I’ve had a lot of questions on how to tell which part of the scoli curve is concave versus convex. It’s time to have a lesson on deciphering scoli curves.
Every scoliosis curve has a concave and a convex part. They are opposing sides of the curve. Most scoli spines have multiple curves and therefore have multiple concave and convex parts of the spine.
I have a silly way to remember which side is the concave part of the curve by thinking of an actual cave made out of rock. If I’m inside a cave it’s round over my head. If I’m “in” the cave portion of a scoli curve it’s rounded over my head. Therefore, I’m “in” the concave portion of the curve.
If I remember which side is the “cave” (concave) part of a curve, the opposite side of the curve is the convex portion. To give you a visual way to remember the convex part of a curve think of the rounded mirrors used in stores to prevent shoplifting. It’s rounded out, or curved out so the store manager can see lots of people in the store from standing in one spot. The convex part of the scoli curves rounds out.
I’m going to use the picture sent to me by a young woman in Asia I used in the blog post here to describe this further.
The numbers 2 and 3 are the concave portions of the curves and numbers 1 and 4 are the convex portions of the curves. Can you see how 2 and 3 are “inside the cave” of the curve? Can you visualize how 1 and 4 are going out?
Most people’s muscles are beefier and more built up on the convex portions of their curve (1 and 4 in the picture above). While they are the longer muscles, they’re usually the workhorse muscles and have been attempting to hold the back upright for many years. The muscles inside the concave portion are shorter and usually more atrophied, which would be 2 and 3 in the picture above.
Let’s take the norm of muscle development for scoliosis and turn it on its head. I wrote about Usain Bolt here, who happens to be of my favorite people living with scoliosis. For the third Olympics in a row he’s won the 100-meter dash and continues to reign supreme as the fastest man in the world. Yes, he has scoliosis if you didn’t know. And no, he has never worn a brace or had surgery.
His back fascinates me, scoli anatomy nerd extraordinaire that I am, because he has trained the muscles in both of his concave portions to be BIGGER than the convex portions. That’s crazy from an anatomical standpoint!
I don’t want to get any emails from people saying that’s just how he was built. No way. No scoli backs are built like that. I’m sure that’s how his trainers have halted the progression of his curves and helped his back, pelvis, and legs to function at the elite level that they’ve function at over the last 3 Olympics. He has more muscle in the concave portions of his curves because he worked those areas of his back to help stabilize his scoli curves.
There you have a break down of the convex and concave portions of curves, the natural muscle development, and then what the fastest person in the world has done with his scoliosis to throw the normal concave/convex muscle development on its head.
There is one question that remains still: How do I build up the correct muscles in my back to halt to progression of my curve? Ah, yes, the million dollar scoliosis question.
Fifteen years of researching and toying around with exercises for different scoli bodies led me to write the books I Have Scoliosis; Now What? and Analyzing Scoliosis; The Pilates Instructor’s Guide to Scoliosis. The first is directed at people with scoliosis and the second at movement teachers. Both have numerous research references, and give you the tools you need to figure out which exercises your unique scoliosis body needs to stabilize its curves.
I can’t encourage you enough to get the the newest book, I Have Scoliosis; Now What?, so you can educate yourself about the complexities of managing scoliosis, no matter where you are in your journey. Read it and still have questions or prefer to have your scoliosis analyzed by a professional or have questions you can’t figure out? I’d be more than happy to help. Book a virtual lesson.
Erin Myers is an international presenter on scoliosis and founder of Spiral Spine, a company designed to enrich the lives of people with scoliosis. She’s also created a number of scoliosis resources including the books I Have Scoliosis; Now What? and Analyzing Scoliosis, the scoliometer app (iPhone and Android) and many videos. She owns Spiral Spine Pilates studio in Brentwood, TN, which allows her to actively pursue her passion of helping those with scoliosis through Pilates, which she has been doing for over 15 years.
It’s nice to see people that are professional and experienced sharing information with the public at large at no cost. You so often see professionals in the healthcare field who simply say: Trust me”. Pay up front and see what happens. It’s refreshing to see someone who shares their knowledge openly so people can make an informed decision on what to spend their money on. Thank you so much!
Hello. I have an S shape curve and the upper section is the biggest and I have very tight and hard and spasming muscles on the right (convex) side of my back and that upper curve. So, should I be strengthening my concave left side? Every time I try to use my right arm or exercise my arms, I get these terrible stabbing spasms right near that convex curve that take a couple of days to calm down. Should I stretch the right side to relieve this problem or what should I do?
Hi Renee,
You sound like my twin. From your description, your body is identical to mine. Your situation is complex and is not as simple as strengthening one side. This is a lengthy conversation on how to get your hypertonicity, muscular imbalance, and neural system to get back in check, but the first thing I want you to do is find a manual practitioner to start dealing with your right shoulder. I’d suggest an extremely experienced massage therapist or better yet, a very experienced manual physical therapist. Your pec minor, subscapularis, probably part of your bicep, and a bunch of stuff in your neck are going to probably be very tight. That needs to be released. Then, book a virtual lesson with me and I’ll start going over exactly what needs to be strengthened. It’s a long journey, and it needs to be a slow journey otherwise you’ll ramp back up your spasms again. You can get through this. I did. I Am. It’s a journey sister, and I’d be happy to walk along it with you.
Blessings,
Erin Myers
Which of your books includes exercises for scoliosis?
Hi John,
Both “I Have Scoliosis; Now What?” and “Analyzing Scoliosis; the Pilates Instructor’s Guide to Scoliosis” have exercises for scoli. Both are available on amazon.
Erin
Hi, I’m so confused. My right dominant side feels shorter more compressed from top to bottom. My left side feels longer/weaker. My pain is on the left scapular/ribs/neck. An xray showed in my thoracic spine being pulled to the left. So I’ve been somewhat stretching my right spinal muscles, not the left. I feel so imbalanced I almost feel like I will fall to the left, it’s scarying me. So far no help from PT’s/Dr’s. Any suggestions thank you
Hi Lil,
I’d love to see your X-ray. If I’m reading your comment correctly, you have a left thoracic convex curve. If that is correct, your comments make sense. My staff or I would be happy to have a virtual lesson with you to diagram everything out and give you stretches and exercises.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi, I’m so confused. My right dominant side feels shorter more compressed from top to bottom. My left side feels longer/weaker. My pain is on the left scapular/ribs/neck. An xray showed in my thoracic spine being pulled to the left. So I’ve been somewhat stretching my right spinal muscles, not the left. I feel so imbalanced I almost feel like I will fall to the left, it’s scarying me. So far no help from PT’s/Dr’s. Any suggestions bthank you
i’m really confused. my convex side of my thorasic lumbar curve seems more developped muscularly (right side, portruding scapula), while my concave side seems weak/valley. But every other side than yours says to train the convex side and stretch the concave side? What do you think?
Hi Colin,
You’re right! Convex is rotated back and is muscular, and concave is rotated in and weaker. You are correct–totally correct. I have lots of resources for those with scoli, including my last book in which I site lots of research supporting my stance called Analyzing Scoliosis, available on amazon. My staff or I would be happy to do a virtual private lesson with you to clear the air and help set up homework exercises for you if you’re interested.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi there – When it comes to the degree of rotation # on a Scoliometer (I use your app!), at what # is it considered to be mild, moderate & severe in the convex thoracic area?
Hi Megan,
The degree of rotation on the scoliometer can’t determine mild/moderate/severe. That can only be determined by a Cobb Angle measurement from an X-ray. While the scoliometer and Xray measurements are positively correlated, those correlation differ from person to person. I’ve seen mild Cobb Angles with much higher scoliometer measurements that I would’ve thought and also vice versa. I’d be happy to do a private virtual lesson with you (or one of Spiral’s staff would be happy to as well) and help you develop a baseline for you, so you can then use the scoliometer as an accurate tool for you to continue to monitor your scoli if you’d like. Great job being proactive with your scoli.
Blessings,
Erin
hello, I have chronic upper and lower back pain that I deal with almost daily. I try my best to be active but I am so limited by my back. I usually play a lot of sports and exercise but every so often my back gives out and i am left bed ridden for days. recently i had an xray and it showed a “mild left convex proximal scoliosis superior t1 to inferior t5 6 degrees, inferior t5 to inferior t8 right convex 7 degrees. pedicies, posterior alignment anatomic, mild DDD with body heights maintained and no gross focal anomaly. Mild biconvex scoliosis.” Anything I can do to help relieve pain and get my life back?
Hi Leo,
Thanks for reaching out. It seems as though you have mild scoliosis, and even mild scoliosis can cause a lot of pain. Every scoli is different, so I’d need to look at your back to assess everything. I’d be more than happy to do a virtual lesson with you to analyze your body, figure out padding, do some muscle testing with you, and figure out a few homework stretches and exercises to help you relieve your pain. Feel free to reach out to us via the contact page if you’d like more information on virtual lessons.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi – If you live in an area where there are slim pickings for bodywork therapists, like no one that does structural integration or Rolfing, is it ok to see a massage therapist that works at a PT office? So more “medical massage?”
Hi Avery,
It sounds like your massage option is perfect! Absolutely go ahead and see the massage therapist at your PTs office. I have many clients who do the same thing and have found much benefit from that body work. Great job being proactive,
Blessings,
Erin
HELLO,
i HAVE BEEN HAVING CHRONIC NECK AND MOSTLY UPPER BACK PAIN THAT i WAKE UP WITH EVERY DAY SINCE jANUARY (AT LEAST). tHE PAIN STAYS WITH ME THROUGHOUT THE DAY. sOMETIMES THE PAIN IS SO SEVERE THAT i FEEL NAUSEOUS. mY PHYSIOTHERAPIST THOUGHT i MIGHT HAVE FLAT BACK IN MY THORACIC SPINE. i WENT FOR AN X-RAY LAST WEEK AND THE REPORT SAYS:
Frontal views of the thoracic and lumbar spine obtained.
No rib or vertebral anomalies demonstrated.
There is a very minimal thoracic lumbar scoliosis convex left which is of uncertain clinical significance.
wHAT DOES THIS MEAN? dO I HAVE MILD SCOLIOSIS? iS THIS WHAT IS CAUSING THE SEVERE PAIN?
i ALSO HAVE A CT OF MY NECK COMING UP. i AM SO SICK OF THIS PAIN.
Oh no! I am so sorry for the caps! My caps key doesn’t seem to be working for some reason.
Hi Erin – When will you offer another virtual group class? I miss them so!
Hi Maryanne,
The next free virtual group class will be on Friday, December 10 at 9:30am. I believe it’s available to register for. We haven’t officially announced it yet, but we do have it set. I hope you can make it!
Erin
Hi Trish,
It seems as though, yes, you do have mild scoliosis from what the report says. As for the root of your pain, this is the age old questions everyone with scoliosis wants answered–and then also how to fix it. Without seeing your body I can’t say, but would be happy to analyze your body and try a few things out with you in a virtual lesson. Feel free to reach out to us at Spiral Spine through the contact page if you’d like more information or help setting up a lesson.
Blessings,
Erin
Thank you so much for this article! Finally i got better understanding of what’s going on in my body. There has been so much contradicting information on the internet (such as that the convex side should be strenghted) that I’ve been very confused.
just to double chech that I got it all right:
Concave = shorter, but often weaker/atrophied muscles and therefore should be strenghted in a lengthened position (to avoid them to get more shorter)
Convex = longer, often bulkier and overused muscles and should therefore be released?
I’m an aerialist and my doctor thinks that I’m pain free because of the upper body muscles and mobility I have in my body. Do you think it should be a goal to have equally strong sides instead of having a “good side”? I have much bulkier muscles around the shoulder blade area on my convex side – can using too much this good side actually make my scoliosis worse?
Hi Emma,
Yes, you have it right. Don’t keep using your “good” side, as you’re strengthening yourself to be stronger IN your scoli. I want you to be strong enough to come OUT of your scoli. Try doing aerial work using your concave side as your dominant arm (I’m guessing it will be very humbling). Over time, eventually you’ll have muscularly retrained that side, and probably neurologically, occultly, vestibularly, etc retrained imbalances as well. I’m happy to do do a virtual lesson with you give you a few home exercises for your body, go over padding, and make a game plan for your training if you’d like. My staff and I help scoli people in your situation all over the world. I’m proud of you for being proactive with your body!
Blessings,
Erin
Hello Erin, i’M A “REVERSE.” DOUBLE S curve (lumbar-R-convex/l-concave and thoracic-l-convex/r-concave. As far as sleep goes, how does one sleep with two opposing curves ? I know you mention sleeping on the concave side. Assume I sleep on my left side for my lumbar curve, should I put a rolled up towel under my left thoracic ?
Hi Michael,
Way to go for being proactive with your scoli. Interestingly, I’m not a fan of propping up the body while you sleep because sleep is when the body heals. If you are woken up multiple times in the middle of the night to move pads around when you roll around, you’re not sleeping. At night, just sleep in the most comfortable position so you can actually fall asleep. During the day, you can diligently lay on padding in the correct place and do your exercises. At night time though, just sleep. If you need help figuring out correct padding for exercising, check out the free starting point videos or book a virtual lesson with me or one of my staff and we’d love to help you figure out the correct padding for your scoli.
Blessings,
Erin
Hello – the convex area of my thoracic curve gives me so much grief and pain. If I start to train my concave side to be stronger, about how long will it take for the convex side to calm down? I release the convex with massage and balls, but it’s so much bulkier and tighter than the concave. Just curious how long it takes most of your clients to calm down their convex sides on average?
Hi Mary Beth,
I’m glad you’re staring on this journey of balancing out your muscles. If you notice a huge discrepancy, it may take a bit. You need to make sure your concave exercises are not also firing your convex muscles. It could take months, or years, depending on how much your discrepancy is. I’d be happy to do a virtual lesson with you if you need help tweaking your exercises.
Blessings,
Erin
Thank you! Do I have to make sure my convex side is fully calmed down before I can work on shortening the convex?
Hi MaryBeth,
Yes, the convex side needs to not be in a spasm before you start to do bilateral work–otherwise you’ll put it right back into a spasm.
Blessings,
Erin
When will your team offer virtual scoli mat classes again? I’m absolutely heartbroken that the Friday class is gone from the schedule. Will there be one later this month or next?
Hi Meg,
I’ve decided to change up the format for virtual scoli groups. Instead of weekly paid classes, I’m switching it to a pop-up style class that I’ll announce two weeks prior to the class. The best part is that I’ll be offering it for free. So, make sure you subscribe to Spiral’s email list and stay tuned on our social media channels. Don’t worry, I’ll still be offering them often and you’ll get to work out with me often. the format is just changing.
Blessings,
Erin
I’m ecstatic to hear that! Ill be monitoring Instagram for an announcement. Thank you!
Hi,
I HAVE SCOLIOSIS IN MY NECK (10 degrees) concave side being left, and I have grinding and cracking sounds coming from my neck as I tilt my head up and down. the left side of my body, mostly my arm is weak and I have been trying to gain strength on that side by swimming, stretching and doing calisthenics. I feel as if my neck is being pulled toward the right side and also my head rotating To the right side. Is there any way I can reverse this condition or at least fix the balance in my body? And also can u enlighten me what is going on with my body? (I also have loss of lordosis on the upper cervical spine and minimal diffuse bulging in c4-c5 and c5-c6) thanks.
I’m sorry you’re having issues with your neck. Technically scoliosis is diagnosed as a lateral bend of the spine of 10 degrees or more. So while technically you do have scoliosis, it’s really, really mild. It is truly almost straight, and depending the time of day that the X-ray was taken, it might be less than 10 degrees. That being said, it doesn’t mean you’re not in pain. I would look to your jaw and mouth as the possible culprit of this. I’ve written about the connection of orthodontics and scoliosis (in my latest book Analyzing Scoliosis and I think I have at least one blog post on it). I’m glad you’re doing strength training, but I bet there is some really tight tissue that is pulling your neck out of alignment, causing the scoli. See if you can find a manual therapist to do inter-mouth release work. Check out the free Starting Point videos on this site on how to start your search for one in your town. I also put up a video of me having this work done on instagram within the last few months so you can see what it looks like. Great job being proactive.
Blessings,
Erin
What degree of rotation on a Scoliometer indicates scoli? Anything above a 1?
Hi Clarissa,
A scoliometer cannot diagnose scoliosis. A 1 degree rotation could simply be from unilateral muscle imbalance right to left. That being said, a few degrees of rotation could be an indication that you need to get an X-ray to see if a scoliosis diagnosis is there. If the scoliometer rotates one way in the thoracic and then the other way in the lumbar, even if the degrees are small, I’d definitely go get an X-ray to check it out.
Blessings,
Erin
I have mild lower thoracic scoliosis. Convexity to right side. Kindly guide me whether i have to strengthen left side; the side of concavity or stretch? I’ll be very thankful to u.
Hi Fatima,
Good question. You need to both stretch and strengthen (in an elongated state) the left thoracic concave part of your curve.
Blessings,
Erin
I want to change my brace been using it for 4yrs and months now so I want to know which I can change too
I’m glad you are being proactive about your scoliosis. The person I look to as the gold standard for scoli bracing is Dr. Moramarco in Boston, MA. He makes the Cheneaux Ginsingen brace. He’s trained a handful of practitioners around the country, so you don’t just have to go to him. Feel free to look him up and call his clinic. One of his lovely staff will chat with you and see if there’s someone close to you to help you if you can’t make it to him. Scoli braces are not created equally, so if you’re going to continue down the bracing path, absolutely have the more corrective brace in the industry–and that’s with Dr. Moramarco’s braces.
Blessings,
Erin
I am a 52 year old woman with mild s curve scoliosis, I have a leg discrepancy of half cm , been given a left heel raise by physio, but am really frightened, its cause me to curve more , I have left throsic curve , plz help I am so frightened.
Hi Johanna,
The purpose of the feeling fear is to help us prepare and plan–when passively left unchecked it turns to anxiety and being overwhelmed. It sounds like I need to help you get proactive and make a plan so you feel empowered. Your body is worth it. Thank you for reaching out. I’m grateful you did. First off, if you feel the lift is making you curve more, then absolutely take it out. I have a workshop called Scoliosis Leg Length that might be helpful to watch, even though it’s for practitioners. I’d love to have a virtual lesson with you where I can analyze your body. I’d like to get to the root of what’s going on. Some times people diagnose someone with a leg length discrepancy with it’s not bone, but soft tissue that’s causing the issue. With almost all scoli cases, there are lots of things going on, and it sounds like that might be the case with you. I’d love to see you in a virtual lesson soon to make a game plan for you.
Blessings,
Erin
I used to do Schroth, & have bean bag wedge pads that are about 4 inches long, & shaped in a wedge (kinda like a triangle). Is this the best type of padding for stomach and back exercises? One side is thicker if that makes sense. Here is the link where my Schroth PT had me purchase if it helps you to see: https://www.happysew.com/wedge-rice-bags/fabric/cotton/
Hi Rae,
I have some clients that use these, and that’s fine if you feel OK using them. I’ve used them in the past, but prefer rolled and folded up shelf liner. Heavens, sometimes I just use a pair of rolled up socks. I have a free video on padding in the Starting Point Series videos and also talk about padding a lot in my book Analyzing Scoliosis. Great job asking this question and working on your scoli.
Blessings,
Erin
My curve is right side lumbar concave 48 degrees and the upper curve is about 18. I have severe hip pain on my right side that sometimes has me screaming and can barely walk. I have been to several doctors and so far the only thing that has helped was a steroid shot in my hip. What exercises can I do to help? The shot lasted about a year. Should I just go get another?
I have stenosis between l4-l5.
Hi Cheryl,
I’m so sorry you’ve been in so much pain. We have many, many clients at Spiral Spine that have curve patterns just like yours that like you have hip pain. My staff and I would love to work with you virtually, to help you figure out your scoli, start to untwist everything, and start you on the path to pain management for your scoliosis. I have exercises for lumbar scoli in my book Analyzing Scoliosis (available on amazon), but having a few virtual lessons with either me or my staff would also be a great option. Feel free to reach out to us about virtual lesson through the contact page of this site. I’m proud of you for reaching out for help–you don’t have to live in pain.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi Erin, can you explain the relationship between degrees of rotation with a scoliometer and the Cobb angle? From what I’ve been reading, there is kind of a correlation between the two, but not always. I read that with a 20 degree curve, you can often expect 7 degrees of rotation, but not necessarily – that in some cases, a more severe curve might have less rotation, whereas a mild curve might actually have severe rotation? The information available on this is confusing to read about, so wanted to ask you. Thank you!
Hi Megs,
Great question, and yes, I’d love to explain it. The Cobb Angle (measurement from X-ray) and Axial Vertebral Rotation (measurement from scoliometer) are positively correlated. That means that for a particular person’s scoli, as one number goes up, the other corresponds and goes with it. Vice versa, as one number goes down, so down the other. The particular numbers vary from person to person, but as a pair of measurements, they go up and down together. I have a blog that explains this that I’d suggest you look at. I even show a real life client example in the blog post. I hope this helps make sense of this. If not, I’m happy to answer more questions you may have.
Blessings,
Erin
This makes so much sense! Thank you for being an awesome resource and explaining things so well.
First off, thank you for all the helpful information you post on your website! Wanted to ask you a question: I saw a physical therapist last week, who commented that my left shoulder blade doesn’t move much in comparison to my right shoulder blade. My biggest curve is in the left thoracic area where that shoulder blade is. She also commented that she sees a rib that seems to be out of place on my left thoracic area/near my neck, which she thinks is a reason why I get a lot of neck pain. Is this common for people with scoliosis in the thoracic area – to have a shoulder blade in that area not move much, and a rib seeming to be out of place?
Hi Hayley,
Yes, it’s common to have shoulder blade mobility issues with thoracic scoliosis. It’ll be important for you to keep doing thoracic and cervical mobility and stability exercises for the health of your curves. This is the case for my scoliosis too. Different forms of massage therapy have been really beneficial for me and many of my clients with similar curve patterns. I can’t comment on the rib being out of place, but vertebra are side bent and rotated when we have scoli, and the ribs come off of the vertebra. So, I guess it’s a possibility. I’m happy to do a virtual lesson with you to teach you some mobility and stability exercises if you’d like. If you’re interested, you can reach out to me via the contact page of this site. Great job being a detective with your scoli.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi Erin,
I have been very proactive with my scoli this past year, including regular schroth PT. My x ray prior to starting schroth showed a 24 degree thoracic curve and a 26 degree lumbar curve (from May 2019). I just did a follow up x ray yesterday, and the test results say “levoscoliosis 33 degree thoracic curve centered at T6-T7 without change from 5/09/2019, and dextrorotary scoliosis lumbar spine 30 degrees centered at L1 without interval change.” SHould I be very concerned about this? My pain levels have improved, so I am confused as to why my curve appears to have progressed. Thank you in advance.
Hi Barbara,
First off, great job being proactive about your scoli. Hmmmm, your numbers shouldn’t be going up. While I’m grateful your pain has decreased, the numbers shouldn’t go up, and it seems as though your upper curve has increased almost 10 degrees. Sometimes numbers can fluctuation about 5 degrees, depending on who’s measuring it and how they’re doing it, but almost 10 degrees–no. It might be time to add in a new tool to your tool kit. You can’t build a house with just a hammer. Sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes a screwdriver, and sometimes a chisel. Maybe you’ve acquired and learned how to use your hammer, and now it time to add something else in. I’d encourage you to watch the Starting Point videos (they’re free). It’ll teach you a ton about your scoli. Also, check this link out. It’s talks about many more things as well. My staff and I are always happy to help you along your journey and do a private virtual lesson with you if you’d like. We work with people all over the world on a regular basis. Great job for being away of your X-ray readings and I can’t encourage you enough to keep on experimenting with new things that will help your scoli.
Blessings,
Erin
Hello,
I AM right now suffering through a great Amount of pain because of scoliosis.
I have right convex/ left concave cervical scoliosis,
the degree of curvature isn’t even much but the amount of pain which I am feeling is extreme..
The pain radiates from neck to my scapula, even in whole right arm..
But my question is if u have bend towards left why I am feeling pain on right side..
Which nerves are really getting affected..
Why I am in so much pain.
Can you please help me by answering this question.
Hi Ankita,
If you’re experiencing nerve pain down your arm, I’d go get an X-ray to see what’s going on with the discs in your neck before attempting to do exercises or any form of massage.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi there, my whole life I’ve been always leaning to my right side when standing, sitting and sleeping because my right is more dominate. Should I try leaning more to the left side while standing, sitting and sleeping to try to even out my spine ? Will that correct it from my spine going to the right so much or should I put even weight on both feet? Thank you
Hi Amanda,
It is always a great choice to have your weight evenly distributed on your feet and to stack your ribcage on top of your pelvis. Without setting your body, I would have a hard time giving you exercises to strengthen your body into more of a straight line. It would be interesting to find out the root of your ribcage shift. My staff and I would be more than happy to do a virtual private lesson with you if you’d like. You can email us through the contact page of this site for more info. I’d also suggest you create a diagram sketch of your body to get a better picture of what’s actually going on. You can watch the free Starting Point videos on this site to learn how to do that. Good job on wanting to be proactive with your body.
Blessings,
Erin
For those with thoracic scoli due to a syrinx in the spine (from syringomyelia and Chiari), is there anything special we need to keep in mind? I had decompression surgery over 10 years ago & the syrinx basically fully compressed per MRI.
I mean collapsed not compressed haha.
If you’ve had a surgery to handle everything and the doctor has given you the all-clear post-surgery, you should be good to go. Keep moving and loving on your spine.
Erin
I have left thoracic, right lumbar scoliosis, with my larger curve being in the left thoracic area (26-29 degrees depending on the x ray for thoracic, 24 in the lumbar area). My pain is only on my left convex side, especially in the neck area. I have been working on strengthening my right concave side for 6 months, and it’s really helped my low back and mid back pain. I’ve also been doing Schroth for about 6 months, which has also helped with pain in the low and mid back. However – nothing I do seems to really help with the neck pain on my left convex side. On a bad week, I have to see the chiropractor 4 times to relieve pain (on a “good” week, 2 times). I don’t know what more to do. ANy ideas or general comments?
Hi Anne,
First off, I have to let you know how proud I am of you for being proactive with your scoli. You don’t have to live in pain just because you have scoliosis. Keep doing what you’re doing. As for your question about your neck, I’m in the same boat as you. My neck is what causes me to most trouble with my scoli. I’d suggest you cut back, and possibly eventually stop seeing your Chiro–obviously it’s not really working. Try finding a manual therapist who has years of experience with neck and inner mouth work (you may have to search for a bit to find a person like this). They’ll put gloves on and massage inside your mouth. Often times that will start to release the muscles that are holding your jaw and neck in the scoli position. This has been a lifesaver for me. Especially if you’ve had orthodontic work in the past–this will be key for you. Give this a try and keep me posted.
Blessings, Erin Myers
Thank you for the info! I will keep you posted on the Intra-oral massage. One more question: my PT says she can start giving me theraband and free weight exercises, that I can do with my Schroth standing corrections, to strengthen my back & take some of the pressure off my neck. Have you heard of something like that helping With the neck pain?
Hi Anne,
Absolutely there are strengthening exercises you can do to help alleviate neck pain. With scoli, strengthening can be a big tricky at times. I’d allow your PT to give you a few exercises, and then do one exercise for a few days and assess how you feel. If you feel good, then add another exercise. If the first exercise didn’t sit well with you, then stop that and try another exercise for a few days. Think of it like a science experiment by not adding too many variables at once. Keep experimenting to get out of pain. -Erin Myers
Thank you so much! That makes sense to try things out and see what sits well with my body. My PT is also giving me some exercises to strengthen the “core” of my neck – basically different exercise variations where I push my neck straight back (not tucking my chin, but pushing my head back if that makes sense). Fingers crossed it helps! Thank you again.
Hi my scoliosis is getting worse. I can’t afford going to the doctors u fortunately medicaid doesn’t cover that. Are u able to look at my back and give me some tips please? My right side is more dominant
Hi Zerah,
My staff or I would love to work with you virtually. We work with people all over the world on a weekly basis. My staff’s lessons are less expensive than mine (and they’re great and can totally help you with your scoli), so I’d suggest you book a one hour virtual lesson with one of them. They can absolutely give you exercises and stretches to help with your scoli. Check this link out to learn more about virtual lessons.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi Erin – is a hypermobile neck common with scoliosis? How do you know if you have a hyper mobile neck? My neck hurts a lot, & I wonder if it could be due to hyper mobility. I stretch it a lot & wonder if stretching is making it worse.
Hi Jayde,
If you have scoliosis there’s a high change that the neck pain you feel is from your scoli. I wouldn’t necessarily be able to say it’s hyper mobile unless I saw you (I do virtual lessons, so I could “see” you). The neck is rarely a issue alone, but is oftentimes connected to the thoracic spine or jaw. Check those other areas out. I’d love to see you in a virtual lesson sometime.
Erin
Hii..my age is 25 yrs.. i got to know about my scoliosis 1yr ago. I have right sided convex/ left side concavity in thoracic spine and left sided convex/right side concavity in lumbar spine..usually experience pain in lower left side of back,my left shoulder is lower than right and left leg is shorter as compared to right.. Can you please explain which side Muscles are weaker /atrophied and need to be strengthened??
Hi Nishu,
You have the same scoliosis as me. Your upper right and lower left are overworked and can be released (when they are in pain) with a small hard ball. They on the ball on the floor and put the ball right under the tight muscle and breathe until it releases a bit. Your upper left and lower right need to be lengthened and strengthened. I have exercises specifically to target these areas in my latest book Analyzing Scoliosis (available on amazon) with pictures and easy to follow descriptions. Way to go on being proactive with your scoli.
Blessings,
Erin Myers
Hi – My largest curve is my upper right thoracic. Lately, even if I stretch my arms overhead (like a regular good morning stretch), my convex area of the right thoracic curve goes in spasm and pretty bad pain. This scares me, because shouldn’t a stretch feel good vs causing pain? This has only happened a few times, but when it does, it’s just because I’m stretching after waking up or just stretching throughout the day.
Hi Becca,
I wouldn’t be fearful over this, but think it’s worthwhile me checking out and analyzing. The convex musculature is oftentimes the spasmy part of our curves, so the fact that you’re spasming there doesn’t alarm me. It sounds like you need some knowledge on how to release it, how to realign your spine, and some good exercises to start the derogation process of your scoli. A virtual lesson with me or one of my staff would be great to work with.
Erin
I have thoracic/lumbar scoliosis with my largest curve being in the thoracic area. I see a massage therapist 1-4 times a month to help break up areas of tension, and she’s commented that it feels like I have extra tissue
& lots of “crunchiness” in my thoracic area. Is this common With your scoliosis patients? Can it ever get better?
Hi Annie, I’m glad to hear you’re seeing a massage therapist regularly for your scoli. My guess is that she’s referring to the muscle in the convex part of your curve where the muscle is more developed. Yes, this can improve but you need to start to strengthen the other side. I teach how to do this in my latest book Analyzing Scoliosis, which I’d recommend you get. I also teach lessons virtually if you’d like me to teach you specific exercises for your body. Info on all this is on spiralspine.com. Your body can improve, yes. Blessings, Erin Myers
When the massage therapist mentions “crunchiness,” do you think it’s myofascial adhesions?
Hi Annie,
Yep, myofascial adhesions are a really good guess. I wouldn’t fret over it, but would stay diligent on getting that tissue mobile–be that through spinal movements, manual body work from a therapist, or release work on balls and rollers by yourself. Unlock that tissue and keep being proactive for your spine.
Blessings,
Erin
HiI have a couple other questions! I have done schroth and have pads and know where they go on my body. Im doing mat Pilates. Is it appropriate to pad yourself for all Pilates moves? Such as the 100’s? Also, when do you know you are at a place where both sides of the spine are firing together and it’s time to move to bilateral work Such as in the shoulder blades and thoracic area? Thanks a bunch and merry Christmas!
Hi Serena,
Yes, definitely pad while you’re doing Pilates! Combine you’re Schroth breathing while you do Pilates and it’s a fabulous scoliosis combo. Great question about the bilateral work. You know it’s time to move to bilateral work when your convex side doesn’t spasm and you can maintain your lengthened and derotated position you were taught in Schroth when doing bilateral work. Blessings, Erin
I would love to talk to you about my scoliosis! I have significant pain only in my right side. Im 24 and I started having pain almost right after high school ended. I have x rays and I’m interested in what you have to say in regards to different exercises. I currently practice yoga and weight training. I also see a chiropractor about every month which seems to help. My pain has definitely gotten better but I’m still having a lot of hip pain and a neck pain. I kind of just do whatever I feel that my body needs in the gym. I focus on a lot of core and back exercises. I work both sides of my body evenly. Can I send you my x ray? Or set up an online consultation. Thank you.
Hi Emerald,
I’d love to help you with your scoli. Let’s set up a virtual lesson and make a game plan from there. You could also come to a 2-day Scoliosis Intensive workshop at Spiral Spine Pilates in Nashville, where you can work with me and my staff for two days and get tons of at-home exercises. Either way, I’d love to be on your scoli team. Shoot an email through the contact page of this site https://spiralspine.com/contact/ and my studio manager will get you all set up and tell you where to email your X-rays. I’m excited to work with you and make a plan for you! Way to go on being proactive with your scoli.
Blessings,
Erin
Have you worked with anyone/heard of anyone whose scoli progressed during/after pregnancy? I think mine increased 7 degrees based on x Ray post pregnancy, which I requested due to bad neck and back pain on convex side. While my previous x Ray prior to pregnancy was 4 years old, my curve had stayed the same for over a decade without much pain. I really feel like pregnancy made it worse 🙁
Hi Liana,
Yes, absolutely pregnancy can alter scoli. In my first book, The Beautiful Scoliotic Back, I recount the years when I was pregnant and what my scoli did. It went almost straight during my first pregnancy and wound up like a cork screw during my second. Scoli often reacts to hormone changes. I’m happy to help you untwist. I have many, many resources on this website that can help you. If you want more assistance my staff or I would be happy to do a virtual lesson with you. If you’re interested in that, you can email us through the contact page of this site. Great job putting the pieces together for your scoliosis. Now, let’s get you untwisted.
Blessings,
Erin
Thank you so much for the info, will def reach out to your team! Im considering no baby #2 because I think my scoli worsened with my first pregnancy. If I get preggo again, do you think it’s possible I could get my scoli to actually improve with Schroth and Pilates? (Plus ligament laxity)
Liana,
From the bottom of my heart I would say yes, have another child. Please don’t let fear of scoli getting worse be the reason you don’t have another child. Most of my scoli clients have children, and they wouldn’t bat an eye saying they would make the same choice again–even not knowing what the future holds for their scoli. Seven degrees is a small increase, and it could have increased from your body being tired and you sinking into your scoli from breastfeeding and carrying around your child. Scoli can fluctuate about 5-10 degrees in a day depending on what you’re doing and what degree your Cobb angle is at. So, seven degrees doesn’t really worry me that much. I absolutely think you can improve your curve and quality of life, and have a second child. I look forward to working with you.
Blessings,
Erin
IS yoga something that someone with scoliosis needs to be wary of? I’ve heard that many side poses and even forward bends might make the scoli worse as you bend into your curve, and that working the opposite side doesnt do much to compensate for bending into your curve, if that makes sense. I find my muscles are more relaxed after yoga, but worry I am doing longer term damage by twisting and bending into the curve with some poses.
Hi Jessa,
I know some fabulous yoga instructors who have a keen eye for alignment and so those with scoli are just fine in their classes, and then there are others. But truly, that’s the case with so many different forms of movement and how practitioners teach it. My suggestion would be to take the guesswork out, and use a scoliometer to measure your back before and after the class. I use the app Scoliometer by Spiral Spine which I had made a few years ago because I wasn’t a big fan of what was available. It’s available on Android and Apple for a few dollars. I have many blogs and short videos on how to use it, why it’s important, and what research says about it. No need to ask me if yoga is good for your back, take the guesswork out and measure it for yourself and you’ll find the answer. Way to go on being proactive with your scoli. Blessings, Erin
In general – at what degree of curvature do you tend to see people start to experience significant pain? is there a pattern you see?
Hi Leah,
Interestingly, I’ve know many people with very mild curves be in more pain than those with larger curves. I have some clients with curves 50 degrees and higher with almost no pain, and some clients with curves in the teens that complain a lot more of pain. Now, that’s not the case always. The body likes balance, so if you learn to balance your curves out, and find great movement and manual therapists to keep your muscles strong and supple, the degree of your curve shouldn’t matter. Don’t let numbers dictate you, but listen to your body and give it what it’s asking for.
Blessings,
Erin
I was diagnosed with very mild scoliosis recently and I want to understand how the curves behaves. The diagnosis was lower Thoracic curve concave to the right with a slight compensatory lumbar curve concave to the left. cobb angles were 10.6 and 10.3 respectively and there is a small amount of rotation within the upper lumbar portion.
I am suffering from left shoulder, neck and arm pains.
Unfortunately, i don’t have the xray film.
Can you show me how my spine looks like with the scoliosis findings. im kinda confused of concave to the right means.
also, what are the stretch and strengthening exercises I can do.
Your reply will be highly appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi Chelle, I think drawing your curves out will help to make sense of what’s going on, because the description of your curves seems a little off. Watch the Start Point Series to learn to draw out your curves https://spiralspine.com/starting-point-series/ . Once we have a picture of what we’re dealing with we can make a plan.
Your curves are really mild and the pain you’re feeling doesn’t match with the mild nature of the scoli. Hmmm. I’d love to do a virtual lesson with you to help you figure this out and get to the root of it. You can email [email protected] to get more info on virtual lessons and possibly get one set up. I do them with people all over the world.
You’re hungry to learn about your scoli, so I’d strongly suggest you get my latest book Analyzing Scoliosis which you can find here https://spiralspine.com/scoliosis-store/ . It’ll teach you to analyze your back and teach you exercises for it.
The more info you get on your body the quicker we can get to the root of it. Great job being proactive with your scoli. Blessings, Erin Myers
Hi Erin! I have been reading through your blog and watching some of your videos online. You are the first person to validate my experience that my pain and tightness is on the convex side of my thoracic curve! I have a mild curve but for whatever reason I have had a lot of pain in my right shoulder, neck, perI-scapular area and down the right arm. I woke up one day with terrible nerve pain 6 years ago and at that time an X-ray showed that I had 13 degree right thoracic scoliosis. I am 36 and never knew about this. I did physical therapy which helped at first then I continued to have intermittent pain off and on. An MRI showed an annular tear in my c- spine so I probably had other issues going on as well. Anyway fast forward all these years later and I’m still having spasms and pain. Recent X-ray shows an increase in my curve to 17 degrees right thoracic 8 degrees left lumbar. Ive seen multiple physical therapist and also done Schroth (with great results!) however, no one can tell me why my right convexity is so tight and painful. It sounds like we a similar pain pattern in the shoulder blade. Im excited to start some of your workouts and will by buying your new book soon! I have question though that therapist haven’t had a solid answer for and I’m wondering if you have seen this.. I should have a lean (low shoulder) to my left but my right shoulder is my low one. Even on X-ray I can see that it’s lower on the right and right hip is just a tad higher. I have asked if this is functional and my therapist felt that since I had a 5 degree rotation in my ribs (with scoliometer) that this must mean that it is structural. By the way schroth decreased my thoracic rotation from 5 degrees to 3! Yay! Im trying to do everything I can to keep this from getting worse. I have little boys to take care of and I’m going to give them the healthiest mom possible! Just want your input on the right sided lean since you’ve seen so many scoliosis bodies! Also, if you have any advice for easing the shoulder blade/neck pain that would be great! Sorry this was so long and God bless!
Serena
Hi Serena,
It sounds like our bodies are very similar. I wonder if you have a mild compensatory curve in your cervical spine going to the left. Depending on if and where the vertebral junction is between the curves, where it switches, that might be why your left shoulder is higher–it switches to a left convex curve at the very upper parts of your thoracic spine. Five degree rotation with a scoliometer doesn’t tell you at all if all of this is stemming from a leg length discrepancy or not. Totally don’t agree with your therapist there. Have your therapist measure your legs and see if they are the same length to get a definitive answer here. Your right scapula and spine are physically closer together than the left side, which is why the right side is in spasm. That’s how it is for me. Try this: release right mid traps and rhomboids, work left mid traps without right side firing, release right anterior shoulder muscles under clavicle and that whole area and see if life gets better. PS My latest book Analyzing Scoliosis (on amazon) will give you lots of specific exercises for this. Blessings, Erin
Awesome! Thank you for responding! Yes i do have a small compensatory curve in my neck and the juncture between the two is high near my clavicLe line so that makes sense. So the thoracic rotation does not automatically mean that the scoliosis is structural? I was under the impression that a positive adams test meant that it was structural. I may have misunderstood that though. Im no Longer seeing my therapist as I was only allowed so many sessions through my insurance. I do the schroth on my own now. I will attempt to measure my legs with my husbands help. Thank you for the advise!
Serena, structural vs functional is an interesting topic for people with scoliosis. If there is no leg length discrepancy, no malformed vertebra, no tumors or tethered spinal cord issues or anything else out of the ordinary, then…what is the cause of it? This is the million dollar question. What started it? It doesn’t seem like something structural. Nothing can be pinpointed. I have other research in my latest book Analyzing Scoliosis that points to research for some people in the situation you’re in (and have some hunches of other ideas), there isn’t a commonly talked about root. While this is still a question yet to be answered, you can start to be proactive for your scoliosis through movement. That I know. If you need guidance on this, head to the resources page on spiralspine.com. Blessings, Erin Myers
Hi. When practicing bird dogs for a right thoraciccurve. If starting one sided to strengthen would the leg on concave side or convex side be up? My son has right thoracic curve thanks!
I want you to put your hands on your sons low back right near his spine. Usually, when muscle firing patterns are working well, when the left leg is raised it’ll fire the muscles in the low right back. It’s a cross-body firing pattern. If the goal of the bird dogs is to fire the muscles in the low right back, concave right lumbar, it’d the the left leg you’d want raised. But, many people (myself included) don’t have muscles that fire appropriately in the lumbar spine, which is why your hands need to be there to see if it’s firing appropriately. Also see if how the spine looks and how the muscles look when both sides are done. If you’re really stuck you can always book a virtual lesson with me, but I bet you could figure it out. Great job on working to figure this out. Blessings, Erin
Hello. I’ve been reading your book analyzing scoliosis and beginning to better understand (was so confused as to which side to work or release. Still am a little). so for the small ball massage against a wall. If the convex is to right (right thoracic). I would hold the ball against the wall with the right side of my back and move it inward? Would this release the short muscles which would be on the right ?
Usually the spasms occur on the convex side of each curve, so that is usually where the ball goes. But, if you’re tight in the concave part, then by all means put the ball there and release. You won’t hurt yourself by releasing tight tissue around your spine–wherever it is. Happy rolling, Erin
Hello Erin,
I have a convex to the left lumbar curve. If one leg is shorter than the other is it usually the leg on the side of the convex curve of the spine? I just received your book and am looking forward to really understanding better how my spine moves.
Laura
Ps – sorry for the punctuation. For some reason I cannot capitalize anything!!!
Hi Laura,
Yes, if you have a curve that’s convex to the left in the lumbar and you do infact have one leg longer than the other, it would usually be the right leg. Now, just because you have a convex curve to the left doesn’t mean you have a leg length discrepancy. You could have even lengths of your legs and still have a convex curve to the left. Happy analyzing your scoliosis! Blessings, Erin Myers
Hi Laura,
i just treated a patient with the convexity on the left and it is his left leg that is short.
Usually, if the spine has convex curves i find a short leg.
There are normal compensations done by the body and there are failed compensations. So either leg can be short.
Also note, that approximately 1 in every 4 people have a short leg in my office experience. but I only see people with back problems.
by the way, for the first time ever, I cannot capitalize anything
Correction to previous post. Son has pain in the lower right back after stretching. Which would be the convex side
Thanks
Hi Elizabeth, It sounds like your son has an upper right thoracic (right convex, left concave) curve and lower left lumbar (left convex, right concave) curve. Is that correct? If that correct? So after stretching he feels pain in his lower left concave spine? -Erin
Pain was in the right convex side ..lower
Yep, so roll the convex. It’s following the normal pattern of oftentimes where pain is–in the convex part of a curve because the muscles are tired, in spasm, and overworked. Erin
Correction to post: my son is feeling the pain in the lower right area. Not left. (So to the convex side)
Thank you
My son has a right thoracic curve and I’ve been helping him with some stretching exercises and yoga. Today he said he’s feeling pain in his lower left back. .. could the stretching be causing that ( he’s also been playing a lot of basketball but always does).
Hello!
I train my concave side but after or during training i get muscle spasms on my convex side.
Does it mean that i am doing something wrong or is it normal?
Ann, This backs up my point that your concave musculature needs work and your convex musculature are the work horses of that scoli curve. How are you working the concave muscles? Your right and left muscles are not bi-laterally even, so if you’re doing bi-lateral exercises where both sides are working evenly, that’s not going to be a wise choice and your convex muscles will end up in spasm. You need to play around with exercises working one leg or arm (depending on where your curve is) in either a prone (on your belly), side, or on an angle on your side or standing leaning forward or sideways. If you need exercises ideas there are many in my latest book Analyzing Scoliosis or my online workshops. You can access all these on the resources page on spiralspine.com. Occasionally I post exercises on social media, too. Great job wanting to understand your scoliosis more. Keep experimenting. Blessings, Erin
Erin, thank you very much for your prompt reply!
Well, I live in Russia and have found exercises (in russian) on youtube for thoracic scoliosis. I can leave a link if required.
THe spasms on convex side appear after these kind of exercises: lying down on the stomach, the arm on the concave side is extended overhead so it is resting on the floor with a dumbbell in the hand, the arm on the convex side is extended aside (without a dumbbell). From this position I push my upper body with both arms up, squeeze both hands and hold for 5 sec, then lie down for rest. 8 repetitions of these exercise and then different variations of it. But after these exercises i get spasms on my convex side (on shoulder blade) though i keep dumbbell in the hand of my concave side. That seems strange to me
Hi Ann,
That’s not a good exercise for you. You’re working all your convex muscles a ton with this exercise, and that’s why they’re in spasm. You need to work your concave mid and lower trapezius (trap) muscles it sounds like and release your convex side. You’ll need to do one-sided work, not bi-lateral work (which is what that exercise is that you described). I bet your convex side’s rhomboids, upper traps, and levator scapula are also in spam. Those need to be rolled out with a ball. I give written descriptions of these exercises plus pictures in my book Analyzing Scoliosis. You might also be able to find exercises for these that I’ve put up on social media.
Blessings,
Erin
What are your thoughts about chiropractic care and general physical therapy for helping with scoliosis pain?
Hi Bella,
I’m a huge advocate of having a team of practitioners help you along your scoliosis journey. I write about this in my scoli books, blogs, and have taped a few videos on this topic because it’s so important. That being said, you’re going to need to find who works for your body. Personally, I’ve yet to find chiropractor I trust to work on my body regularly. I’ve tried many. That doesn’t mean the day won’t happen, but it hasn’t yet. I’m not a fan of going in and someone manually cracking my spine and me leaving. I know not all chiropractors work like that, but I haven’t found a fabulous one yet near me. I love physical therapy, but please know not all therapists are the same. My favorite therapists are manual therapists who will release tight tissue with their hands on you. Again, I’ve seen many PTs, and only have a handful who I recommend my clients see because skill level matters. I have a PT who is also a Pilates Instructor that works at my studio and I’m hiring another in the near future. Needless to say, go out and start trying practitioners–but listen to your body and see what it says after each appointment.
Blessings,
Erin
Thank you! A couple more questions:
1. I’ve found pain relief on my convex side by using taping (coverall and levotape, which is stronger than K Tape. A PT introduced me to this). By taping on the convex side, it seems to relax those overworked muscles, and allow me to work on strengthening the concave side without “over firing” on the convex side. Have you ever seen taping work for others? Is it something that can be safely done on and off as needed?
2. Have you ever heard of an adult having success with a PT who uses the Schroth method? There is only one in my area that is out of network with insurance, so I’d have to use self pay at least in part. Curious if you know adults who have found success with this. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Bella,
1. Yes, some of my clients have their PTs tape their convex curve’s shoulder and it does help a lot when your muscles seem to spasm a lot. Keep doing it if it’s helping.
2. Yes, I’ve known adults to benefit from Schroth PT. I actually had a few lessons/appointments with a Schroth practitioner as an adult and some of the exercises helped, along with some of the breathing techniques. I’d book a few sessions if you have a practitioner near you. You’ll gain some more tools for your tool kit.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi Erin,
I just booked an initial session with a C2 Schroth physical therapist. one thing she said is the muscles on the convex side are long/overworked/weaker, and the muscles on the concave side are shorter and scrunched. she said that with Schroth, they use props to get your spine visually aligned, and then you work on strengthening weak areas. So, you get the longer muscles on the convex side “shorter” and the short muscles on the concave side longer, and then work on strengthening as applicable. That all makes sense, except for her saying that the muscles on the convex side are “weakened and weaker because they are longer and overworked.” Wouldn’t those be the stronger muscles, as they’re doing the brunt of the work? Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I don’t want to have her strengthening me in an area which will only cause more spasms.
Bella,
Oh yes, the confusion of the scoli muscle world. The erector muscles along the spine on the convex area are yes the workhorses. They are tired, but yes, they are long. Unfortunately, they are also usually very tired. Most people cannot initially start working these muscles and need to work the shortened and very weak concave muscles to fire first. Now, that being said, every scoli body is a bit different. Some people it takes a long time to get the convex muscles calmed down and the concave muscles fired before they can attempt to shorten the convex muscles. The cool thing with Schroth work is that a good therapist will get both convex and concave sides correctly firing. I would’ve described the muscle situation differently than how your therapist described it, but I would give them a try and see how your body does. If you end up in a spasm on your convex side, you need to tell her and she needs to change some thing around and work the other side first. That was a really long explanation, but I hoped it somewhat helped.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi , I have right side concave in lumber( pain in right side), left side convex in lumber ( No pain at all in left side).
Rest of the spine is okay, only C curve in lumber, angle 14deg
What shall I do,? Strech and strength concave side or convex side
Why pain in concave side?
Which side I should sleep , concave or convex, so that gravity can help reduce the curve, pls clarify .?
Interesting. Your body doesn’t fit the usual pattern and your lumbar curve is quite small and you have a lot of pain. Do you have a leg length discrepancy? Is your right leg a little longer than your left?
Erin
I have convexity to the left side, concavity right side, hard to tell about length , may be right leg a bit longer than the left one, but it’s very hard to tell…
I walk for 4-5 kms a day, doing straight planks, bar hanging, triangle pose bending to left side so that concave side (right side) gets stretched, cobra pose, 50-60 push ups, Abs strengthning,…..Now specifically what more exercises you suggest , or which one should I avoid doing….. MY left side is convex that is it’s weaker so I guess I shall strengthen my left side, and my right side is concave that is muscles are tight , so I shall stretch my right side , …. Am I right ?
How should I strengthen lumber muscles of left side, and stretch lumber muscles on right side ……
My angle is not from birth, the pain on right side is since 6-8 months, I guess it occurred due to my long sitting bad posture job, so I guess it’s functional scoliosis and might be corrected ? Am I right….
Please elaborate more on this, I shall be highly thankful to you if you clear my doubts and guide me ….. I am just 28, and have lot of responsibilites over my shoulders , …
Hi Bharat,
Way to go on being proactive about your scoli body. If your curve is convex on the left and concave on the right, the left muscles are your work horses and are long and strong. Your right concave muscles are shorter and not as strong. Lengthen and strengthen the right side initially. You seem to really want to understand your back, which is fabulous. I’d highly suggest you read my latest book, Analyzing Scoliosis, available on amazon. It will teach how to analyzing your body and give you many exercises for you body that are backed in research. You could also watch one of my workshop videos called Analyzing Scoliosis, with Fusion Pilates EDU. I have many resources for scoliosis, but these two specifically I think would be best for you. You can find links for them here: https://spiralspine.com/scoliosis-store/ . I’m proud of you for owning your scoliosis. Blessings, Erin
Ok thanks, but one more thing can you please tell which side I should sleep, my convex side or concave side, so that gravity can also contribute in correcting the angle…
Usually I sleep on my left (convex side)… Is it ok, .. please guide ….
Hi Bharat,
Most people suggest you lie on your concave side down, so gravity pulls the curve straight. But, as I state in a section in my book Analyzing Scoliosis, sleep is when we heal, so I really don’t care how you sleep–I just want you to sleep. If you’re waking up multiple times a night to readjust yourself, then that’s a really bad choice. Focus on deeply sleeping at night and then work on your scoliosis when you are awake.
Erin
My physio says if your biggest curve is on the right side then sleep on your left side and vice versa…
By biggest curve mean concave right? …so my concave is right, in that case I shall sleep on left (convex) side so that gravity can work… However you are saying sleep on concave side down .. both are conflicting,. I am confused which one is correct.
Conceptually, I agree with the physio, but that doesn’t take into consideration the complexities of other issues going on in the rest of the body. For example, I sleep on the left side of the bed and my husband on the right side. My major curve is convex right, so “by the rules” I’m sleeping on the correct side of the bed, with the concave side of my major curve down. I’d be laying on the left side of my body. I actually prefer sleeping on my back, because it makes my spine feel best. If I wake up in the morning on my left side, the “correct side” for my spine, my neck usually feels horrible. Again, don’t focus on the position you’re sleeping in with an attempt of that “fixing” your scoli. Just sleep in a position that makes your body feel most restful in.
Ok thanks for clarifying … My physio gave me 2-3, sessions of vacuum cup therepy, …
Does cup there really helps in correcting the angle?
Or it is just temporary pain relief like electric therepy…
Also please guide me for angle correcting exercises … I want to be more focussed on exercises but the correct ones only… However my physio says do whatever you want to do, do any exercise you feel like doing …is that so….
For example if I feel like running , can I do running ?
Cupping won’t change the angle of your curve, but may help with pain relief. I’ve had cupping done many times and can honestly say I don’t think it helped my spine at all. Absolutely keep exercising if your body is happy with it. Yes. As for corrective exercises, you could get an online private session with me and I could figure out precise exercises for your specific curve or you could figure it out via my latest book Analyzing Scoliosis or one of my online workshops with Fusion Pilates EDU. All this info is on the resources page of this site. Way to go on being proactive for your scoli. -Erin
The x-ray image of the woman from Asia – does she have left thoracic scoliosis?
Brianna,
Nope, she has an upper right, lower left curve. Notice the “R” on the left side of the X-ray. That means it’s the right side of the X-ray, meaning you need to flip the X-ray around in your head.
Erin
Hi, my daughter has been doing well with strengthening her concave side but today she has overdone it and the muscles on her left side (convex) are hard and painful. Should she stretch these muscles over the gym ball ie. lie on a gym ball on her right (concave) side to help stop the spasm?
Tammy,
First off, congrats on knowing what side of your daughter’s back to work. And please congratulate your daughter for owning her scoli! That’s huge. The fact that she brought her concave side, her sleepy side, into spasm most likely means she’s been working those muscles well for a while. Secondly, yes, she needs to release them because they are in spasm. Stretch them, release them with a small ball, book a massage with a great therapist to get their fingers into those muscles and make them pliable. Do any and all of the above. No need to freak out, your daughter has just successfully totally woken them up and they are freaking out a little bit. Release the muscles and they’ll be totally fine. Follow your intuition, because it’s correct. Nice job mom.
Blessings,
Erin
The left side of my spine is always in pain, but my right side is rarely, if ever, in pain. Does that mean – in general – that I need to strengthen my left side?
Cassie,
Oddly, it usually means you need to strengthen the right side. My guess is the left side of your spine where you are referring to us the convex part of your curve. The reason those muscles are in pain is because they are the work horses and are currently overworked. Those need to chill out and the the sleepy right side needs to start doing some work. Feel the right side of your back. Is it smaller than the left side? My guess is yes. On the shop page of spiralspine.com you can see Analyzing Scoliosis, my latest book, and a training video with the same title. Both will teach you about your back and which side you should work and why.
Blessings,
Erin Myers
Thank you! The left side of my spine that is often in pain has a left thoracic curve. Does that mean that the left side is convex, since it is overworked?
Cassie, if you don’t know the shape of your spine, then you need to dot sticker pictures and create a diagram sketch from that. Click on the Starting Point Series on this website and you can watch some short, free videos showing you how to do that. Let’s not guess on which way your spine is curving if you don’t know. Blessings, Erin
Hi can I just specifically train my weaker side (concave )in the gym? I have scoliosis and my left side is much stronger and bigger than right. I was thinking just only traing my right side. Forexample : pull down with rigth arm only.
Christian,
Yes, you can. Now, be mindful that you are training the specific muscle(s) that is/are weaker. A pull down would incorporate the lat, and that goes all the way down to the bottom of the back. You need to make sure that you want the whole right side worked. Or you need to find a different exercise to work the specific muscle(s) you need worked on the right side. In my latest book, Analyzing Scoliosis, I have a whole section on figuring out exactly what muscles need to be worked–and I’d suggest you read that part. Way to go on wanting to use the equipment available to you at the gym to love on your scoli!
Blessings,
Erin
When describing the curve are we looking at the back? My sons first xray stated left thoracic on report but at today’s appointment I was told curve was to right (I think it was viewed from front) . He Does have the rib hump on the right side. Would that mean he needs to strengthen left side?
Hi Elizabeth,
It seems like X-rays were taken from both from the front and the back. It’s odd that the radiology report says the curve goes to the left because it sound like it goes to the right if the ribs stick out more on the right to the back. When I describe a curve, I’m always describing it from the back. If you question where the curve is, watch the starting point series on this website and you can learn to draw out the back and figure out where his curve is on your own. Then you can figure out which side needs to be strengthened. I hope that helped. -Erin
So you have to build up the concave side? And stretch out the convex side? I always thought it was the other way.
My guess is that your concave side is much weaker than your convex side. You must have a goal to get them to equal strength if not the concave stronger than the convex. The convex is long, yet overworked. Release the spasms on the convex side with a ball. Once those are calmed down and the concave is built up more, then you can work on shortening the convex. -Erin
How exactly do you work on shortening the convex, once you build up the concave side?
I talk about this in my latest book, Analyzing Scoliosis (available on amazon). Once both sides are bi-laterally even, or even the concave side is more built up than the convex, then you just do even, bi-lateral work because both side is finally working correctly. You can do anything where you work both right and left side of the body evenly. I hope this helps.
Erin
Hi there, how do you know when you’ve worked up to a point where both sides are bi-laterally even?
Jenna,
When the muscles visually look even, or when you are doing a bi-lateral exercise and both muscles fire evenly, then you’re even. If you’re not even and do a bi-lateral exercise, the convex muscles will often times end up in spasm because they’re still working too hard and the concave muscles aren’t working enough. Good question!
Blessings,
Erin
So if I get this right:
Convex = stronger and longer muscles
Concave = shorter weaker muscles
Right?
Correct!
I’ve known to have scoliosis since i was 12 yo. It was 20 degree curvature on my lumbar back then. Now im 26 yo, and the curvature increases to 35 degree on the lumbar and 10 degree on my upper back. Doctor said that i have to go swimming but i dont feel any body improvement from swimming. Reading Usain Bolt really give my motivation back to have normal body posture. Could you please tell me
1. which side of the body should i trained more? The concave or convex side?
2. What exercises will be suit for me?
Thank you before
Best regards
Hi Viviana, Initially you need to work the concave part of your curve. It’s atrophied in comparison to your convex side, which is hyperactive. You can watch Untwisting Scoli: Maya (go to the shop page of this site for those links) or Analyzing Scoliosis (https://goo.gl/bXDKfY, that’s not on the shop page quite yet) for exercises. Also, my latest book, Analyzing Scoliosis, will be out hopefully in January and you’ll want to get that as there are many exercises in there you can do. Keep an eye out for that. Great job on being proactive with your spine. Blessings, Erin
Erin Myers,
thank you and best wishes.
I need some help! I had an x-ray a while ago and I don’t have the image itself anymore but I do have the written details… “Mild lumbar scoliosis concave to the right” (with “curvature of lower thoracic spine to the left”). Does “concave to the right” mean I have dextroscoliosis (curve to the right) or levoscoliosis (curve to the left)? So confused!
Hi Nat,
It means your scoli spine is going to the left in your lumbar spine, so the right side is the concave side and your left side is your convex side. I’d suggest you do dot sticker pictures, a diagram sketch, and learn how to use a scoliometer since you don’t have your X-ray anymore. You can learn to do those on any of my videos or on the free starting point series at the top of the home page.
Blessings,
Erin Myers
But concave or convex are only names to refer to the outside and inner sides of the curve, waht is important here is to say that every scoliotic people MUST to know that the inner side MUST to be relaxed and the outside strenghtened. The oppossite would be something like a suicide.
Most people’s convex erectors (et. al.) are in constant spasm because they are the workhorses and are on too much. Palpate the muscles on the concave part of someone’s spine and it’ll be nothing. No muscles are firing. To find balance, stretch then strengthen the concave muscles in a LENGTHENED state. Only then will the convex muscles be able to not be in constant spasms. If you strengthen the convex muscles immediately they will be in constant spasms. Don’t believe me? Try it. Eventually both sides will be strong enough to support you and THEN you can shorten the convex muscles to help to continue the process of stacking up the spine.
Erin
I don’t know what happens with the editor. A concave angle is > 180º (is greater than 180º)
so the outside of the curve is the curve is the concave side,
It doesn’t matter what degree a curve is at. The inside is always the concave part and the outside is always the convex part.
Hi Erin, What you says about concave and convex side is what surgeons uses to say, but is a wrong definition. A convex angle is 180º, so the outside part of the curve is the concave side, and certaily muscles of the outside part are not only longer but also weaker and because the shape they are not able to keep the curve reduced. Muscles of the inisde part of the curve are shorter and tight, certainly are not alowing the stiff spines to be flexible, so the key is to straight the inside part and strenght the outside part. Best regards
Hi Arturo, Thank you for your comment do you have any website that can explain how to do this? I am in a lot of pain and I was going to try spiral spine but not if it is going to make me worse. Thanks
Hi Roxy,
It will not make you worse. I’ve helped so many people straighten their spines both in my studio and around the world. I just got done teaching a Pilates class where a woman was in a lot of pain because she had been strengthening the convex part of her curve in an attempt to straighten it, and she was in so much pain. She needed to release that, and build up the convex part in an elongated state. Once those are strong enough, she can start to work the other side again. If you strengthen the convex side immediately, like this Pilates client, you’ll end up in spasms.
Blessings,
Erin
Hi Erin, What you says about concave and convex side is what surgeons uses to say, but is a wrong definition. A convex angul is 180º, so the outside part of the curve is the concave side, and certaily muscles of the outside part are not only longer but also weaker and because the shape they are not able to keep the curve reduced. Muscles of the inisde part of the curve are shorter and tight, certainly are not alowing the stiff spines to be flexible, so the key is to straight the inside part and strenght the outside part. Best regards
Arturo,
The basic definition I said above is correct. It’s not my “opinion” or surgeons “opinions”, it’s a factual definition. If you don’t believe me, look up the basic scientific/mathematical definition online.
Erin
Fantastic breakdown! I was engaged the whole way through your article. Plus, I didn’t know that Bolt has scoliosis! Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I would like to register for the scoli education webinar mentioned above but when I click on “register here” I’m take to the page about renting the Maya video. How can I register for your upcoming webinar?
Hi Deb, The scoli education webinar has already happened, but is available to rent for 72 hours on the Shop page of SpiralSpine.com for just a few dollars. -Erin
Hi Erin,
I have left thoracic scoliosis, and right lumbar scoliosis. Some parts of my back are stretched, some are scrunched. Which areas do I need to strengthen, and which should I stretch?
Hi Barbara,
As much as I’d like to “prescribe” some exercises for you, it’s just never that easy because every scoli body is different. I’ve created many tools to help you figure out which areas of your body need to be stretched and strengthened. Check out free, short videos called the Starting Point Videos available on the top icon bar on the home page of this site. I have many online workshops available on the shop page as well. In book form, you can get Analyzing Scoliosis, which is available on amazon. You’ll learn more about your scoliosis than you could have dreamed. You could also schedule an online, virtual lesson with me where I could analyze your scoli for you and give you exercises that way. If you’re interested, you can email my studio through the contact page of this site. There are lots of ways you can learn about your scoli. Blessings, Erin
Hi , I have right side concave in lumber( pain in right side), left side convex in lumber ( No pain at all in left side).
Rest of the spine is okay, only C curve in lumber, angle 14deg
What shall I do,? Strech and strength concave side or convex side
Why pain in concave side
Hi Bharat, as I said in my comment up above, do you have a leg length discrepancy. It could be leading to functional scoliosis. -Erin