Many of our patients come to the Scoliosis SOS Clinic with the fear that their condition will prevent them from taking part in their favourite activities. However, while scoliosis may change the way you approach certain activities, it shouldn’t stop you from doing the things that you enjoy.
If you’re a sports-loving scoliosis sufferer, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of athletes with scoliosis, and they certainly haven’t let the condition hold them back. Here are just a couple of well-known athletes who will inspire you to keep loving your sport even after a scoliosis diagnosis!
Usain Bolt
Sport: Sprinting
The fastest man on earth. You might be surprised to see Usain Bolt’s name on this list, but the Olympic medal-winning world record holder does indeed have a curved spine. Bolt claims that, by training hard and keeping his core and back strong, he was able to overcome the problems scoliosis caused early on in his career. Despite being more prone to injuries, Bolt has learned how to manage his condition and achieve unparalleled success in his field.
Natalie Coughlin
Sport: Swimming
The winner of no fewer than 6 Olympic medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Coughlin also attributes the management of her condition to working hard at her sport. She has spoken about how her scoliosis has sometimes caused her back muscles to lock up, but by keeping her muscles healthy, Coughlin ensures that her 27-degree spinal curve doesn’t hold her back from being a very successful competitive swimmer.
We’ve treated lots of athletes here at Scoliosis SOS – in fact, we did a whole blog post about our sporty success stories! We understand what it means to have a love of sport, and this is why we strive to help patients manage and improve their condition. Our ScolioGold therapy programme has been very effective at tackling the symptoms of scoliosis, which means that patients are generally free to continue pursuing the sports they love.
Of course, there are some sports that aren’t recommended for those suffering with scoliosis, although exceptions can and have been made for those with a passion for said sports. That being said, here is a quick list of the sports that aren’t typically recommended for scoliosis patients:
- Weight lifting
- Impact sports (e.g. American football, rugby, hockey)
- Hard landing sports (e.g. cheerleading, gymnastics)
- One-sided sports (e.g. skiing, golf)
To find out more about which sports should typically be avoided and why, read our blog post Scoliosis: Sports to Avoid.
If you have any questions about how our non-surgical treatment courses can help with your scoliosis, we are more than happy to help – please contact us today.
Here at Scoliosis SOS, we pride ourselves on treating patients from all over the world. Scoliosis affects approximately 4 out of every 100 people around the globe, so it’s perhaps no wonder that we’re constantly hearing from scoliosis sufferers in other countries, near and far, who want an effective alternative to surgery.
One such patient was the lovely Marianne Hamard from Normandy, France. Marianne was 17 years old at the time of her most recent visit, but she has been coming to the Scoliosis SOS Clinic for the past four years. Marianne travelled from France to London in order to benefit from our ScolioGold treatment programme, which uses non-surgical methods to help reduce the curvature and symptoms of scoliosis.
Here’s her story.
Scoliosis treatment for Marianne from France
Marianna first visited our clinic at the age of 13, a couple of years after being diagnosed with scoliosis. Her dance teacher was the first person to notice Marianne’s spinal curve; prior to this, neither doctors nor even Marianne herself had noticed that her back was not straight. In fact, doctors regularly provided her with certificates to certify that she was able to practice dance, saying that there was nothing wrong with her back.
However, the dance teacher spotted that Marianne’s shoulder blades were unusually prominent, and that’s what led her to believe she had scoliosis. The next step was to visit a surgeon, who said he would have to operate on Marianne to fix this. He wanted to perform surgery within a couple of weeks, but Marianne and her family wanted to think about it for a little bit longer.
They saw some more specialists for scoliosis treatment in France, and most of them said the same thing: that she would need to undergo surgery. One consultant suggested that she could perhaps wear a brace, but with a Cobb angle of 53 degrees, it was probably already too late. Marianne – not even a teenager yet – did not understand why she needed to have an operation; after all, she felt healthy enough. Therefore, the Hamard family decided to research physical therapy options in an effort to avoid the need for surgery.
The physiotherapist they found said that Marianne was a little too young, but she tried nonetheless. Despite her efforts, there was little change in Marianne’s condition; luckily, though, her scoliosis did not progress as quickly as surgeons predicted it would.
Two years on from her initial diagnosis, Marianne had a scan which showed a large progression in her scoliosis – the curvature had now reached 68 degrees. The family agreed that the physiotherapy methods they were using were not enough, and so they decided to look further afield.
This is when they found Scoliosis SOS. After an initial consultation, Marianne attended a 4-week ScolioGold treatment course, and the results were far better than anything she’d seen previously.
Now, Marianne is preparing for university, where she says that she will keep up her exercises to keep her condition under control. Marianne says she has many other friends who are receiving scoliosis treatment in France, but they are mainly using a bracing method. They have not attempted physiotherapy yet, but would like to visit once they can speak English.
Watch the video below to find out why Marianne and her mother believe that ScolioGold therapy was a better choice for Marianne than surgery:
No matter where in the world you’re from, if you’re interested in our non-surgical scoliosis treatment courses, please contact Scoliosis SOS today to arrange an initial consultation.
