Nowadays, almost every third child has problems with the spine, and the youngest patients are on average 5 years old. Very often, parents miss the first signs of scoliosis and consult a doctor when the curvature begins to noticeably progress. Meanwhile, timely diagnosis is a very important condition for successful treatment of the disease, and the younger the child’s age, the easier his bones can be corrected. The treatment process is based on the use of special exercises, and exercise therapy for scoliosis in children has its own characteristics.
Exercise therapy for scoliosis in children
What is the difference between exercise therapy for children?
Physical therapy has a positive effect on scoliosis of the first and second degrees. In a more advanced state, it will not be possible to correct the curvature with exercises alone, and even complex treatment does not guarantee a 100% result.
Exercise therapy performs several tasks at once:
- reduces the load on the spine and distributes it evenly throughout the entire body;
- restores the muscle corset;
- strengthens ligaments;
- corrects posture;
- normalizes blood circulation and respiratory functions;
- stops the progression of the disease;
- improves general condition.
Regular exercises can gradually align the spine to a normal state and prevent new deformities.
Exercises promote spinal alignment
But if teenagers treat such activities more or less responsibly, then children, especially preschoolers, quickly get bored with standard exercises, which affects the quality of gymnastics and its effectiveness. For this reason, when choosing a physical therapy complex for a particular patient, the doctor takes into account not only the individual characteristics of the body, but also the age of the child.
A set of exercises is selected taking into account the age of the children
For preschool children, a set of exercises should be presented in a playful way, while group classes are preferable, for example, with parents or peers in a physical therapy room. All exercises should be as simple as possible, and the duration of one session should not exceed 15 minutes. Musical accompaniment is welcome - this makes it more interesting for the child to study and he is more active.
Children like physical therapy with music more
For older children, the duration of classes is increased to 20-30 minutes, simple exercises alternate with more complex ones. So that the child can independently correct his posture, it is recommended to install a large mirror in the classroom. The room should be well ventilated, and the air temperature during classes should not exceed 20 degrees.
Exercises are carried out in a room with a large mirror.
Prices for children's orthopedic shoes
Find out how to do the exercises correctly from our new article - “Exercise therapy for grade 2 scoliosis.”
Cost of services
| Exercise therapy for a child (15 min.) | 1,100 rub. |
| Exercise therapy for a child (30 min.) | RUB 1,350 |
| Exercise therapy for a child (45 min.) | 1,500 rub. |
| Exercise therapy in the health-improving complex “Rucheyok” (15 min.) | 900 rub. |
| Exercise therapy with hardening elements in the health-improving complex “Rucheyok” (45 min.) | 1,800 rub. |
| Breathing exercises for children from 3 years old | 950 rub. |
Contraindications for exercise
In some situations, physical therapy can worsen the child’s condition, so before starting classes, make sure there are no contraindications. These include:
- acute inflammatory processes in the body;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases;
- rapid progression of scoliosis;
- pain in the spine or limbs;
- heat;
- congenital pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
Health problems are not always pronounced, and many parents may not even realize that their child has any illnesses. That is why the attending physician should prescribe exercise therapy and select a specific type of exercise, and only after a complete examination of the patient. In the future, you need to undergo regular examinations so that the doctor can monitor the treatment process and, if necessary, make adjustments.
The attending physician should prescribe exercise therapy and select a specific type of exercise.
During classes, you should adhere to the prescribed exercises and not be excessively active. There are certain actions that are contraindicated for scoliosis:
Common deformities of the spine and feet in childhood
Doctors most often diagnose children with right- or left-sided curvature of the spine and flat feet.
Scoliosis or lateral curvature of the spine begins to form from early school age, when the child is actively growing.
The shape of the curvature is C- and S-shaped. Depending on the angle of deviation of the spine (Cobb angle), 4 degrees of severity are distinguished.
Complications: - decreased muscle tone; - change in the shape of the chest; - deterioration of lung function; - amyotrophy; — chronic diseases of the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive systems; - infertility; - mental disorders due to persistent depression.
Flat feet or flattened feet are characterized by drooping of the longitudinal and/or transverse arch. Develops as a result of weakness of the muscles and ligaments of the lower extremities, wearing the wrong shoes.
A child's foot is shorter and wider than an adult's, with a pronounced layer of subcutaneous fatty tissue. This visually makes a normal foot flat, so only a specialist can make a correct diagnosis based on examination, podoscopy and radiography.
Complications: - pathological posture; - pain in the legs; - fast fatiguability; - gait disturbances; - deformation of the knee joints and toes; - ingrown toenails.
Diagnosis of curvature
The signs of scoliosis are quite characteristic, and identifying them yourself is not at all difficult. First, ask your child to stand up straight and lower his arms along his body. Look at your back: in a normal state, the spine is straight and located exactly in the center, the shoulder blades have the same shape and are at an equal distance from the spine, the shoulders are in the same line. Next, ask the child to bend forward: the vertebrae should all stand out equally, and the back should remain symmetrical.
Signs of scoliosis
If one side of the back is more convex, the shoulder blades are different in shape or are turned at different angles, the spine has an arched shape - these are obvious symptoms of curvature. Having discovered at least one of them, you should take the child to an orthopedist for a more detailed examination. The doctor will determine the degree of curvature and select the most optimal treatment method, including a set of exercises.
Degrees of curvature
Basic exercise therapy complex
For exercises, you need to prepare a floor mat, a gymnastic stick and a fitball, and ventilate the room. It is very important that the uniform and shoes for classes are comfortable, breathable, do not interfere with movements and do not compress anything. You cannot start exercise on a full stomach: you should eat at least an hour and a half before.
Fitballs and medicine balls for fitness
All classes begin with a warm-up. Children should walk on their toes, move their arms in different directions, stretch and bend, and warm up their muscles thoroughly. To unload the spine, it is useful to move on all fours: children can be asked to pretend to be animals, for example, a cat or a dog. After warming up, you can proceed to the main complex.
| Illustration | Description of the exercise |
| The child lies on his back, straightens his legs, arms along the body. Next, simultaneously raises both arms up, touching the floor and stretching the spine as much as possible. Both shoulder blades should also be pressed against the floor. Having stretched well, we lower our hands back, and so on several times. |
| Lying on your back, bend your elbows and press them to your body, while resting your elbows on the floor. Raise the chest up, trying to bend the spine as much as possible. After holding this position for 1-2 seconds, we lower ourselves back to the floor. You need to repeat about 5-6 times. |
| Lying on your back, you need to bend your arms at the elbows, put your hands on your belt. Next, lift one leg up without bending it and stretch the toe out as far as possible. We lower this leg, raise the second one. You need to repeat 5-6 times. |
| We perform the “boat” exercise. We lie on our stomachs, straighten up, stretch our arms forward and join them together. Now you need to simultaneously lift yourself off the surface with your legs and arms, straining your back muscles. We stretch our arms and toes for 2-3 seconds, after which we lower ourselves to the floor and relax our back. |
| Performed in a sitting position. You need to straighten your back, stretch your legs in front of you, and then bend one leg and pull your knee to your chest with your hand. You cannot arch your back; the toe of the second leg should be carefully pulled forward. Hold the pose for a few seconds, then return to the previous position. Repeat with the other leg. |
| Lying on your back, bend your legs and pull your knees to your chest. They wrap their arms around them and rise to a sitting position. You need to keep your back straight, your shoulders back, your chin up. Perform at least 3 times. |
| Performed while standing. We take a gymnastic stick in our hands and place it behind our back. We hold the stick on both sides with bent arms. Now you need to simultaneously pull both ends of the stick forward, pressing it to your back and remain in this position for 10-15 seconds. You can walk around in a circle, do a few side bends, and squats. |
| Lying on your stomach, stretch your arms forward and take a gymnastic stick. Straining the back muscles, we lift the body up and tear the stick off the floor by 10-15 centimeters. We lower ourselves and relax our muscles. Repeat at least 5 times. |
| Standing against a wall, you need to press your head, shoulders, buttocks and heels firmly against the surface. Shoulders should be straightened, chin raised. You should remain in this position for about a minute. |
| Performed on all fours. We stretch one leg back as far as possible and tilt the body towards the floor, trying to touch the chest to the surface. The chin must be kept raised. We return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Enough 2 exercises for each leg. |
| We sit on the floor, bending our legs under ourselves. We lean forward, stretching our arms as far as possible and touching our palms to the floor. We remain in this position for 4-5 seconds, straighten up. |
| Sitting on the floor, we stretch our legs in front of us, placing our palms on the floor behind our backs. We bend one leg at the knee, pulling it towards us, and lower it back, simultaneously bending the second leg. The back should remain straight, shoulders straightened. |
Good results are obtained by stretching on the wall bars, fitball, scissors and bicycle exercises.
Exercises to correct posture at home
It is very useful for scoliosis to walk with a book on your head: by trying to hold the book, the child trains the muscles of the back and cervical spine, and straightens his posture. This should be done at least once a day, for 5-10 minutes.
Teach your child to walk with a book on his head and keep his back straight
Preventive actions
School-age children are at risk of developing scoliosis, so they are most often shown to specialists to determine the condition of their spine. To prevent curvature, parents are advised to take seriously the organization of the child’s workplace and choose an orthopedic mattress. In addition, as preventive measures you should follow simple rules:
- Regulate rest and physical activity, give the child the opportunity to play and move more.
- Don’t rush to teach your baby to sit or walk, give these skills the opportunity to develop on their own.
- Avoid using low quality backpacks with thin straps.
- Monitor the position of the child’s back while doing homework.
- Do not sit at the computer for more than 15-20 minutes unless necessary.
- Do simple exercises every morning.
As the child grows up, it is necessary to choose a suitable sports section for him, where he will strengthen the muscular corset of the back and thereby prevent the appearance of deformities.
Physical therapy for children with crooked posture is an excellent way to combat the problem. But it must be performed regularly under the supervision of a doctor, in which case the result will not be long in coming. Training at home is allowed only when the parent has mastered all the rules and is able to control the child’s technique of performing the exercises.