Scoliosis can come in many shapes and forms. It can be neuromuscular, congenital, and idiopathic. Some people have an S curve, while others have a C curve. It can also go to the right or the left, depending on your condition.
Before you start exercising, getting a professional evaluation from a doctor or physical therapist at a scoliosis clinic is essential. They will tell you what you can and can’t do.
We will try and present general exercises that can be done with any type of scoliosis. However, each person is different, and you need a proper examination before you start exercising. So without further ado, let’s see which exercises you can do at home to help with your scoliosis rehab.
1. Bridging
Bridging is one of the most popular exercises for scoliosis. It’s easy to do and helps strengthen the back muscles, the core, and the pelvis. First, you want to lie flat on your back and prop your knees up. You should use your core to get your hips up as high as you can and get them back to the ground.
Make sure that your movement is controlled through the whole process. When you are going up, your knees should also be moving forward (away from your head). You can start with ten reps and two sets if you are a beginner.
It depends on how your condition has manifested and how long you have it. If you find it difficult, do a single set of 10, or two sets of 5.
2. Side Crunches
To set up for a side crunch, you should lie flat on your back like bridging. Then prop your knees up in the same way. Instead of moving your hips upwards, the goal of side crunches is to do a crunch from one side to another.
There is no need to go all the way up and try to do a full sit-up, especially if you have back issues. Just come up a bit and move from one side to another. Pay attention to your neck, and try to keep it in a neutral position.
Don’t move your neck forward first. It should be aligned with your body. You start with sets of 10, but if you feel this is too much for you, reduce the number and gradually increase volume.
3. Bird Dog Exercise
Get on all fours with your back as flat as possible. Your hand and knees should be directly underneath your shoulders and hips. You can start off with arms only. Simply take one of your arms off the floor and stretch it out in front of your head.
Alternate between arms while keeping one on the ground. With a similar principle, try out legs only. Kick one at the time out while keeping your back neutral.
Don’t twist your back to the side to kick out your leg as much as possible. It’s not about that. Do it slowly as much as you can, and you will make progress. After you’ve done this separately, you can do both legs and arms simultaneously, with the opposite ones always staying on the ground.
4. Squats
Squats can be done anywhere, and they don’t require any equipment whatsoever. Just stand straight with your legs a bit wider than your shoulders. Then start with your glutes by moving them slightly back and downwards.
Once you’ve started doing that, start bringing down your quads along with them. Make sure that your knees are pointing towards your fingers at all times, don’t let them collapse inside. Go down until your hamstrings are parallel with the floor.
If you can, go deeper, but as you reach your maximum, go straight back up. Another important thing to remember is to keep your black flat. Don’t let your back bend and twist, especially at the lower part. Keep tight and explode on the way up.
5. Abdominal Press With Two Legs
Lie down with your back on the floor and knees bent. Make sure that your feet are sitting flat on the floor. Your back should be neutral, and your body shouldn’t be twisting to any side. Raise both of your legs simultaneously and put them together.
The goal is to have your calves parallel to the ground while, at the same time, being at 90 degrees with your hips. Simply put, you are trying to bring your legs in an L shape that’s backward. Once your legs are in position, stretch out your arms and grab your knees.
Push out your arms with your legs. Hold this way for a couple of seconds while taking deep breaths. Do this 5 to 10 times per set.
6. The Spider
Face the wall with feet close to each other. Put your hands up in a horizontal position and touch the wall. Then get closer to the wall and lean onto it. Once you’ve done that, tighten up your abdomen and slowly walk with your hand fingers vertically up the wall.
Do this until your arms are extended way over your head, and you need to come up on your toes to reach. Once you’ve reached your maximum, walk down with your fingers in a similar way.
Do this 2 to 3 times in a single set for starters. Remember, while you do this, all of your lower back muscles and abs need to be engaged.
Conclusion
Anyone can do these exercises anywhere. Start slowly at home a couple of times per day, and you will start noticing a difference – we guarantee it!
Not only can these exercises help you improve posture, balance, and make you stronger, but they can help recovery and get out of your scoliosis brace faster.
If you are looking for a scoliosis clinic to help you with scoliosis rehab, contact us!
