| Do Exercises Help Scoliosis? A doctor's explanation |
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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H. Question What can you tell me about scoliosis, and especially about exercise and scoliosis for teens? A friend’s 12-year-old daughter was told she had a curve in her back but to wait and see if it gets worse. If it does, she may need to wear a brace or have surgery. Sitting around and doing nothing doesn’t seem to make sense. Are there exercises she could do, or maybe work with a physical therapist, to help so that her curve doesn’t become worse? --Beth, via e-mail Answer Scoliosis means "crooked" and a crooked spine is what scoliosis is all about. We don't know what causes it. The degree of curvature, usually measured with back X-rays, determines the treatment. The usual early treatment is wait and see. Unfortunately, no intervention has been known to reverse scoliosis. The only thing that slows scoliosis down is a brace or surgery. Exercise, physical therapy and chiropractic manipulation have not been shown to slow it down at all. The scoliosis may progress while she's growing up. If the curvature gets around the 20-degree mark, she may need a brace. There's no way to predict whose back will do this, but about 1 in 5 need the brace. There are two reasons you want to treat it.
Though exercise doesn't help scoliosis, it's always good for overall health and general back support. Exercises to stabilize core strength like Pilates or yoga could help overall back health but will not slow down the natural progression of the scoliosis. You can find more good information on scoliosis at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. JAMES HUBBARD, M.D., M.P.H., is the publisher of James Hubbard's My Family Doctor, the magazine written by health-care professionals for the general public. He's been a family doctor for over 25 years. Last updated and/or approved: January 2009. Comments (3)
  written by Heather , May 21, 2009 Our clinic offers a physical therapy approach that leverages exercise to treat scoliosis. The Schroth Method has been used successfully in Europe for decades. One of our patients and a therapist from our clinic were recently interviewed by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. See her story here: http://tinyurl.com/tribscoli We recently published a four-year case history of a patient who experienced a reduction in her curve. Find the link here: http://www.sdwpt.com/services/scoliosis.php Patients (adults and children) come to us from across the US. We've helped people avoid surgery. Want more info? Contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  written by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H. , April 22, 2009 Exercises such as swimming, pilates or yoga might help the pain. But first she needs to get her doctor's ok. Depending on how bad the curve gets, she may need a brace or surgery and there is no way around that. There is nothing that can be done to reverse the curve. The surgery or brace is to keep it from getting worse. That's why it cannot be put off.  written by nicole , April 22, 2009 my sister is 16 and she has scoliosis and her doctors just gave pills and she works and has no time for physical therapy so what can she do to help her pain and her back so that she does not have to where a brace Write comment
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