Muscle imbalances are a documented aspect of scoliosis, but really, most people do deal with muscle imbalance.
I was at the gym yesterday working with my personal trainer and it was leg day. I enjoy leg days, I feel so much stronger overall when I strengthen the lower half of my body. But let me tell you what, I was SHOCKED at how wobbly I was on my right leg when I began one of the exercises in the circuit. It was borderline bizarre, because I only struggled on my right leg. My left leg was rock solid. And the thing is, the surprise isn’t so much that there was a very clear imbalance from one side of my body to the other, the surprise was that prior to this workout, I hadn’t noticed.
As many of you know, I am a big believer in yoga and strength training, but over the course of Covid and working from home the past few years, I fell out of the routine of caring for my physical body. If you are like me and making your physical fitness a priority, this post is for you.
Research on muscle imbalances in scoliosis
First, I want to go over a little science. Strengthening our muscles is honestly really good for our health and it is something that is within our power. The more we know about the health of our spine, the more motivated and empowered we can be to make some helpful changes.
Research on muscle imbalances in scoliosis has shown that the condition can lead to uneven muscle strength and activation on the sides of the spine, with one side often being weaker than the other due to underuse, while the other side is overused to compensate for the curve (source).
A preliminary study proposed a new exercise protocol for idiopathic scoliosis, suggests that strengthening the concave side paraspinal muscles might improve scoliosis (source).
A cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between imbalance factors, including paraspinal muscle asymmetry, in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (source).
In scoliosis treatment, it’s not uncommon to incorporate exercise and stretches in physical therapy that aim to make tight muscles more flexible and weak muscles stronger. I’ve detailed a few more ideas to consider as you care for yourself if you are in prevention, treatment or maintenance of scoliosis.
4 ways to improve muscle balance and correct overcompensation
1. Strength training that includes muscle isolation
Exercises that focus on strength on one side of the body (one leg at a time or one arm at a time for example) will provide both helpful information as well as an opportunity to strengthen each side individually and improve balance. I was doing the Bulgarian Split Squat (check it out here) when I noticed my own imbalances the other day.
2. Yoga
Stretching is not something I enjoy doing, but I LOVE how I feel after. What I appreciate about yoga is how mindful it is as a practice. I find that gentle yoga and yin yoga are two accessible ways to get in touch with how different parts of the body feel, where imbalances are while simultaneously strengthening them.
3. Active rest
Do I want to lay on the couch with my heated neck wrap and binge cringy documentaries about crazy cult leaders? Yes. But laying around on the couch, while a helpful form of rest, needs to be supplemented with other active forms of rest. Active rest can be restorative yoga, which is both restful and relaxing.
When I am needing full-body muscle relief to release tension and muscle clusters, a massage fits the bill. My current favorite is a good quality 90-minute massage.
These are both gentle ways to introduce recovery and relief to the muscles, connective tissue and the facia that really need the loving care.
4. Meditation
Sitting in silence and focusing on the breath is great for the nervous system. It’s also a wonderful chance to scan through the body to see where there is tightness. Focusing on the breath can bring relief to these places and assist in deepening the connection between the mind and the body. You can do a body scan meditation at any time, so if sitting down for a 5 or 10 minute meditation sounds like too much right now, take a minute or two wherever you are to take a few deep breaths and get in touch with how you are feeling in your body.
What will you try?
