Does exercise therapy help with scoliosis in children?
With more serious degrees of scoliosis in children - third and fourth - exercise therapy will not be enough. But in the first and second stages of the disease, the effectiveness of exercise therapy increases significantly, which makes it one of the main methods of treatment. It is worth understanding that exercise therapy pursues the following goals:
- Improved blood circulation: restored blood supply makes the back muscles elastic and restores their functions, relieves tension.
- Strengthening muscles: atrophied back muscles are not able to fully support the spine, and exercise therapy for scoliosis in children restores them.
- Elimination of curvature: the motor mode corrects the curvature and gives the spine the correct shape.
- Improvement of general health: the spine connects the systems of the human body, so restoration of its functions leads to an improvement in the child’s health.
However, exercise therapy for scoliosis in children will be effective if it has not reached the point of serious deformation processes in the vertebrae. Also, exercise therapy only helps with regular exercise and strict adherence to the doctor’s recommendations. Therefore, you should take the prescribed gymnastics seriously.
How can parents understand if their child has a curvature of the spine?
Can parents independently understand whether their child’s posture is impaired? It turns out they can. Pediatric doctors tell you what you should pay attention to during the examination.
Ask your child to stand with his back to you, lower his arms along his body and take his usual natural position. The following signs may be cause for concern:
- the shoulder blades are asymmetrical, one “sticks out” back;
- one shoulder is higher than the other;
- the distance from the arm to the waist is greater on one side than on the other;
- pelvis is distorted;
- When bending forward, an unnatural curvature of the spine is noticeable.
If you find at least one of these signs, do not delay and make an appointment with a pediatric orthopedist. The doctor will make the correct diagnosis (if any) and tell you how to treat scoliosis. The child's body continues to grow, so it is much easier to resist the development of the disease in a child than in an adult.
Preparing for the exercises
A set of exercise therapy exercises for children with spinal scoliosis is selected individually for each case. Physical therapy should be carried out in a medical facility or at home - with proper preparation. Proper preparation for exercise therapy should take into account the following points:
- The room: must be heated, well ventilated, with a temperature range of 17–20°.
- Equipment: depending on the exercise therapy program, includes gymnastic mats and equipment (balls, benches, etc.).
- Equipment: the child needs clothes made from natural fabrics that do not restrict movement.
- Hygiene: before and after classes, the child must take a shower.
- Nutrition: eating 1.5–2 hours before training should be thorough and dense.
Also, when doing gymnastics for scoliosis, children should have a bottle of still water with them in order to quench their thirst in a timely manner. Proper preparation is the key to successful treatment.
Risk factors
The exact reasons leading to the development of grade 3 scoliosis are not known for certain. However, there are a number of precipitating factors that have been found in patients with this diagnosis. These include the following:
- rapid growth processes in childhood and adolescence;
- endocrine disorders;
- incorrect posture;
- ossification of bones in old age;
- orthopedic diseases;
- pathologies of the nervous system;
- progressive scoliosis 2 degrees;
- spinal injuries;
- past polio;
- Cerebral palsy, rickets;
- metabolic disorders.
Women during menopause are at risk. Due to decreased estrogen production, bone mass decreases.
Set of exercises
Exercise therapy for scoliosis in children involves basic exercises, adjusted individually by the instructor. Depending on the specific case, the following types of exercises can be selected:
Exercise therapy for grade 1 scoliosis in children
Sports for early scoliosis in children are most effective; they help restore the functions of spinal tissues and increase body tone. Exercises for grade 1 scoliosis in children are suitable not only as a treatment, but also as a preventive measure. Physical therapy for early scoliosis involves the child lying down and standing.
Exercise therapy for grade 2 scoliosis in children
Scoliosis 2 degrees is a more serious stage of the disease, which already has certain consequences. The goal of exercise therapy for scoliosis in children in this case is not only to strengthen the body, but also to restore the correct shape of the spinal column. Exercises are performed from a sitting, standing and lying position.
Exercises for lumbar curvature
Exercise therapy for curvature of the lumbar spine involves, in addition to classical exercises, gymnastics to strengthen the spinal and paravertebral muscles. Basic exercises are performed from a sitting and lying position.
Exercises for thoracic curvature
Scoliosis of the thoracic region occurs in children at an early age with inadequate use of the pectoral muscles, so physical therapy in this case involves mainly exercises from a lying position and on all fours.
Exercises for cervical curvature
Most of the physical therapy exercises for cervical scoliosis in children are aimed at restoring muscle function and are represented by tilting the head in different directions, forward and backward, and can be done at home.
Physical education for left- and right-sided scoliosis
For right- and left-sided scoliosis in children, exercise therapy is aimed not only at strengthening muscles, but also at restoring balance. For unilateral scoliosis, in addition to basic exercises, swimming and cycling help.
Scoliosis - specialists in Moscow
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Neurologist
Tugutov Alexander Viktorovich
Moscow, prosp. Mira, 79, building 1 (Oriental Medicine Clinic “Sagan Dali”)
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Zhdanov Igor Vyacheslavovich
Moscow, Landyshevaya st., 14, bldg. 1 (Medical)
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Contraindications for exercise therapy and gymnastics
Exercise therapy, like simple exercises, for scoliosis for children and adults has no absolute contraindications. But it is better to abstain from it for a while in the following cases:
- Acute stage of chronic diseases: pain, increased temperature and blood pressure, as well as other unpleasant symptoms.
- Progressive curvature of the spine: means that exercise therapy for this type of scoliosis is ineffective; in this case, another method of treatment is selected for children.
- Increased pain after exercise therapy: exercise should be stopped, as the body signals that it can worsen the situation.
In childhood, the body is in a state of constant development, which makes it possible to stop the disease and return the child to its previous form. But when developing exercise therapy exercises for scoliosis, strict medical supervision is necessary, since every child or teenager receives a certain degree of postural curvature.
Scoliosis degrees
Like any other disease, scoliosis includes several degrees, which are characterized by different angles of deviation from the normal position of the spine. Highlight:
- degree. A slight deviation from the norm, around 10-11 degrees. The main danger of this stage is underestimating the severity of the disease. That is why the disease can progress and move into the following stages.
- degree . 11-25 degrees. At this stage, disturbances become noticeable to the naked eye: one shoulder blade is higher than the other, the patient feels tension and fatigue.
- degree . 25-50 degrees. The chest is deformed, difficulties appear during breathing and physical activity.
- degree . 50> degrees - the patient runs the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and has difficulty moving. At this stage, metabolism may be disrupted, serious problems with internal organs, and osteoporosis may occur.
What not to do?
With third degree scoliosis, any running is prohibited. Circular or twisting movements should also be avoided. This is especially true for exercises in an upright position of the body, as they exert a strong axial load.
Experts do not recommend outdoor games. Football involves fast running and is a dangerous sport. Volleyball involves sudden movements.
Asymmetrical movements can further worsen scoliosis. This is why rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatics are contraindicated. Somersaults and jumps are also contraindicated. One-arm rows and presses are prohibited.
What is the danger?
Scoliosis of the third degree causes changes in muscle mass, the shoulders are noticeably distorted, and the chest is modified. The vertebrae take on an unnatural wedge-shaped shape. Intervertebral discs also undergo changes. Compression of these spinal fragments causes thinning.
As a result, protrusions develop, which lead to intervertebral hernias and pinched nerve fibers.
The spinal cord is also affected. Pinched nerve roots lead to pain, loss of coordination, and damage to nerve fibers. The likelihood of injury increases. Even minor injuries can lead to a fracture.
Muscle fibers go into a compensatory state. The body bends itself. As a result of constant tension, rapid fatigue appears when walking, pain in the morning. Patients with this diagnosis find it difficult to find a sleeping position due to the constantly present pain syndrome. Patients need special orthopedic mattresses.
Depending on the department, a person may have various injuries to internal organs. With thoracic scoliosis, the lungs are primarily affected. As a result of insufficient breathing movements, congestive pneumonia often develops. The heart is involved in the pathological process. Changes in blood flow lead to ventricular dystrophy and hypertrophy.
REFERENCE! Scoliosis of the third degree leads to ongoing back pain.
When the spinal column is deformed, the tone of the back muscles decreases. This leads to decreased performance, loss of vitality, and rapid fatigue. In more severe cases, deformation of the pelvic floor bones causes disturbances in the functioning of the reproductive system in women. The ability to conceive and bear a child is lost.
If pregnancy occurs with severe scoliosis, it proceeds with complications. Women are worried about constant pain. Hypoxia caused by compression of internal organs causes fetal development retardation.
The biggest danger is limited mobility and disability of the patient. A person will become crippled if third-degree scoliosis is not treated.
Separately, it is worth mentioning kyphoscoliosis - a disease that is expressed in the combination of spinal deformity, combining scoliosis and kyphosis. The process of development of the disorder begins with kyphosis, which is later joined by scoliosis. The disease can be either congenital or acquired. Kyphoscoliosis in adults indicates an untreated diagnosis in childhood.
The pathology causes an imbalance in the functioning of the spine. As a result, he cannot properly perform the function assigned to him. The structures of the spine are overloaded. This affects the condition of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. As a result, myositis, hernias, and arthrosis develop. Compression of the spinal cord and the roots extending from it provokes the appearance of neurological symptoms.
Decreased mobility of the chest and diaphragm increases pressure on the respiratory muscles. This leads to a decrease in lung capacity, gas exchange failures and a decrease in the volume of oxygen supplied to the tissues. Untreated scoliosis causes dysfunction of the respiratory, digestive and cardiovascular systems.
The danger of third-degree scoliosis is associated with the death of the vertebrae and discs