The condition known as scoliosis can have many effects on the human body, one of which is muscular imbalance. The back muscles located either side of the spine can be heavily impacted by a sideways curvature, and in many cases, the patient will find that the muscles on one side are weaker than those on the other side.
Why does this happen?
Scoliosis sufferers often have one weak side because the muscles on that side of the body are underused. Conversely, the muscles on the other side will be overused because they are having to work harder to make up for the curve. Both underuse and overuse can be problematic.
The spine in the image above curves to the left. This forces the muscles on the left side of the body to work harder (potentially causing them to become stretched and overused), while the muscles on the right side will gradually grow smaller, tighter and weaker from underuse.
The effects of muscular imbalance
So is it really a problem when one side is weaker than the other? Well, yes it is – for one thing, the imbalance can result in a great deal of pain and discomfort, as some muscles are overworked while others begin to atrophy.
Muscular imbalance can also create significant issues for scoliosis sufferers who
participate in sports and other physical activities. The imbalance (together with the reduced mobility that is another common symptom of scoliosis) may prevent the patient from performing to the best of their abilities.
Treating the imbalance
Many
scoliosis treatment methods focus primarily on reducing the patient’s
Cobb angle, and while this is key, it’s also important to treat the effects of scoliosis, such as muscle imbalance. A well-rounded treatment programme should include physical therapy to help the scoliosis sufferer achieve a better muscular balance, as this will, in turn, reduce pain/discomfort and enable the patient to move more easily while enjoying a better quality of life in general.
Case Study: Pain in right side
This patient came to us after experiencing pain and asymmetry while working out in the gym. She was having pains down the right side of her body and, when she came to the Scoliosis SOS clinic we were able to detect that her pain was being caused by a spinal muscle imbalance. After only 2-weeks of treatment, her pain completely disappeared!
See the full interview here:
The Scoliosis SOS Clinic’s ScolioGold treatment method is geared towards treating every aspect of scoliosis. We use a wide variety of non-surgical techniques to reduce the patient’s spinal curvature and improve their overall quality of life.
