliosis?

Walking is a safe and healthy form of exercise for people with scoliosis because it doesn’t exacerbate the condition’s asymmetrical effects by overusing one side of the body.

Walking also doesn’t involve any form of hyperextension, nor does it involve repeated jarring motions that can increase compression.

Walking also works for the body’s muscle groups evenly, and the pace can be adjusted easily, increasing overall strength and flexibility.

In addition, the benefits of fresh air and outdoor exercise include mood enhancement for improved mental health, which helps when dealing with the added challenge of living with a progressive condition.

Conclusion

When living with scoliosis, it's crucial to be mindful of certain exercises that may exacerbate the condition. While it's possible to participate in sports with scoliosis, certain high-impact activities should be approached with caution. Scoliosis spine stretches and yoga for scoliosis can be beneficial, but it's essential to avoid poses and stretches that overly twist or compress the spine. Consulting with a healthcare professional about safe exercise options is always recommended.

When managing scoliosis, it's crucial to avoid exercises that may exacerbate muscle imbalances or strain the spine, such as rotational angular breathing or high-impact activities like running, emphasizing the importance of tailored physiotherapy programs and avoiding certain exercises, especially for elderly individuals with lumbar scoliosis or those using medical devices for dextroscoliosis treatment.

For those wondering how to prevent scoliosis or manage its progression, incorporating the best exercises for scoliosis into their routine can be beneficial. However, it's crucial for scoliosis patients, especially those with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, to be informed about which activities might exacerbate their condition.

For instance, while resistance training under guidance can be beneficial, powerlifting with scoliosis requires extra caution. Lifting weights without proper form or guidance might lead to complications. It's also essential to note that some yoga poses might not be suitable and should be avoided with scoliosis. Physical therapists play a pivotal role in tailoring the best scoliosis exercises for each individual after a scoliosis diagnosis. Their expertise ensures that patients can strengthen their core and back muscles safely and effectively.

When it comes to scoliosis exercises to avoid, it’s important to understand that while certain exercises/activities should be avoided or approached with caution, this doesn’t mean people with scoliosis have to lead a sedentary life.

In fact, it’s even more important for people challenged by a progressive condition to maintain a certain level of physical fitness; healthy bodies are more responsive to treatment and conducive to healing.

For those recently diagnosed with scoliosis, I encourage them to do their due diligence in researching all treatment options available to them, as well as finding out the types of exercises that can complement their treatment and those that should be avoided.