scoliosis

[LambChops]

hi all can i get please get your help? client 30, 5'6ht, use to be overweight as a kid, perfect weight now, works out now 3 to 4 days a week. day job at a desk for 8 hrs.diagnosis slight thoracic scoliosis on right side. what do you suggest? and what results should i see? oh, i forgot client is female.any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Boosh]

Find out if scoliosis is recent development or not. It may be a functional scoliosis, in which case massage plus appropriate stretching and strengthening may correct it. The concave side of the scoliotic curve is where you'll find tissues that are chronically tight and short, while the convex side is stretched and weakened/poorly innervated. Relieving the chronically tight tissues may give relief to both sides and assist correction of the curve. There is usually a rotational component to scoliosis, which complicates things a bit. Relief of the tight muscles pulling her into rotation is also critical.

If this has been a long-term thing, there may be some permanent structural alterations, but progression may be halted and symptoms kept manageable. If it's a recent thing, it may be possible to correct without permanent damage. Her work ergonomics may play a role in her condition, and she may need to consider making some adjustments. (It is outside your scope of practice to specify what those adjustments should be.)

I strongly suggest reading up on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and on functional scoliosis. There is a wealth of good medical literature that will help you better understand the condition and how to work with it. It would be appropriate to have this client get her back checked by a medical pro if she hasn't done so already. Knowing more specific details, such as the Cobb angle(s) and exact position of the scoliotic curves, plus the degree of rotation would help you formulate a plan for working with her.

If this client is working out, she may have a trainer. If not, you could suggest that she consult with a personal trainer knowledgeable about stretching and exercise for scoliosis. If the trainer is certified in Active Isolated Stretching, that would be a HUGE plus. It is important for her to take an active role in combating the scoliosis, or it will probably progress.

Hope that helps!

 

[yoshiii]

just out of curiosity ...

When was the scoliosis diagnosed (or first noticed)?

And what is the clients history of orthodontia? Palate spreaders? Head gear? Mouth trauma (accidents/injuries/etc)?

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is present in 2 to 4 percent of children between 10 and 16 years of age.*

I am always curious how many of these idiopathic cases had some sort of hard palate corrections being made.




*Source: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010701/111.html

 

[Mad Maverick]

Scoliosis doesn't matter. I would guess that everyone has a degree of scoliosis. What matters is this person in pain or not from it.

If you don't know structural alignment work then just doing massage can help relieve some symptoms.

Julie

 

[Trey]

I have dextroscoliosis myself, but I prefer Swedish, Shiatsu and Thai massage but no to Ashiatsu. I am 5 ft 2 inches, less than 100 lbs. and petite. But I love having massages, as long as the massage is not painful, I still have my regular massage.

 

[JannahLee]

My client's 12-year-old daughter has severe scoliosis. She's worn a brace before, but she is still growing and is at risk of significant worsening. She has frequent back pain and her movement potential is significantly compromised. Her Cobb angles are both in excess of 50 degrees.

My client has brought her daughter to work with me a couple of times over the last few months. We have focused on simple exercises and stretches, both assisted and unassisted, that the daughter can perform at home on a regular basis. I am primarily using methods drawn from Circular Strength Training and Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening, two complementary approaches to health-first exercise.

Over the last few months, the daughter has greatly improved functional ROM in her shoulders, somewhat improved her neck and pelvic ROM, and slightly improved her spinal ROM. Significantly, she went from being unable to balance on one leg to now being able to balance on one leg while performing various movements with the other leg. Her overall strength endurance in the exercises given has improved dramatically, and we've increased the difficulty of her "homework" in complexity and volume, with emphasis on reducing differences between Left and Right-sided performance.

The daughter is a joy to work with, and she's a quick study with sharp observational skills despite some other medical challenges. Her mother says the child's massage therapist and other medical pros have commented on improvements in her muscle tone and function. We have discussed the possibility of writing a short article at some point in the future, but we have no "Before" pics, so we'll eventually need updated x-rays and Cobb angles for comparison. I'd prefer to see her make much greater progress before attempting to draw any conclusions. At this time there are no published studies of how the methods I am using impact the development of scoliotic adolescents... so this whole process is principle-based, with careful reassessment each time I get to work with the daughter.

If I massaged this child, I would focus on Swedish, fascial work, and AIS. Due to her other challenges, I doubt she'd be able to tolerate structural work.