MY Sports Injury Rehabilitation and Structural Stability
Exercises to Improve Scoliosis Symptoms based on Pain Management
Scoliosis is termed as a spinal disorder or a deformity in the spine that consists of an
abnormal curvature of the vertebrae that compose it, normally people have a
natural curvature in their spine when a curvature is considered as scoliosis it
must exceed 10 degrees of abnormal angulation to be seen through an anterior-posterior
plain radiography. According to a review posted by Medline Plus
most of the time when the source of this affection is undefined is called
idiopathic scoliosis. It can also be congenital (at birth) or neuromuscular. In
some cases, it can develop due to serious injuries caused by sports injuries or
accidents, issued by Joseph A Janicki,
MD et la (2007).
How is the physical examination for
Scoliosis in Elite Athletes?
The physical examination in the patients who are
sustaining scoliosis should begin by taking into account general aspects such
as the skin and the neuromuscular system before beginning to evaluate the shape
of the back thoroughly, published by Benjamin Alman
et la (2007).
Height plays a fundamental role when examining the
athlete's body as it is essential to control the risk of scoliosis curve
progression and even more so when it comes to young patients.
The length of the fingers and the extremities should
be considered in athletes who have great stature and the relationship between
this and the width of the arms helps to diagnose any other anomaly or syndrome
that the athlete may be sustaining. In addition, patients who are suffering
from scoliosis also suffer from hyperlaxis which is Increased range of movement of
joints, and joint laxity the skin may need specialized treatment.
Now you may wonder
what does hyperlaxis refer to?
Well, hyperlaxis in the joints is known
as the result when the joints present an increased range of mobility,
associated with functional disability, discomfort, and pain of the
musculoskeletal system, said by Mariana Haro et la (2014).
How to treat Scoliosis conservatively?
Much research has been done about conservative
treatments to treat scoliosis, what we know as conservative treatments are
those that do not need to implement invasive measures such as surgery. The most
common and most effective methods contemplate a series of medications for pain
management and mostly Manchester physical
therapy. A literature review published by R. A Dickson
in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery explains that amongst the therapeutic programs
used to treat Scoliosis symptoms there
are some specialized modalities such as electrotherapy where electrical
stimulation of the spinal musculature is implemented. Physical agents such as
thermotherapy and the ones most frequently used are mechanical modalities
consisting of manual physical therapy techniques and therapeutic
massages to alleviate and posturally correct curvature, stated by T.Watson(2002).
Some of the proven
treatments programs which can be found at My Sports Injury Clinic
are Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue Massage, Manual Therapy, Sports Physical Therapy,
´Physical Conditioning, Sports-Related Injuries, Acupuncture, Dry needling, Osteopathy,
and Body Postural Rehabilitation.
Which patients can and cannot
receive conservative treatment for scoliosis?
As claimed in a research article made by Heather Watters et la (2012) describes that to treat the scoliosis symptoms could be
applied two different types of approach can be either conservative management or
non-conservative intervention, thus the benchmark to select what kind of treatment
is the most adequate will vary depending on the risk progression and how severe
is the spinal curvature at the moment of physical clinical assessment with your
physio Manchester.
In this sense, young individuals that are still in the
growth process and present a deviation of the spinal curvature above 45° may
require surgery and those subjects that have fulfilled their growth cycle and
go through a deviation higher than 50° need to be treated with non-conservative
management as well.
To what extent can Scoliosis be
managed by avoiding surgical treatment?
It is key to
note that age plays a major role when deciding on the physical therapy methods for
scoliosis i.e. patients who experience a spinal deviation lower than 40° become
into consideration as perfect candidates to undergo a physiotherapeutic program
with our sports massage Manchester practitioners at My Sports Injury Clinic, explained by Marianna Bialek (2011).
Which Scoliosis treatments are
most effective, conservative or non-conservative?
This will basically vary from the type of scoliosis that
is manifested since we could be witnessing three different types of scoliosis,
therefore, it could be mild, moderate, or severe, and in this way, our Manchester physical therapists and
Chiropractors will determine what the next step to follow is.
According to an article issued by Healthline, mild scoliosis is the condition in which conservative treatment is best
accepted and has excellent results because the angle of deviation does not
exceed 20 °.
Whilst
moderate scoliosis tends to be handled with Manchester physical therapy and scoliosis exercises, but wearing a
back brace in order to correct the posture is also suggested by physio Manchester specialists and
physicians, nearly 30% of moderate scoliosis cases require this orthopedic
device and a minimum incidence of a 10% of the patients need surgical process
involvement, assured by Paul Sponseller in a Johns
Hopkins’s article.
Meanwhile, when it refers to severe scoliosis the only
possible pain management is to operate.
What is the Schroth method for
Scoliosis?
An overview article by Outpatient Rehabilitation Services (CHOC) discusses that the Schroth method is a physiotherapy technique used to
treat idiopathic scoliosis and other disorders of the spine. Furthermore, back
problems are not limited to adults only; children can also have pain due to
these deformations.
It is a
non-invasive method whose objective is the straightening of the spine, through
self-stretching, rotational breathing, and stabilisation by isometric
tension.
Hence, it is important to acknowledge that Physical
Schroth Therapy-based Scoliosis treatment can be really helpful when it comes
to treating every case of Scoliosis whether be mild, moderate, or severe, and
also there is no restriction of age. An article posted by IvyRehab affirms that it is extremely beneficial since is implemented in
back/spine impairments rehabilitation processes and near muscles after going
through a surgical procedure.
The exercises promote the perception and knowledge of the
body by the patient; the postures and movements that he usually performs. It
also teaches how to optimise the muscles to achieve a more neutral position that can be consciously
integrated into the patient's day-to-day activities.
Diaphragmatic Breathing to Help
Improve Structural vs Non-Structural Scoliosis
A research study by Kaitlyn Alvarez (2019) has demonstrated that deep breathing or
diaphragmatic breathing exercise protocols have been embraced as forms of
treatment to tackle the curved backbones disorder known as scoliosis.
Regarding the difference of the
effectiveness of this treatment between structural and non-structural scoliosis
is that the diaphragmatic breathing exercises and the so-called pilates where
various postures are used such as axial elongation or the organization of the
shoulder girdle help alleviate and slightly correct both types of scoliosis.
Nevertheless, patients who sustain
structural scoliosis tend to show fewer outcomes with these treatments since the
course of the abnormal curves of the spine are much more accentuated, and the
rib cage in some cases is collapsed causing a respiratory insufficiency.
What are the Elite Athletes and
Genders most likely to suffering from Scoliosis condition?
An article made by Noralign
Functional Rehabilitation says that although scoliosis is normally congenital
and develops during an early age, it tends to affect mostly girls, and in adulthood,
women are also the ones who most often experience spinal problems. A study
carried out at John's Hopkins Hospital and later published in the American
Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR) confirmed that the
female gender suffers the most from this condition, however, information was
also revealed that most of the cases were usually mild scoliosis.
As for athletes, there is no concrete evidence that
any specific sport causes you to develop scoliosis; regardless there are
several cases in which athletes who perform disciplines with weights have had a
slight progression in the curvature of their spine. One of the most popular
cases of athletes with scoliosis is that of the Olympic medalists Usain Bolt and
Michael Phelps.
How long does it take for Physical Therapy-based
Scoliosis treatment to be effective?
As reported by Brian Dovorany (2020) in ScoliSmart’s
review lays out that when scoliosis inflicts mild problems on children it could
take from a semester to one year to
observe positive progress and improvement in those affected subjects. Furthermore,
the outcomes obtained from the recovery process could have a higher degree of
efficiency if they are complemented with nutritional support and a muscle
retraining program.
That being the case Physical Schroth Therapy-based
Scoliosis treatment program is equally as important as the any other physical therapy Manchester as if you complete
your sports physiotherapy Manchester
program successfully you will get excellent results on your spinal disabilities
and discomfort, there is not any specific length of treatment because it will
depend on the severity of the case. Although, an article of JohnsHopkins
explains that the patients start to see the amelioration of symptoms once they
already have around 5 to 20 sessions
of this type of physical therapy
Manchester approach.
Which treatments are most effective?
Each treatment is equally effective since not all
cases are the same, the recovery time will not be the same for all cases either,
remember that what will really determine which treatment will be used to
address your injury is the degree of curvature of your spine.
Published by Rafael
Peña forwww.mysportsinjury.co.uk
References
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Watters H, Volansky K, Wilmarth M (2012) The Schroth
Method of Treatment for a Patient Diagnosed with Scoliosis: A Case Report. J
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Paediatrics & Child Health, Volume 12, Issue 9,
November 2007, Pages 771–776, https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/12.9.771
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Białek M. Conservative treatment of idiopathic scoliosis
according to FITS concept: presentation of the method and preliminary, short
term radiological and clinical results based on SOSORT and SRS criteria.
Scoliosis. 2011;6:25. Published 2011 Nov 28. doi:10.1186/1748-7161-6-25
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Rigo M, Reiter C, Weiss HR. Effect of conservative
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scoliosis. Pediatr Rehabil. 2003;6(3-4):209–214.
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Coillard C, Circo A, Rivard CH. A new concept for the
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Technol. 2008;3(3):112–119. doi: 10.1080/17483100801903913.
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Rigo M, Quera-Salva
G, Puigdevall N. Effect of the exclusive employment of physiotherapy in
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