Treatment of scoliosis without surgery and at any age

Scoliosis is a very common disease that occurs in both children and adults. It often happens that the moment when treating scoliosis at home would bring maximum effect and allow you to get rid of the disease for good is missed, and the person suffers from complications in the future. And it often happens that people who did not pay attention to scoliosis or do not consider it a serious disease are faced with the need for surgical treatment, since the 4th (last) stage can only be treated with surgery.

Causes of scoliosis

The following types of scoliosis are distinguished:

Congenital scoliosis occurs as a result of abnormal fetal development, abnormal positioning, or genetic abnormalities;
Acquired scoliosis develops in childhood and adolescence as a result of rapid rapid growth of the skeleton and lagging growth of muscle mass. The lack of a full-fledged muscle corset leads to changes in the child’s posture;
Age-related scoliosis is the result of degenerative and destructive changes in bone tissue that occur after 40 years, for example, osteoporosis or osteoarthritis;
Idiopathic scoliosis, in which the cause is not identified. This type of scoliosis is observed just during the period of growth, when a healthy, strong child develops spinal curvatures.

The concept of scoliosis

With pathological curvature, there is a clear violation of posture. If you look at the back, you can see an unnatural bend to the right or left. A healthy spinal column should be smooth, without any “hints” of asymmetry.

There are three types of scoliosis:

C-shaped curvature. The curvature of the spine is twisted in one section and the curvature looks like the letter “C”.
S-shaped curvature. These are two combined curvatures. This type of pathology is detected most often.
Z-shaped curvature . The pathology occurs due to the simultaneous curvature of three sections at once - cervical, thoracic and lumbar.

Interesting to know! Many parents, seeing that their child is often hunched over, consider this a clear sign of scoliosis. Actually this is not true. Stooping and scoliosis are not the same thing. The curvature of the spine is determined by a specialist based on x-ray data. And stooping can occur with muscular dystonia, which, by the way, often causes scoliosis.

S-shaped curvature: look at the angles of the shoulder blades, shoulder height, asymmetry in the lower back

The cause of the development of curvature can be pathologies of the central nervous system or the musculoskeletal system. In many cases, scoliosis develops as a result of herniated intervertebral discs, osteochondrosis, rickets, flat feet, hip dysplasia, and cerebral palsy.

Also, hereditary factors, lack of physical activity, physical inactivity, and working “on your feet” or in the office play an important role in the formation of curvature.

Scoliosis in adults and children

Treatment of scoliosis in children is carried out with the help of physical exercises selected in a special complex. The set of exercises depends on the physical condition of the child. The child will not be forced to wear a corset or lie on strange applicators - such treatment is useless and even harmful. Dr. Bubnovsky's center offers rehabilitation through kinesitherapy. In addition to correcting the position of the back, the physical condition of children and adolescents develops.

Adults also come to the center. For those who have 1 or 2 degrees of illness, a private training program is drawn up for them.

People with grades 3 and 4 are difficult to help, but exercise reduces pain.

How to treat scoliosis at home?

Treatment of scoliosis at home involves a set of measures aimed at improving and stabilizing the patient’s condition. Not all scoliosis can be treated at home.

What stage can be treated at home?

Please note in what cases scoliosis can be treated at home. Experts consider the following categories of patients who can be treated at home to have a chance of recovery:

Children under 7 years old at 1-3 degrees . Scoliosis in early childhood is completely curable. The chances are especially high for children under three years of age with an active lifestyle.
Children under 11 years of age with the same degrees of the disease are cured with massage, exercise therapy and corrective corsets. The prognosis is considered favorable.
In the first and second degrees in adolescents and adults, the disease cannot be completely cured. But with a non-progressive form, a stable state can be successfully maintained.

The first stage of scoliosis, which is diagnosed only with the help of X-rays or MRI, requires therapeutic massage and physical training in several courses, as well as preventive control of posture.

The second degree can be treated with the same methods, with the addition of regular wearing of a corrective corset for several hours. Sometimes there is a need to use it at night. At this stage there is no pain or it is minor, so drug treatment is usually not necessary.

In the third degree, home treatment is rarely and limitedly used. Often, in addition to swimming, massage, manual therapy and long-term wearing of a corset, pain relief and, possibly, surgical intervention are necessary. Treatment of fourth degree scoliosis is exclusively surgical.

Video: “Gymnastics for scoliosis at home”

Medicines

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Next fact

For scoliosis, drug treatment is auxiliary ; it is used only in conjunction with other methods. Patients need drugs that normalize blood circulation and serve to restore and protect cartilage. These are chondoprotectors, vitamin complexes and other means that help with pathological processes of internal organs that appear from pressure on them from a deformed spine, etc.

ethnoscience

Traditional medicine for scoliosis is used to reduce pain, these are compresses, lotions, applications and medicinal baths.

Here are some recipes for pain-relieving compresses:

A two-liter container is filled one third with dandelion flowers and kept in a warm place in half a liter of vodka for ten days. The unstrained tincture is topped up with warm water, a bandage is moistened in it and applied to the problem area overnight.
Two tablespoons of sea or regular salt are diluted with a glass of boiling water, a bandage soaked in the solution is applied to the problem area for two hours. After the procedure, Menovazin is applied to the skin.
An equal amount of raw potatoes and horseradish, minced through a meat grinder, is placed in a cloth. It is applied to the sore spot and secured with a warm scarf. Hold until you feel a burning sensation.
Crushed aloe and Kalanchoe leaves are mixed with a spoon of alcohol and honey. Wrap them in cloth and place them on the sore area of the back overnight. Chestnut compresses are also made.
Rye flour cakes with the addition of turpentine can be used as a heating pad, applying them to a sore spot.

Therapeutic baths for scoliosis:

Boil the cut pine branches for ten minutes, leave for 4 hours, and then add the strained solution to the bath. It must be taken within half an hour. In this case, only your back should be in the water; your upper body should be insulated with a towel.
Boil a kilogram of aspen bark for ten minutes in a liter of water. Add the strained broth to a medicinal bath, which can be taken twice a day for a quarter of an hour.
Prepare a decoction of chamomile in the same way in the proportion of half a kilogram per six-liter pan. Take this bath every day for a third of an hour.

Video: “How to properly massage for scoliosis?”

Corsets

Corsets can be corrective or supportive . The former serve to reduce the load on the spine, and the latter help reduce the degree of its curvature. An orthopedist selects a suitable corset and monitors the healing process.

Corrective corsets must be worn for six months to a year; as the spine straightens, it grows, so they are periodically changed.

Supportive corsets are divided into reclinators, thoracic and thoracolumbar . Such modifiers are worn by people with heavy physical labor. What does each one represent?

Reclinators correct posture and eliminate minor deviations. These are elastic band devices in the shape of a figure eight that cover the shoulder girdle.
Breast support correctors include a rigid back and waistband, and waist straps. They are used for serious disorders in the area of the shoulder blades.
Thoracolumbar correctors support the entire spine. They include a belt, a rigid back and a reclinator.

Corsets can be used at all stages of scoliosis

Degree of complexity of scoliosis

First, the permissible level of deviation of the spine from a straight line to the right or left is 10 degrees. Considering the asymmetry of the body, this stage is not yet called a disease, but a number of exercises need to be applied to correct it. To diagnose the abnormality, visit an orthopedist and an x-ray office. The minimum tilt is not yet visible to the naked eye.
The second is the deviation from the straight axis – 11-25 degrees. At this stage, an S-shaped curvature often develops. Along with the curvature of the upper part, changes begin in the pelvic area. Added to the change in shoulder level is the difference in hip levels. If you do not start rehabilitation at this stage, the disease will progress quickly.
Third, the angle of inclination varies between 25 and 50 degrees. This slope causes deformation of internal organs, severe pain in the thoracic region and the spine itself. Respiratory function is impaired, and difficulties with mobility appear. It is difficult to cure the deviation without doctors, but constant and intense training will relieve pain and help build up lagging muscle mass.
Fourth - the deviation from the axis exceeds 50 degrees. Movement causes severe pain; the person lies in bed all the time he is awake. This will require medical procedures and surgery, which can lead to deterioration in the flexibility of the spine. A fourth degree illness is equivalent to disability.

Exercises to treat scoliosis

Exercise therapy is effective for scoliosis of the first or second degree when the patient is no more than 15 years old. It serves to strengthen the muscles that support the spine to eliminate respiratory pathology caused by the disease. And in case of significant deformities of the spine, it helps to enlarge the chest.

S-shaped

With this type of curvature (2nd degree), exercises are necessary to correct the lumbar and thoracic regions and strengthen the spinal muscle:

Sitting on a high and wide bench with your hands behind your head, without lifting your legs, tilt your back back.
Lie on a bench so that your head and shoulder blades protrude beyond it. Tilt your upper body back and relax for a few seconds.
From the “lying on your back” position on the floor, slightly raise your back and rock it.
Lie with your stomach on the bench and, lowering your torso, form a right angle. Then take a horizontal position without raising your legs.
Standing on all fours, inhale and, as you exhale, sit on your heels without moving your arms. While inhaling, return to the starting position. Repeat up to five times.
Position “lying on your back” on the floor, arms extended along the body. Exhaling, pull your socks towards you, and try to press your chin to your chest
Standing on all fours on the floor, arch and arch your back five times.

C-shaped

These exercises are for the prevention and treatment of the initial stage of scoliosis. They serve to strengthen the side muscles :

Each type of scoliosis has its own set of exercises: with your feet positioned “shoulder-width apart”, do eight rotations of your shoulders forward and backward with your hands placed on your shoulders.
Inhale in the same position, and as you exhale, alternately turn each shoulder forward without changing the position of your back. And while inhaling, return it to its original position. Also move each shoulder back.
Lower your arms along your body and stretch your head up as much as possible without lifting your heels from the floor.
Lie on the floor on your stomach, stretch your arms along your body, raise only your head.
Do the same, resting your hands on the floor.
From the “lying on your stomach” position, raise your legs one by one.
At the same time, stretch your arms forward and raise your legs while lying on your stomach.

Z-shaped

This type of curvature is rare and especially severe . All exercises in this case should be done only in a supine position very slowly and carefully so as not to cause harm. They are selected by an experienced instructor individually for each patient and are done only in his presence.

Symptoms to watch out for

Backache. Stitching pain in the thoracic or lumbar spine. Outbreaks of pain are constant and often occur when sitting at a computer or game console for a long time.
Slouching is a bent back as a result of weakness of the extensor muscles. If the muscle tissue is unable to hold the spine straight, it begins to bend.
Chronic fatigue in the back. If fatigue does not go away after a massage or gymnastic exercises, contact a kinesiotherapist.
Curvature of the position of the hips or shoulder blades. One leg is shorter than the other, one shoulder is higher, the other is lower - indicators of 2 or 3 degrees, depending on the level of difference.
Constant pain in internal organs or limbs without visible injuries or causes is a reason to check the condition of the spine.

A device that will help prevent scoliosis

The secret to successfully combating scoliosis is maintaining the correct posture. But it is quite difficult to constantly control exactly how you sit. But there is a device that can do this for you - Beurer PC 100 PostureControl .

The small gadget attaches to clothing and does not interfere with working at the computer, writing or reading. But if you sit for too long, the device will remind you to change your position and stretch your muscles with gentle vibration. The device is controlled through the 8sense application, and its benefits are confirmed by the opinion of physiotherapists and doctors.

What is the treatment

Treatment of scoliosis is carried out only in a comprehensive manner, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve a positive effect. The complex of therapeutic measures includes special gymnastics, massage, physiotherapeutic procedures, as well as wearing an orthopedic corset in case of significant curvatures. A prerequisite is to change the daily routine and eliminate all factors that provoke spinal curvature.

You need to start with a visit to the doctor and examination: for treatment to be effective, it is necessary to accurately determine the degree of deformity and select the appropriate exercises and procedures. In addition, the specialist takes into account the patient’s age, maximum permissible loads, and individual characteristics of the body.