Core specific exercises for scoliosis

[Analyticlical]

Not sure if this is the place to ask but I was wondering whether someone here is knowledgeable in core specific exercises?

I have scoliosis and was recently told by a doctor I should focus on strengthening my abs.
Short of that and the only solution is surgery which I really don't want to go through since it's both dangerous as well as debilitating.

It's becoming very difficult to sit for prolonged periods despite having an extremely expensive chair.

Years ago I could sit the majority of the day and not feel any issues. These days it seems I can barely sit for an hour straight without constantly changing position and eventually just not being able to focus on work.

The "funny" thing is I don't have bad abs. I do planks, ab wheel (from knees), and other exercises.
I just need to figure out a routine to take it even further.

My general weekly routine includes various different things that are done throughout the day at different times.
I will probably have to change my routine quite dramatically in order to accomodate more core exercises.
Some things I can't replace though. Specifically mobility and yoga. Without those my back is just fucked.
I've included more cardio recently because apparently the less I weigh the better it is for my scoliosis and am doing less "muscle-building" work as well.
That may and will change in the future. It's just what I'm doing now because I needed the change.
Currently, it more or less looks like this:

MONDAY

*******


Mobility routine



Pushups: 5-7 x 15 = 100 reps, 3m break between sets



Core: ab-wheel, centre & side plank, HLR



Cardio: 45 minutes




TUESDAY

********


Mobility routine



Yoga



Cardio: 45 minutes




WEDNESDAY

***********


Mobility routine



Ring Pullups: 8-12 x 5, 2m break between sets



Cardio: 45 minutes




THURSDAY

*********


Mobility routine



Yoga



Cardio: 45 minutes




FRIDAY

*******


Mobility routine



Pushups: 5-7 x 15 = 100 reps, 3m break between sets



Core: ab-wheel, centre & side plank, HLR



Cardio: 45 minutes




SATURDAY

*********


Mobility routine



Ring Pullups: 8-12 x 5, 2m break between sets



Yoga



Cardio: 45 minutes




SUNDAY

*******


Long mobility session
 

[Michael]

You said You can do stuff throughout the day? Make sure You ask Your doctor before You do anything new. If You can hang on a pull up bar throughout the day it may be of great benefit. It doesn't have to be long, 20-30 seconds at a time. I would recommend this for Your core everyday: www.elitefts.com/training-logs/the-mcgill-big-three/ I do the 5 reps of everything before my training and 3 reps after if I have time. Holding each rep for 10 seconds will strengthen Your core. But again ask Your doctor.

[MBS]

^^^^^^i second what Michael said about hanging from the bar, if possible, throughout the day. 

Many benefits, including improving your posture. 

[mr potatohead]

Me three. Dead hangs several times throughout the day.

I would also limit sitting time to 30 minutes or so. I'm talking to myself on that one. I tend to sit too long sometimes. I like to keep moving, do something.

[jonrock]

I have scoliosis surgery myself, and I can give you some advice
Dead hangs
Exercises which improve muscle in your whole frame, such us squats and good mornings, done properly taking into account your lumbar/dorsal curve/s.

[mr potatohead]

Yup - on doing a long duration, squat, all the way down, several times per day, just like the primitives do all day.

OH squats (arms extended overhead while in deep squat), squat w/ arms resting on and out in front of knees w/ head up/back straight, squat w/ hands together in prayer or clasped, etc, in front of face or out front and arms pressing down against knees, ..... these are some of the deep squat positions that feel good on my back.

Here're a couple vids by Elliott Hulse that may be helpful (?), but he doesn't show the squat positions I described above:




Next, a DIY idea which could be adapted to something as simple as a fat, torso-width cushion on the floor:



Something else that comes to mind is certain "yoga poses" might help?

[Analyticlical]

Jul 29, 2018 22:05:00 GMT jonrock said:

I has scoliosis surgery myself, and I can give you some advice
Dead hangs
Exercises which improve muscle in your whole frame, such us squats and good mornings, done properly taking into account your lumbar/dorsal curve/s.

Do you mind elaborating on how painful it was?
How long it took you to heal and get back to normal?
Are there things you can't do now?

[Analyticlical]

With regards to asking my doctor:

It'll be too long to fully reply to that but doctors never helped me.

I have many other issues and have recently been told by a doctor that the problem with people like me (who have a lot of problems but none are extremely severe) is that medicine is simply not yet advanced enough to understand my problems and help me.

He then continued by saying that his practice sees around 15,000 patients a year out of which only 2,000 even get diagnosed by something that has a title and a corresponding treatment.

Out of those about 15% positively respond to therapy and for even a smaller percentage that positive response is permanent.

The point he was trying to make is that he simply doesn’t have very much to offer me.

They don’t really understand anything that’s related to the brain, or rather, originates in the brain.

They can’t really understand why people are having allergies anymore than they understand IBS or what fibromyalgia even is.

What they “know” comes from unrelated yet supporting findings but they don’t actually understand why any of it is even happening.

In the past they used to put all these problems under the term “psychological” or “psychosomatic” which quite often are terms being used instead of verbally saying “I don’t know”.

That doesn’t mean that a true expert isn’t out there that can help me but after seeing over 200 doctors the purist itself is just not practical.

I just have to find my own answers, good or bad.



With regards to dead-hangs:

I actually do those quite a bit but I’ll consider doing them for sets every day and see how it goes.

I’ve recently found videos on inversion tables and inversion boots and was looking into those but I did read that they are not recommended to people with hyper-mobility (which I have).



Thank you

[Analyticlical]

Jul 29, 2018 23:04:36 GMT mr potatohead said:

Yup - on doing a long duration, squat, all the way down, several times per day, just like the primitives do all day.

OH squats (arms extended overhead while in deep squat), squat w/ arms resting on and out in front of knees w/ head up/back straight, squat w/ hands together in prayer or clasped, etc, in front of face or out front and arms pressing down against knees, ..... these are some of the deep squat positions that feel good on my back.

Here're a couple vids by Elliott Hulse that may be helpful (?), but he doesn't show the squat positions I described above:




Next, a DIY idea which could be adapted to something as simple as a fat, torso-width cushion on the floor:



Something else that comes to mind is certain "yoga poses" might help?

Watched both.

I’m doing those deep squats (took me several years just to be able to do it and it’s still far from perfect) but will consider doing more of them.



The apparatus he made there (as well as using the massage bed) will be more difficult to imitate.

I’ll see what I can do instead.

Normally I just use a yoga mat and a large pillow but I doubt it’s as good.




As for yoga - I am doing yoga but I'm terrible. :-)

[jonrock]

Mr.Potatohead,

Some squats are hard to do for people with scoliosis because the lumbar and dorsal curves don't allow some positions to be comfortable or are directly bad for your back.

Half squats, oh half squats with a broomstick first and then a barbell (with very little weight on) are very good.
Little by little, you go deeper.
Also, iso good mornings with the strap around the neck (half bent knees, properly aligned head) are incredible and so are dead hangs. I wouldn't recommend yoga or streching other than active stretches, pandiculation and hangs.


Analyticlical,

If I can be of any help, here is what I know:
The most important things for us to exercise and make any movement in general are:
-Distributing the weight evenly between both feet when lifting weights
-Neutral head position (no neck extension or flexion)
-Neutral back position (no lordosis or kyphosis)
-Midsection and glute activation so your lower back is "strong" and there is no pelvic tilt

It took a few months to be able to get back to school and 8-9 months for the bone graft to fully grow and fuse the vertebrae.
The surgery was quite painful(just look at photos of a scoliosis surgery), your whole system is shocked and
Also, you won't be able to bend except from your waist and neck anymore and will have to be very cautious when lifting any "heavy" object.
There is no going back to normal, just learning how to move with your new back, adapt and exercise. A good physiotherapist can help you learning how to move and "correct" the non-symetrical nature of scoliosis, so to speak.

I feel fortunate because had the scoliosis advanced now I could have lots of heart and lung problems or be already dead. Instead, I am able to lift sandbags almost as heavy as me over my head (at 170 pounds I lifted overhead a 145 pound military duffel bag full of boulders for 5 good reps). This didn't come overnight, I have had to learn how my back works and lift TINY weights at first. The key here is patience and progression.

I would suggest:
-Find a good physioterapist to work on posture before and after the surgery
-Find a doctor which has lots of experience operating scoliosis and who can offer solid advice
-Ponder what you NEED to do so you can live a long and healthy life, only you know what is best for you and only you can decide whether or not to have the surgery done
-If you decide on having surgery, focus on adapting to your situation and becoming stronger little by little, be patient and determined, you will need lots of will. If I did it you can too
-Isometrics done properly (check for example drew baye tsc in this forum) are very good because they work the muscles and tendons in natural positions (less strain even when going hard) and they also teach you proprioception.

If you have questions let me know.

[mr potatohead]

Jul 30, 2018 9:29:40 GMT jonrock said:

Mr.Potatohead,

Some squats are hard to do for people with scoliosis because the lumbar and dorsal curves don't allow some positions to be comfortable or are directly bad for your back.

Half squats, oh half squats with a broomstick first and then a barbell (with very little weight on) are very good.
Little by little, you go deeper.

OK, Thank you.

"Little by little you go deeper."
Yes, I do this now when I squat. I allow myself plenty of time to settle down into the deep position. It feels like I'm sinking down by ever-so-tiny increments. I injured my knee a while ago (not exercise related) and going deeper, little by little is the only way I can do it without pain.

[stormshadow]

I think these are quite beneficial


They are good for bad back too


www.choc.org/orthopaedics/spine-center/scoliosis/exercises/

[stormshadow]

If you like Yoga approach


www.google.com/amp/s/www.epainassist.com/amp/yoga/yoga-for-scoliosis

[mr potatohead]

anyliticlical:
Disclaimer: Just curious, not that I'll be of any help,   but .....


What joints are affected by the hyper-mobility?

Which experience pain and when?

Do you think it may be "MD diagnosed" as "fibromyalgia"?

BTW, on the subject of the modern, for-profit, medical industry, I get it. I nearly died, but ended up figuring out and solving my own issues. I've already posted all of this plenty of times, so I'm not going into it again, but, yeah, I'm with you.

[jonrock]

Jul 31, 2018 0:30:36 GMT stormshadow said:

I think these are quite beneficial


They are good for bad back too


www.choc.org/orthopaedics/spine-center/scoliosis/exercises/

Stormshadow, as it depends on the scoliosis degree and curves (which throw out of symmetry the whole back and thus the body position and posture when walking, lying on bed, cleaning a weight, pressing overhead, squatting...everything), it is very hard to say which exercises will be of any help because each back with scoliosis will be very different from each other. I myself have had to relearn how to move, run, lift things, because what I knew previously didn't work or made the scoliosis advance.
That's why I recommended a good physiotherapist, it is very important, because that person can help adapting to the scoliosis. Sorry if I come out as being mean or something, it is certainly not my intention and sometimes I don't know how to properly explain myself and my thoughts as English is not my mother langauge. Apart from that, I have gone through this myself and it is quite unpleasant and really want to help.

I hope analyticlical reads these posts and finds them of help.
Having been there, I know it is hard to make up your mind whether or not to have surgery, but in most cases if you do not, the scoliosis will slowly grow until you have lung and heart problems.
I know in other areas such us shoulders and the likes some exercises makes surgery not necessary, but in most cases scoliosis advances slowly no matter what you do. Bad posture, sitting for too long, etc...only worsen the situation.

Analyticlical, can you tell us more about the scoliosis?
Curvature/s degrees?
Has it advanced slowly or fast?
How old are you?