Managing Scoliosis

For anyone, exercise has many health benefits and is important for maintaining strength and muscle tone and stabilizing weight. Early studies did not find any reduction in or slowing of progression of curves with exercise. Few were performed, however, and researchers in Germany are suggesting that such studies were done before specific exercises were developed that might be helpful. Some centers claim that an in-patient program with exercise-based therapies can reduce progression. In one German study, patients with an average curvature of 27% showed less progression after physiotherapy than that expected in patients with no treatment.

Stretching exercises may be beneficial in children whose scoliosis is due to uneven leg lengths or a shortened tendon.

Alternative Nonsurgical Procedures

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Strengthening the Muscles That Turn the Torso. A promising approach focuses on training and strengthening the muscles that turn the torso. Studies using specific equipment (e.g., MedX Torso Rotation machine) are showing promise. In a 2003 California study, 16 of the 20 patients experienced curve reduction and no curves progressed. In an earlier study, patients increased strength from 12% to 40%. One girl with a severe lumbar curve required surgery, but there was no progression of curvature in the remaining 11 patients, and four of the patients experienced a reduction in their curvature. No braces were used. Clinical trials using this approach are underway in California, Maryland, Missouri, and Tennessee. Exercising the torso to build muscle strength is important, in any case, in conjunction with braces.