Ta k e 5 a n d t r y t h e A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 93
opens multiple possibilities, since as hands-
on practitioners, there are numerous things
we can do to help with back pain, sciatic
pain, and similar issues.
WHEN SCOLIOSIS MATTERS
Of course, just because back pain is not
more frequent in scoliosis, it doesn't mean
scoliosis is always benign or should be
ignored. If people with scoliosis do have
back pain, it can be more severe than in
those without scoliosis,
10
so preventing
or controlling pain by staying mobile,
healthy, happy, and fit become even
more important with scoliosis. Skilled
hands-on work can be an effective part
of this kind of pain prevention, pain
management, and overall self-care.
Severe scoliosis (usually described as
over 40–50 degrees)
11
can restrict breathing,
compress nerves, or impair organ function
(including the heart), meaning that the
potential side effects of conventional
scoliosis treatments (bracing and surgery),
as unappealing as they are, are sometimes
the least-bad options.
Though most adult scoliosis is mild,
stable, and asymptomatic, different
considerations apply to scoliosis in children
and teens. For example, the younger the
age at which scoliosis appears, the faster
it typically progresses, and so the greater
the chance of it becoming severe enough
to cause complications. The prevailing
orthopedic view is that as their bones
are maturing, teens and preteens have an
important window of remedial opportunity
for a couple of years around puberty,
12
so
it is important to refer children and teens
with suspected scoliosis for evaluation and
regular monitoring.
As hands-on practitioners, there is a lot
of good we can do with scoliosis by using
our work's ability to increase options for
mobility, modulate pain, and help refine the
body sense. Stubborn as scoliosis can be,
your clients with scoliosis, whether mild
or severe, and whether braced, surgically
treated, or asymptomatic, may surprise you
in their responsiveness and appreciation for
the good things your work can bring.
Notes
1. John P. Horne, Robert Flannery, and Saif
Usman, "Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis:
Diagnosis and Management," American Family
Physician 89, no. 3 (February 2014): 193–98.
2. Shunmoogum A. Patten and Florina Moldovan, "Could
Genetic Determinants of Inner Ear Anomalies be a
Factor for the Development of Idiopathic Scoliosis?,"
Medical Hypotheses 76, no. 3 (March 2011):
438–40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2010.11.015;
Laura A. Woods et al., "Decreased Incidence of
Scoliosis in Hearing-Impaired Children: Implications
for a Neurologic Basis for Idiopathic Scoliosis,"
Spine 20, no. 7 (April 1995): 776–81, https://doi.
org/10.1097/00007632-199504000-00006.
3. C. Owen Lovejoy, "The Natural History of Human
Gait and Posture: Part 1. Spine and Pelvis," Gait
& Posture 21, no. 1 (January 2005): 95–112,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2004.01.001.
4. Kristen F. Gorman and Felix Breden, "Idiopathic-
Type Scoliosis is Not Exclusive to Bipedalism,"
Medical Hypotheses 72, no. 3 (March 2009): 348–52,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2008.09.052.
5. Horne et al., "Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis:
Diagnosis and Management"; Schwab et al., "Adult
Scoliosis: Prevalence, SF-36, and Nutritional
Parameters in an Elderly Volunteer Population,"
Spine 30, no. 9 (May 2005): 1082–85, https://doi.
org/10.1097/01.brs.0000160842.43482.cd.
6. Steven S. Agabegi et al., "Natural History of Adolescent
Idiopathic Scoliosis in Skeletally Mature Patients: A
Critical Review," Journal of the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons 23, no. 12 (November 2015):
714–23, https://doi.org/10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00037;
John P. Kostuik and John Bentivoglio, "The Incidence of
Low-Back Pain in Adult Scoliosis," Spine 6, no. 3 (May/
June 1981): 268–73, https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-
Watch "Arm Rotation Testing—Scoliosis"
Watch Til Luchau's technique videos and read his past articles in Massage &
Bodywork's digital edition, available at www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com,
www.abmp.com, and on Advanced-Trainings.com's YouTube channel. Watch Til's
ABMP video playlist where all his videos have been compiled.
198105000-00009; Roger P. Jackson, Edward
H. Simmons, and Daniel Stripinis, "Incidence and
Severity of Back Pain in Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis"
Spine 8, no. 7 (October 1983): 749–56, https://
doi.org/10.1097/00007632-198310000-00011.
7. Jae-Hyuk Shin et al., "Investigation of Coupled
Bending of the Lumbar Spine During Dynamic
Axial Rotation of the Body," European Spine
Journal 22, no. 12 (December 2013): 2671–77,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-2777-6.
8. Vedat Deviren et al., "Predictors of Flexibility and Pain
Patterns in Thoracolumbar and Lumbar Idiopathic
Scoliosis," Spine 27, no. 21 (November 2002): 2346–49,
https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-200211010-00007.
9. Schwab et al., "Adult Scoliosis: Prevalence, SF-36,
and Nutritional Parameters in an Elderly Volunteer
Population."
10. Jackson et al., "Incidence and Severity of Back Pain in
Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis."
11. Hans-Rudolf Weiss and Deborah Goodall,
"Rate of Complications in Scoliosis Surgery: A
Systematic Review of the Pub Med Literature,"
Scoliosis 3, no. 1 (August 2008): 9, https://
doi.org/10.1186/1748-7161-3-9.
12. Scoliosis Research Society, "Treating
Scoliosis," accessed February 2020, www.
srs.org/patients-and-families/conditions-and-
treatments/adolescents/treating-scoliosis.
Til Luchau is the author of Advanced Myofascial
Techniques (Handspring Publishing, 2016), a
Certified Advanced Rolfer, and a member of the
Advanced-Trainings.com faculty, which offers online
learning and in-person seminars throughout the
United States and abroad. He invites questions or
comments via info@advanced-trainings.com or
@TilLuchau on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
