Regardless of the type of scoliosis, it should be detected early, diagnosed early, and treated early. Diagnosis is not difficult and can generally be clarified by combining a physical examination with a full-length frontal and lateral view of the spine taken in a standing position. As long as the early diagnosis is clear, timely and correct treatment, and long-term adherence to exercise under the guidance of professionals, the vast majority of scoliosis can be well controlled and corrected, with no significant impact on health.
The treatment of scoliosis can be broadly categorized into conservative treatment and surgical treatment. Conservative treatment includes brace therapy, corrective gymnastics, traction therapy, manipulation therapy, electrical stimulation therapy, psychotherapy, etc. The following is a brief introduction to conservative treatment.
Corrective gymnastics.
Corrective gymnastics is one of the commonly used methods to correct scoliosis, its principle of action is to selectively strengthen the muscles on the convex side of the spine (including sacrospinous, abdominal muscles, psoas major and lumbar square muscles, etc.), stretch the contracted muscles and ligaments on the concave side of the tissue, adjust the balance of muscle strength on both sides of the spine, in order to achieve the purpose of correcting the deformity. Gymnastic treatment is the most convenient, economical, safe, and painless treatment. Corrective gymnastics also has a certain significance in improving health, enhancing physical fitness, promoting normal development, establishing normal posture, and improving cardiopulmonary function.
At different stages of scoliosis, its role is characterized differently.
DD in the early mild scoliosis, spinal mobility, flexibility, the spine is not yet obvious structural deformity, corrective gymnastics can play the most corrective role. At this time can be used as the main means of correction; DD with the increase in the number of scoliosis, the correction effect of corrective gymnastics alone is reduced, must be combined with brace orthopedic or other orthopedic measures; DD in structural scoliosis, corrective gymnastics can not play an immediate corrective role, but adhere to long-term practice can improve the flexibility of the spine, mobility, strengthen the muscle strength of the spinal muscles, especially the convex side of the overloaded muscles In the case of DD brace orthopedics, corrective gymnastics is still a necessary adjunctive therapy to prevent muscle atrophy and other disuse changes caused by braking, prevent spinal stiffness, and improve respiratory function; different types and different severity of scoliosis, spinal gymnastics exercises are different, the same scoliosis patients also need to be adjusted according to the progress or improvement of scoliosis The same scoliosis patient also needs to adjust the exercise content according to the progress or improvement of scoliosis. Therefore, scoliosis patients need to follow up with a professional to guide the scientific exercise. The following is a set of scoliosis correction gymnastics movements, for reference only.
1, single-arm abduction action: body upright, both feet open and shoulder width, concave side arm straight empty hand force to the outside of the body to the limit, and then force down to the limit of the inside of the front of the body, do 20 to 30 times. Then hold a heavy object (2.5 to 5 kg) repeated practice 15 to 20 times, a total of 3 to 4 groups.
2, body turn movement: two feet open, twist the torso, do to the thoracic vertebrae curved convex body turn movement in the same direction. After completing a body turn, two arms lightly placed on the side of the body, and then repeat the above actions (do not do another direction of the body turn action), in the course of action to emphasize the legs straight, do not move the feet, so as not to reduce the effect of the exercise. Repeat 20 to 30 times, a total of 3 to 4 groups.
3, hand-held ribwood body lateral flexion: the front side of the body to stand under the ribwood, with the thoracic spine convex side direction of the hand to support the ribwood under the file. Concave side of the hand climbing grip on the head of the ribwood, and then to the anti-ribwood side of the body side flexion movement, must lift the head, chest, abdomen, the upper body can not lean forward. Repeat with 30 to 50 times, a total of 3 to 4 groups.
4, hanging body side swing: front hands holding a single bar or rib wood. Legs together, to the left and right side swing, in order to make the “S” shaped spine gradually straighten. Repeat 30 to 50 times, a total of 3 to 4 groups.
5, single-bar single-arm dangling movement: concave side arm hand-held bar dangling for 20-30 seconds, jump off to rest for 1 minute, repeat the exercise 6-8 times.
6, single-arm pulling rubber band: body upright, feet shoulder-width apart, holding one end of the rubber band (the other end hanging on a fixed object), concave side arm side planks, pulling force to the other side of the body, repeat 30 to 50 times, a total of 3 to 4 sets.
7, single-armed dumbbell exercise: body upright, both feet shoulder-width apart, concave side holding a dumbbell (10-15 kg), straighten the arm when lifting up, put down the elbow, the dumbbell is located on the shoulder side stop for 1 time, natural breathing, repeat 10 to 15 times, a total of 3 to 4 groups.
8, prone forward stretching single arm: prone on a bed or mat, so that the hands of the concave side of the thoracic lateral curvature of the spine full forward, the hands of the convex side of the back, while doing head-up chest action. Repeat 20 to 30 times, do a total of 3 to 4 groups.
9, holding a stick to the side of the upper swing stretch: lying prone on the mat, hands wider than shoulder distance, holding a stick or rope or towel, lift the chest and belly, bend the arm of the concave side of the thoracic spine, straighten the arm of the convex side of the force to the side of the convex side to do the swing type body side action, and at the same time make the upper body and both arms try to lift up. If you hold a rope and towel, be sure to tense it and not let it relax and sink. Repeat 20 to 30 times for 3 to 4 groups.
Brace therapy.
Brace therapy, i.e., wearing a scoliosis orthosis, occupies an important place in the non-surgical treatment of idiopathic scoliosis and is currently an important tool in the rehabilitation of scoliosis. It is now recognized that brace therapy can effectively control the progression of early scoliosis, especially for mild idiopathic scoliosis, avoiding surgery or reducing the severity of scoliosis in surgical patients. The principle of treatment is to apply horizontal pressure from the convex to the concave side of the vertebra where the scoliosis is most pronounced, and this pressure can reduce or delay the progression of the scoliosis. Brace therapy is indicated for idiopathic scoliosis in adolescence and young adulthood. The brace is worn around the clock for approximately 23 hours per day, leaving one hour for bathing, gymnastics, and other activities. Brace therapy needs to be consistent, and if there are no special contraindications, the brace should be used until bone development is mature, and it should be adjusted or reformulated periodically during the use of the brace to ensure appropriate use.
Traction therapy.
Traction therapy is the use of appropriate traction equipment to apply axial distraction tension to the spine. It can prevent or slow down the further aggravation of scoliosis, or allow some improvement of the scoliosis. It is also used as a preoperative preparation for scoliosis so that the soft tissues contracted on the concave side of the scoliosis are released, allowing for maximum correction and avoiding or reducing complications from spinal nerve injury. There are many types of traction, such as cervical traction, oblique plate traction, cervical-pelvic traction, cranial-pelvic ring traction, etc. Traction can also be performed appropriately with autogenous traction, such as using a single bar.
Electrical stimulation therapy.
Electrical stimulation therapy is the use of body surface electrical stimulator, two sets of electrodes are placed at specific locations on the body surface of the convex side of the scoliosis, through electrical stimulation to make the two groups of paravertebral muscles alternately contract and diastolic, so that the scoliosis of the spine to obtain a continuous corrective force, in order to prevent the aggravation of scoliosis or correct the purpose.
Manual therapy.
Manipulation techniques are performed on the spine and the corresponding muscle groups to change spinal alignment, adjust muscle tension, improve spinal biomechanics, and thus correct scoliosis. There are a variety of methods represented by domestic osteopathic manipulation and foreign American Chiropractic (Chiropractic). American Chiropractic is a widely popular natural treatment in the United States, based on manual correction, the anatomy of the spine, mechanical structure of targeted correction, safe and effective, painless. It has become a major means of treating acute and chronic spinal syndromes, as well as providing daily health care for the spine.
Psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy is necessary for patients with scoliosis to fully understand the deformity and its means of rehabilitation, to understand the long-term nature and hardship of rehabilitation treatment, to build confidence, perseverance, active participation and active cooperation in order to achieve satisfactory results in rehabilitation treatment. Older children with more severe scoliosis may gradually cause psycho-spiritual changes, mainly in the form of low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, which can lead to psychological disorders over a long period of time. More timely psychological guidance and psychotherapy should be given.
It should be emphasized that the need to select various therapies according to the severity of scoliosis, the patient’s age and other specific circumstances, to the severity of scoliosis, for example.
–Mild scoliosis.
Generally refers to less than 15-20 degrees, no obvious symptoms, the appearance of the basic normal.
Patients with mild scoliosis use postural adjustment and corrective gymnastics, and need regular follow-up. Patients who are in adolescence should go to the hospital every few months for a review to observe the changes in the angle of scoliosis.
–Moderate scoliosis.
Generally, it is between 20-40 degrees, and even with clothes on, the shoulder can be seen to be high and low.
Patients in adolescence or prepubescence should wear tailor-made braces, combined with corrective gymnastics, traction therapy, manual therapy, electrical stimulation therapy and many other non-surgical methods.
–Severe scoliosis.
Generally refers to those who are greater than 40-50 degrees, and whose appearance and postural abnormalities are more obvious.
Patients at this stage generally must be treated surgically and should consult a spine surgeon for details. The only treatment available for severe scoliosis is surgery. While correcting scoliosis to a certain extent, it may cause some pain and complications for the patient. Regardless of the type of scoliosis correction surgery, no matter how safe it is, in the end, the deformity is partially or mostly corrected at the cost of loss of spinal motor function. The surgical results tend to decrease with increasing severity of the deformity, and its complications increase with the severity of the deformity.