Providing exercise therapy for scoliosis with Scolio-Pilates®
Labarre, founder and owner of Labarre Jansen van Vuuren Biokinetics specialises in the conservative treatment of scoliosis. She is an authorized Scolio-Pilates® Practitioner since 2025.
Read below to see how we can help you determine if you have scoliosis. Manage your scoliosis curve with exercise therapy. Improve posture, enhance physical function, increase muscle strength and minimize pain.
Treatment options
The two main options for scoliosis treatment is either conservative treatment or corrective surgery. Conservative treatment includes exercise therapy and or bracing. The type of treatment you choose to undergo, depends on the advised therapy by the healthcare practitioner. Which is based on the severity of your scoliosis curve, age at which you are diagnosed, the risk of disease progression and the best viable option for you and your family.
therapy options for scoliosis.
As Biokineticist we provide conservative treatment for scoliosis in the form of exercise therapy
What does exercise therapy entail?
At our Biokinetics practice we have an authorized scolio-pilates practitioner. This means we provide exercise therapy specific to the principles of Scolio-Pilates. This exercise therapy should be implemented as part of your holistic scoliosis treatment. Each exercise is adapted for your specific curve, abilities and symptoms if you have any.
How does exercise therapy help my scoliosis curve?
Exercise therapy is the tool that we use to manage your scoliosis curve and ultimately try to stop the abnormal curvature form progressing. In the beginning, each new session is monitored by us and you will receive exercises for homework. We show you how to maintain a better posture by teaching you which muscles to activate and which ones to relax. We call this posture correction exercises. Each posture correction exercise has to be practiced by you many times during the session, but also many times at home. Supervised treatment is normally recommended at least once to twice a week for 40 – 60 minutes each.
Primary goals for exercise therapy:
- Increasing patients awareness of curve
- Independent 3D self-correction by patient
- Subconscious self correction in daily life postures and tasks
- Spinal stabilisation and stronger muscles
- Enhanced posture control – improved look of the body
- Use of exercises in which balance reactions are elicited
- Possible wearing of brace while performing rehabilitation program
Click here to read about other conservative and non-conservative treatment for scoliosis
The primary aim of conservative treatment is to
assist in the management of minimizing spinal curve progression
What is Scolio-Pilates® ?
Scolio-Pilates® is a three-dimensional scoliosis-specific exercise program that puts you in control of your scoliosis. It is an easy and accessible scoliosis exercise program for managing your scoliosis at home or in a professional setting. After an initial evaluation, you will receive a tailored program – individualised exercise program specific to your body and scoliosis curve. The exercise therapy program uses the following techniques:
- Elongate – Lengthen the spine towards neutral
- Breathe – Open up areas of the ribs and lungs that are contrained due to the scoliosis curve
- Rotation – Using wedges to assist the spine towards neutral
- Strengthen – Maintain alignment and gain ease of movement to increase function in all your daily acitivities, sport etc.
Often, we use a mirror so that you can monitor yourself and see how you can change your posture with the exercises. You are taught how to visualize your abnormal posture in to a better posture. How to lengthen your ‘collapsed’ area. Exercise repetition with precision and supervision is the key to managing your curve progression. By using these exercise principles, the focus is placed on lengthening and strengthening uneven muscle groups around your spinal column. The primary aim is to improve overall posture and spinal alignment, while managing symptoms if you have any.
Scoliosis specific exercises require active self-correction techniques, hence the repetition with supervision on a regular basis is necessary for improvement. Most patients benefit from conservative treatment even if they choose to undergo corrective surgery. Because, conservative treatment like exercise therapy treats the muscles that stabilize and move the spine. Even if you have a straight and normal spine, you need to exercise the surrounding muscles in the correct manner in order for them to function at their best. Who doesn’t want strong and healthy muscles for a strong and healthy spine.
In addition to the posture correction exercises, we teach specific breathing patterns during the exercises. The breathing assists in the posture correction by allowing additional lengthening to occur. These exercises allows us to teach you a new normal posture. The more you practice this new normal posture, the better chance you have to improve or maintain your scoliosis curve.
Over time, your weak muscles get stronger and your tight muscles more flexible. The imbalances in your spinal muscles function in a more corrected manner and your spinal curve improves in stability. Your back feels like it can move more freely and without the pain it used to experience. In the end, all these posture correction exercises and repetition of them will help you manage and hopefully stop the curve progression.
Whats is scoliosis?
Scoliosis refers to a spinal curvature different to the normal spine. The scoliosis curve is a 3D change in the spine and is treated in many ways. Conservative which includes exercise therapy, bracing and monitoring. Other options include surgery and is sometimes advised if the curve is greater than 40-50 degrees or if there are other concerns the specialist might have.
This might be a confusing time for you and your family if you were recently diagnosed with scoliosis. Because questions like why is this happening to me? What can we do about it and what are other people doing about their curves? Are all valid questions. We can assist in asnwering some of these questions for you. And hopefully assist in the long-term management of your beautiful scoli-curve.
Diagnosis
Scoliosis is usually diagnosed when the individual has pain in their back or when a family member notices the back looking different than the norm. A specialist will have to clinically diagnose the scoliosis and will need an x-ray or MRI to confirm the diagnosis. On the scans, a few things will become more clear, such as the severity of the spinal curve, which is referred to as the Cobb-angle. It is clinically diagnosed when the Cobb-angle is greater than 10 degrees.
There is also a very easy test called the Adam’s test. Referred to as the forward bend test. The purpose is to detect if you have structural or functional scoliosis. Functional scolisois refers to muscle imbalances causing a side-to-side curvature of the spine with no spinal rotation. This is however not true 3D scoliotic changes. Where structural scoliosis refers to bone / vertebral abnormalities causing a side to side curvature in addition to spinal rotation.
There are different types of scoliosis and different causes for this condition. In most people, it gets noticed or diagnosed around the teenage years and the cause is unknown / idiopathic. Meaning your DNA is telling your spine to grow that way but the direct cause is not fully knwon.
Sometimes scoliosis is hereditary and you might know a few family memebers with scoliosis too. Because the severity of each type of scoliosis can vary, it can be a highly complex and confusing condition for the patient and their family.
Severity according to the Cobb angle diagnosis:
Light: 10 to 20 – 25°
Moderate: 25 to 40 – 45°
Severe: greater than 40 – 45°
The progression of scoliosis is also different for each individual. And the success of the treatment depends on the age of diagnosis, the severity, the initial treatment process chosen as well as the treatments completed.
Scoliosis affects 2 – 4% of young individuals and predominantly females. Generally, the malformation in the spine occurs in a 3D manner and affects the alignment of the vertebrae. Which in turn, might affect the connecting bones, muscles and nerves in these regions. This ends up changing the function (biomechanics) of the entire body. The function of the back muscles and the rest of the body is different in someone with scoliosis. Imagine the building blocks of a wall. If anything happens to anyone of the bricks, the top and bottom bricks are also impacted. The entire structure of the wall changes and is not as strong as it needs to be for proper functioning. This is why we implement exercise therapy in the form of Scolio-Pilates®. To align and strengthen as much as the body will allow.
The different types of scoliosis
Early onset scoliosis
- Present prior to the age of 10
- Because they are still growing, it can affect more than just the spine
- It can cause the ribs to be malformed, which may affect lung development
- Minimal outward signs of spinal problems in the case of mild severity
- Importance of treatment is crucial
- No treatment may lead to heart and lung problems
- Symptoms & signs may include:
- Tilted head
- Uneven shoulders
- Asymmetric waistline
- Uneven hips
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
- Most common form of scoliosis, diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 18
- No single cause has been identified
- Spinal curvature may continue to progress into adulthood
- Possible causes include hormonal imbalances or asymmetric growth
- 30% of diagnosed adolescents have a family history of scoliosis
- Most patients don’t experience pain or neurological abnormalities
- May appear normal in side view
- Symptoms may include:
- Uneven shoulders
- Protruded rib on one side
- Leaning torso
- Lower back pain may be experienced at times
Congenital
- Fairly rare
- Spinal abnormalities that develop in the womb
- A spinal defect will be present at birth
- Possibilities of additional curves in the opposite direction
- Detected at an earlier age than other condition or diseases
- Symptoms may include:
- Tilted shoulders
- Uneven waistline
- Protruded rib on one side
- Tilted head
- Body leaning to one side
Degenerative Scoliosis (De Novo Scoliosis)
- Also referred to as adult onset scoliosis or late onset scoliosis
- People over the age of 60 has a 60% chance of having degenerative scoliosis
- No prior history of scoliosis
- Sideways curvature of the spine that develops slowly over time
- Age-related degeneration of the spine
- Spinal curvature to become more pronounced on one side
- Commonly develops in the lumbar spine (lower back)
- Normally a C-shape curvature
- Symptoms may include:
- Mostly associated with some sort of pain, especially in the lower back
- Might include a dull ache or stiffness in the lower back
- A burning / tingling / numbing or radiating pain that is felt down the legs
- Sharp pain in the leg that is felt during walking but goes away during rest
- Decrease in balance abilities
- Muscle fatigue
- Poor posture
Neuromuscular scoliosis
- Type of idiopathic scoliosis
- Develops secondary to various disorders of the brain, spinal cord and muscular system (i.e. cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, myelodysplasia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy)
- Spinal curvature occurs when the disease affects the nerves and muscles. Which then are unable to maintain the proper alignment and balance of the spine and body
- May progress into adulthood
- Progression of scoliosis is more rapid than other forms of scoliosis
- People in wheelchairs who struggle to sit upright may develop neuromuscular scoliosis
- Symptoms may include:
- Normally not painful
- Pain if the spinal curvature is very severe
- First sign of neuromuscular scoliosis is a change in posture
- Leaning forward or to one side while standing or sitting
Scheuermann’s Kyphosis
- A type of kyphosis (rounding or abnormal curve in the upper back)
- Normally diagnosed during adolescence
- Secondary to another structural deformity in the vertebrae
- Symptoms may include:
- Muscle fatigue
- Poor posture
- Back pain
- Stiffness
- Normally the symptoms do not get worse over time, except in severe cases
What structures are affected in all the types of scoliosis?
The back is made up of many different structures i.e. muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, discs, joints, and vertebrae. Together there is 33 vertebrae which forms the spinal column. The spinal column is divided into 5 sections: Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral and Coccygeal. Your spine is the primary bony structure that is affected by scoliosis, however not the only structure. Muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia in the back attach to the spinal column and as the vertebrae change in shape and direction, these other structures change with them.
What do the structures do?
The spinal column has a few important functions: Firstly, it protects the spinal cord on the inside of the spinal column. It also serves as a place of attachment for soft tissues structures such as muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia. And the soft tissues provide stability for the spine during static and dynamic movements such as sitting or walking. It allows movement to occur in an efficient manner. Also, the lumbar spine provides stability and mobility for the upper body. So it helps to transmit the forces between the upper & lower parts of the body. In essence, the spine connects the upper body and lower body and allows for efficient movement to occur.
What happens to these structures when you have scoliosis?
In scoliosis, which is an abnormal spine curvature, has many different causes. The types of scoliosis are many types of scoliosis but each one causes an abnormal loading within the spine. Because of the progressive overload, there is a decrease in the spine’s ability to maintain stability. And your spine then continues to grow in an asymmetrical manner, leading to the worsening of the spinal curves.
The vertebral bones experience more pressure on the one side. The tendons and ligaments shorten on the one side of the spinal column and it lengths on the other side of the spinal column. Which means these structures (muscles, ligaments, tendons) around the vertebral column cannot maintain their physiological alignment.
When these structures cannot maintain their alignment they cannot perform their original function. And stability and mobility in the spine is not optimal. Additionally, the forces you expose your back to is not properly transmitted between the upper and lower parts of the body. As a result, your body is not able to move as efficiently as it is supposed to and it limits you during normal and sport related movements.