Alternative Treatment for Scoliosis

Back

Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine, in which the spine is shaped like the letter S or C rather than straight. Scoliosis can be very painful. The traditional treatments for scoliosis are to observe, use braces and surgeries. These treatments are very straightforward, but do not always work with everyone. Back braces can cause even more pain and are only used if it is thought that the spine might curve even more, as the brace can be used to prevent this. Surgery is often used for severe cases of scoliosis where it interferes with daily life. While some of these treatments may help there are alternative treatments for scoliosis that you can use on a regular basis that can help relieve the pain.

Instructions

1. 

   Ensure you are getting enough nutrients from your diet. Vitamin B-6, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, copper or manganese deficiencies may cause more pain. Eat a nutritious diet filled with vitamins and minerals. You may also want to add a multi-vitamin to your daily diet to make sure you are getting enough nutrients.

2. 

   Practice posture training. It doesn't help everyone with scoliosis, but it does help some. Plus, good posture is positive for everyone. Keep your back straight, shoulders back, chin up and eyes forward whether you are sitting, standing or walking. Posture training also includes proper ergonomics, which is a discipline used to design your space so that it causes the least amount of discomfort.

3. 

   Practice yoga or Pilates to help relieve some of the pain associated with scoliosis. Use the Yoga and Pilates poses in the Resources listed below to get you started. If a certain exercise or pose hurts, avoid doing it. Stick to the poses that feel good to you and help you stretch your muscles gently.

4. 

   See a chiropractor. A chiropractor may be able to help relieve some of the pain from scoliosis for you. The chiropractor will manually manipulate your parts of your body focusing on the spinal column. The chiropractor may take an X-ray of your spine to locate your trouble spots.

5. 

   Use electrical stimulation for your muscles. EMS stands for electrical muscle stimulation. You can get one from your doctor or chiropractor to use at home. It is sometimes called a TENS unit. Stimulating the muscles around your spine with low current electrical waves can help relieve the pain.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult your doctor before trying any of these alternative treatments for scoliosis.

Resources

• Try yoga for scoliosis
• Another option in yoga for scoliosis
• Improving posture with Pilates