Having scoliosis can mean living with immense pain. Your spine curves sideways, which causes your spinal muscles, nerves, joints, and even hips to hurt.
However, you can reduce inflammation and pain with some effortless habits. You can even reverse your spinal curvature or slow down the condition’s progression.
Perhaps you even follow those habits already, in which case you’re probably feeling a bit better. In any case, make sure you do everything from this list to combat scoliosis effectively.
Do Stretching Exercises Every Day!
Stretching exercises will improve your blood flow and posture, reduce pain, and help remold your spine. To form a habit, perform them every day – preferably in the morning.
Some of the best exercises for scoliosis include:
- Hanging from an overhead bar (a dead hang);
- Bending your torso sideways while holding hands above your head;
- Holding hands behind your back while pushing shoulder blades as much together as possible;
- Lying on your back with rolled towels under your lower back and neck;
- Pushing your hips as far as you can while in a plank position;
None of these exercises is exhausting, so you won’t even break a sweat. They may be a bit challenging at first, simply because of the pain you’re already feeling. But if you do them every day, you’ll soon start feeling much better.
Strengthen Your Core Muscles!
It’s vital to strengthen your core muscles since they support your spine.
You can do so by:
- Lifting your arms and feet while lying on your stomach with your arms stretched upward;
- Doing upright rows with very light dumbbells;
- Doing squats (without any dumbbells);
You should also do these in the morning, right after you’ve finished your stretching exercises.
Consider Playing Soccer!
Soccer is an excellent sport for improving the strength of your core muscles.
Unless you’re dealing with too much pain that prevents you from playing, give soccer a try. It’ll make you feel a lot better, and you’ll have plenty of fun.
Still, we recommend you discuss it with your doctor beforehand. Perhaps soccer wouldn’t be such a good idea if you have a severe case of scoliosis.
But if you or your child have a mild condition, soccer will be of help.
And the best part is it won’t make the condition progress or worsen in any way. It can only be beneficial. Just remember to avoid the goalkeeper position – you’d fall a lot and risk hurting your back severely.
Reduce Inflammation Through a Healthy Diet!
What you eat can also affect your scoliosis condition. Nutrition plays a big part in scoliosis, especially when it comes to idiopathic scoliosis. That’s the type that doesn’t have a known cause, which means it doesn’t develop because of a genetic predisposition.
So, what should you eat to combat scoliosis? The answer is foods that reduce inflammation in your body.
The best such foods for enriching your diet are:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Organic meat
- Fish
- Nuts
- Spices, especially the super-healthy turmeric
Avoid processed foods (including processed meat), fried foods, refined carbs, and salty foods. You should also avoid alcohol and regularly drink green tea.
Maintain Good Posture!
Poor posture and poor nutrition are some of the worst habits that can cause scoliosis if you’re not careful. Even if you don’t have the scoliosis gene, you can develop postural scoliosis with bad posture.
When you have scoliosis, slouching may feel more comfortable than standing or sitting properly. But if you try hard to maintain good posture, you’ll reduce the progression of scoliosis. You’ll also slowly improve the spinal curvature and reduce a lot of pain in the process.
Don’t Stay in One Position for Too Long!
There’s a lot of stress on your spine when you stand for an extended period of time. The same goes for sitting for long time periods.
However, if your job requires a lot of sitting or standing, it can be tough to fight scoliosis. So, make sure you change positions often. Take breaks and do a bit of stretching or walking. It’ll flex your muscles and make you feel better.
Invest in a High-Quality Mattress!
Your mattress also plays a huge part in your spinal health. An uncomfortable one can cause severe back and neck pain, even in healthy individuals.
So, find a high-quality mattress that’s perfect for scoliosis. Medium-firm and firm mattresses are your best bet.
Don’t Exert Yourself with Household Chores!
No one likes to do household chores, especially when you’re in pain. So, how can you keep the house clean when you fight scoliosis?
You can’t spend all day cleaning – you’d make the condition even worse. You need to make a plan. For instance, you can engage in a chore for 15 minutes and then take a longer break. Also, you should plan different chores for different days, so as not to do everything at once.
Of course, it’d be best if you could get help from your family members. In any case, don’t overexert yourself.
Early Intervention Is Key
Early intervention is the best thing you can do for yourself when you have scoliosis. The sooner you start following all these habits, the sooner you’ll feel significantly better.
Scoliosis bracing can also be of immense help. There are scoliosis braces for adults and children that can slow down scoliosis and significantly reduce pain.
At Align Clinic, we have premium orthotics for scoliosis for both children and adults. We offer different types of scoliosis braces, depending on the stage and type of condition. If you or your child need any kind of scoliosis bracing, we can design it for you.
Schedule your free consultation anytime to discuss the right treatment plan.
