Scoliosis and Strength Training

Scoliosis, the unnatural curving of the spine.  What images does this bring to mind?  Some sort of a Quasi Modo?  A character like Igor?  Perhaps, a young child with a severely twisted back?  I have known two of these examples.  One was a woman with whom I had worked.  She could not get the surgery necessary as a youth to straighten her spine.  The other, was a vibrant, bright, active young gal whose mother was able to get her into the Shriner’s Hospital for life-changing surgery.  Surgery that straightened her spine and implanted rods in her back to hold her spine straight.  This left her with a somewhat limited list of activities for the rest of her life.

About a month ago, I was asked about lifting weights with scoliosis.  Particularly, if it is safe to lift if one has scoliosis.  The first thing I can say is to ask your doctor.  Talk to your physician about what would be recommended.

The next thing that I can say is that there have been more than a few professional strength and physique competitors who have made a name for themselves with scoliosis.   

Among those athletes we will find Usain Bolt, tennis star James Blake, Olympian Jante Evans, Olympic gymnast Alexandra Marinescu, and Hockey Player Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins.   These are some highly functional sports athletes.   You would not know, by looking at them, that there was anything off.   With the exception of the swimmers, most athletes are wearing enough to cover their back.   Physique competitors are another story.   Here is a group of competitors who make their bread and butter on how they look.

The blog, kbrocking.com, is written from the perspective of an athlete in the strength, power, and physique perspective.  This gent appears to have scoliosis.  In one piece, he mentions having his back x-rayed to ensure that he did not bend the rod in his back.  When learning that he did not damage the implant.  His confidence in what he was doing increased.   

Lamar Gant is one professional strength athlete who has scoliosis.  He set world records in powerlifting with scoliosis.

Clearly, conditions like scoliosis are limiting, but not dead ends when it comes to strength, physique, and power training.  Any limitations you may have are set by yourself.  Surpassing those limitations must be done carefully, slowly, and with consideration to your physical issues.

It may seem counterintuitive at first blush, but strength and power training actually makes sense for those with scoliosis.  Weightlifting is listed among the top five sports for those with scoliosis.  I have added powerlifting on my own bias as I love the sport and due to the extreme strengthening of the muscles along the spine, the erector spinae.

At no other time than when you are under the weights should you be more aware of your posture.  That is to say, when squatting and deadlifting, focus very closely on the details of your posture.  Mental imaging, keeping a picture in your mind, is going to be paramount.  There is a plethora of case studies on how much good mental imaging can do for you and your body, so begin here. Also, you can read about these positive effects in this piece here.  Focusing on strict posture while lifting is going to help train your mind, your conscious and subconscious awareness, and your body to better maintain its proper posture.

Nothing is going to undo the curvature of scoliosis.  That, sadly, is yours to bare.  A stronger core, which includes the below list, will help keep your body straighter and feeling stronger.  These are the muscle groups to work on for a balanced and stronger core:

Abdominal Core

Abdominal Obliques

Transverse Abdominal

Latissimus Dorsi

Trapezius

To a lesser degree, the muscles around your shoulder blades have an impact on your posture as well. Those muscles are shown in the picture presented here.

A building cannot stand without a strong foundation.  Nor can it stand if the middle floors are poorly constructed.

Aside from cautioning you to talk to your physician first I would also say that you should likely not perform any exercises that twist the core.  Movements like Trunk Twist or Russian Twists, for instance, should be avoided.  Do not twist your spine under tension, pressure, or move it laterally with speed.

Otherwise, there is not any reason why you should not lift weights.  Just be a little cautious, perhaps a touch more so than your slightly less-bent compadres.

Stay safe. Lift strong!