Do you or your child suffer from a curvature in your spine (scoliosis)? One person notices little of it, while the other experiences pain and obstacles on a daily basis. Scoliosis can cause back and neck pain and pain between the shoulder blades. Growing pains are also common. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to control scoliosis. Chiropractic plays a valuable role in preventing scoliosis and promoting a healthy spine. In this blog we discuss what scoliosis is exactly, how this condition develops and how chiropractic can help. Finally, we give simple tips that you can apply yourself to reduce the discomfort of scoliosis.
What is scoliosis?
Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine bends sideways, creating an unnatural S or C shape. It is a skewed growth of the spine, which usually occurs in the growth phase in children between the ages of 8 and 13. This is more common in girls. It can lead to back pain, uneven posture and other problems. Many people have mild scoliosis without knowing it. You don’t have to be bothered by it at all. Only with a considerable curvature does scoliosis cause problems.
Your body out of balance
As a result of a crooked spine, the body compensates to keep you well balanced. Often the pelvis is crooked, so that one leg is shorter than the other leg. For example, if the left side of your pelvis is lower, your spine tends to the left. To compensate for this, the top of your spine – at the level of your shoulders and upper back – will pull more to the right.
There is a kind of S-bend, which is called a scoliosis. Some symptoms that arise as a result are pain in the hips, legs and back, breathing problems and mobility restriction. The worse the misalignment, the more severe the complaints usually are.
The causes of scoliosis
In scoliosis, something goes wrong during the growth from baby to adult. Sometimes scoliosis is already present at birth, but more often it develops in childhood. The cause is an abnormality of the muscles, connective tissue, bone or nerves that prevents the spine from growing in the correct position. Your spine is the base of your body and connected to countless muscles and ligaments. If everything develops well and works properly, the spine will remain neatly in the center. Sometimes muscle groups on one side are less developed than the other and a curvature develops. Although the exact cause of scoliosis is often unknown, there are ways to reduce the risk of developing it. Chiropractic plays a valuable role in preventing scoliosis and promoting a healthy spine.
Preventing scoliosis in children
The sooner scoliosis is tackled, the better. This is especially important for growing children, because then a scoliosis is even easier to correct Chiropractors are trained to detect early signs of scoliosis in children, such as abnormalities in the spine and asymmetry. It is therefore important to have your child preventively checked by a chiropractor, this will prevent many problems and complaints later in life.
Tips to reduce complaints due to scoliosis
Do you experience pain or discomfort due to scoliosis? That is very annoying, especially because it is difficult to get an abnormal spine back into the right position. In many cases, you’re told to live with it. Fortunately, you can do something about it yourself. Reduce the symptoms of scoliosis with the tips below:
1. Train regularly to strengthen muscles
Exercise is very important in scoliosis. Opt for gentle sports that strengthen the muscles around your spine. These are mainly the muscles that improve your posture. Make sure you don’t do exercises that put an excessive strain on your spine. Sports such as weightlifting, running and gymnastics are best avoided. If necessary, use a gym ball to do exercises. These sports are a good idea:
- swim
- yoga
- pilates
2. Work on good posture
In people with scoliosis, the body posture is automatically out of balance. Extra important to pay attention to this. Stand upright, use a chair with a good backrest and avoid slumping. Put your legs right under each other when you stand and push your chest forward. Strong back and abdominal muscles can support the spine and help with good posture. In addition, awareness of posture during daily activities such as sitting, standing and lifting can be improved. A chiropractor can teach children and parents how to maintain good posture to promote spine health.
3. Add stretching exercises to your routine
Regular stretching reduces tension in your back muscles, improves your flexibility and relieves pain. Do you have a job where you spend a lot of time? Then try to stand up and stretch at least every hour.
4. Try to stay at a healthy weight
Being overweight puts extra strain on the spine and that’s the last thing anyone with scoliosis can use. Drink enough water, keep moving and eat healthy to maintain weight.
5. Check the quality of your mattress
A good mattress reduces the pressure on your spine and supports your posture while sleeping. This way you have less trouble and stiffness in the morning. Also provide a comfortable sleeping pillow.
6. Visit a chiropractor regularly
Spine subluxations (blockages), abnormal movement patterns or positions of the vertebrae, can aggravate the development of scoliosis. Chiropractors specialize in correcting these blockages through gentle adjustments and natural techniques. By bringing the spine into the correct position and restoring normal movement, chiropractic helps to keep the spine stable and healthy. This gives you less pain and more freedom of movement. Further curvature can be prevented at an early stage.
In addition to treating scoliosis, chiropractic also helps improve your general health. Want to know more? Call 023 2052188 or mail info@avantgardechiropractie.nl. Our experienced team is ready for you!