Scoliosis treatment methods
There are many complexes of medical gymnastics and other methods created for the correction of diseases of the spine. Most of them are aimed at strengthening the back muscles and creating a stable position of the spinal column. There are alternative methods of scoliosis therapy that simply and effectively solve the problem of regenerating the disturbed balance of the musculoskeletal system.
Content:
- Scoliosis treatment using the Popov method
- Scoliosis treatment with breathing exercises
- Scoliosis treatment with folk remedies
- Prevention of scoliosis
Scoliosis treatment using the Popov method
Petr Popov is a chiropractor, traumatologist, who created his gymnastics on the basis of micromovements of deep small muscles. He believes that myelopathy is a consequence of spinal deformities, when muscles tense up to resist displacement of the vertebral discs. The muscle spasm blocks the vertebra, but the adjacent vertebrae become excessively mobile. To remove the pathological blockage, according to Dr. Popov, it is necessary to extend the vertebral column in a vertical direction, then make smooth movements in an arc.
He draws an analogy with a wire that breaks when bent, but takes the shape of an arc if the fold is preceded by a stretch. In his opinion, after stretching the spine should also return to its natural curves.
The basic principles of gymnastics P. Popov:
- It is important to do exercises with pleasure, as if returning to childhood. You should not make painful movements, it is important to maintain a positive attitude.
- The range of motion along the arc includes vertical stretching, turns and tilts in different directions.
- Each stretch is followed by a slow count of 10. The stretch is combined with a stretch and release. With each stretching, the range of motion is carefully increased, but it is forbidden to cross the border of the possible.
Doctor Popov recommends returning to childhood before performing the complex, recalling the state when the spine was completely healthy, or the best moments in life. All exercises are performed without fear, but with full responsibility.
Bending forward, turning the head to the sides, bending to the side, stretching up, rolling the head over the shoulders clockwise and counterclockwise - all movements should be done with pleasure. The doctor believes that, first of all, they are performed not by muscles, but by the consciousness that produces endorphins, hormones of joy. He assures that having begun to do these exercises, the patient will no longer be able to refuse them.
Video about alternative gymnastics as described by the author of the method:
Scoliosis treatment with breathing exercises
The method of treating scoliosis with precisely directed breathing movements is called meal therapy, after the name of its founder, Katharina Schroth. It was invented in Germany at the end of the last century. Currently, the mother's business is being promoted by Katharina Schroth's daughter in her own clinic.
The founder of the method, a physiotherapist by training, herself suffered from scoliosis, with a rib hump on her back and an indentation on her chest in the projection of the hump. Looking at her own body, Katarina drew an analogy with a deflated ball that can be straightened by breathing enough air into it. So she came up with the idea of aligning scoliosis with asymmetric breathing.
She armed herself with several mirrors and began to experiment on herself, breathing air mainly on the side of the dent on her chest. To her satisfaction, the dent began to level out, and the hump, on the contrary, noticeably decreased. The development of a system of isometric exercises based on asymmetric breathing brought her worldwide fame and allowed her to open her own clinic.
Therapeutic exercises for correcting the curvature of the spinal column in the horizontal, sagittal and frontal planes came to be called respiratory orthopedics according to the method of Katharina Schroth. The inventor of the method herself called it "Three-dimensional correction of scoliosis". Since the patient, due to the curvature of the spine, breathes more deeply on the convex side, the main task of the orthopedist is an isometric assessment of the defect and the selection of exercises for its correction.
The main phases of the method:
- After assessing the complexity of the defect and studying its features, the doctor gives the patient a physiologically correct position with the help of improvised means - a ball, roller, poles, gymnastic ladder. In this case, the patient can stand, sit, lie on his side or on his back.
- During the exercise, the patient makes a targeted breath and thereby maximizes the distance between the ribs, bringing them to the only correct position.
- The exhalation produced through the loosely compressed lips is of great importance - it is designed to reduce the distance between the ribs in the convex part of the spine.
- After repeated repetitions, the correct position is automated and performed without the supervision of a doctor and without using a mirror system.
Gymnastics by Katharina Schroth is used in the first three stages of scoliosis, consistently leading the patient to a less severe condition. In the fourth stage, it is difficult to predict improvement, since a complete cure is not always possible. Treatment of scoliosis with meal therapy requires the guidance of a highly qualified therapist.
There are contraindications to the use of breathing exercises by Katharina Schroth:
- Exacerbation of the underlying disease and other pathologies of the spine;
- Cerebral circulation disorders;
- Cardiovascular failure;
- Injuries;
- Breaking hell;
- Psychical deviations;
- Heart rhythm disorders.
With unhealed fractures, age-related osteoporosis, paralysis, accompanied by loss of sensitivity, spontaneous damage to joints and bones is possible.
Scoliosis treatment with folk remedies
Physical deformity of the vertebrae cannot be cured by using medicinal herbs and other methods of traditional medicine. In this case, only symptomatic treatment is possible - relieving nervous tension, relieving pain. Non-traditional methods should be used, focusing on the therapy of a specific symptom.
Prevention of scoliosis
Scoliosis in the early stages lends itself well to correction, especially if such a diagnosis is made to children. To prevent complications and the further development of the disease, it is enough to teach how to maintain correct posture when walking, lying, sitting, standing.
Optimal body posture in all positions will guarantee the prevention of scoliosis and comfort for the spine.
A modern person spends a lot of time at the table, in a sitting position. Therefore, mastering the correct sitting posture is important to master first. Vertebrologists and orthopedists argue that from the point of view of human physiology, it is most correct to sit with a straight back, while maintaining the natural curves of the spine.
The location of other parts of the body while sitting:
- The buttocks are located as close as possible to the back of a hard seat with a straight surface;
- The belly is tucked up;
- The shoulders are straight, slightly lowered and relaxed;
- The loin is pressed against the back of the chair;
- The head is in a natural position, it does not need to be tilted forward;
- The feet are on the floor, not dangling in the air.
Even while maintaining the optimal posture in a comfortable chair, to relieve the static load from the muscles of the back, you need to periodically get up and walk around the room.
Sleep hygiene requirements:
- The mattress on the bed should spring slightly under the body of the lying person; it can be neither soft nor hard;
- To support the 3-4 cervical vertebra, a pillow-roller is selected, the parameters of which allow you to maintain the straight position of the spine, fill the cavity between the shoulder blades and the back of the head;
- The best sleeping position is “fetal position” (on the right or left side, legs slightly bent).
Sleeping on your back or on your stomach accelerates the wear and tear of the vertebrae, provokes scoliosis due to the tension of the spinal muscles.
Standing posture requirements:
- Shoulders horizontal;
- The shoulder blades are pressed to the back;
- Physiological curves of the spinal column are not too pronounced;
- The abdomen is moderately protruding;
- The symmetry of the right and left half of the body is preserved.
To cure scoliosis, you need to choose a suitable technique under the guidance of a doctor, follow it regularly and be sure of recovery.
Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist
Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.
