What Do You Think of When You Hear Massage Scoliosis?

Massage Scoliosis, one is the art of performing massage therapy on an individual through the use of hands; the other is an abnormal lateral curve of the vertebral column.  Scoliosis is named based the convexity of the curve and most are right compensatory curves typically within the thoracic spine.  When the curve goes to the left this is especially dangerous due to added stress put on the heart.  This is an immediate referral situation.  Scoliosis causes buckling resulting in distortion of all planes.  The major components of deformity are lordosis, rotation and torsion, and lateral deformity.  A functional curve may be compensatory (leg length inequality, or pelvis subluxation) or postural (muscle imbalance).  A functional scoliosis is typically corrected with joint mobilization and strengthening exercises, both of which a massage therapist or chiropractor can assist in.  A structural scoliosis may be due to a congenital deformity, a neuromuscular problem, a mesenchymal disorder such as Ehlers-Danlos and Dwarfism, trauma, vertebral neoplasms, metabolic bone softening disorders such as Osteomalacia, or it may be idiopathic, no known cause.

There are different degrees of scoliosis and the types of treatment differ greatly because of the extent of the postural abnormality.  Specific exercises that a massage therapist can assist in are: stretching the concave side, strengthening the convex side, strengthening the trunk muscles, rotary torsion exercises to the left for right thoracic curves, and massage therapy to relax the taut muscles of the spine.  Applying heat to these individuals will help them to greatly relax the muscles and allow them to be stretched more easily, easing the job of the massage therapist and chiropractor.  The chiropractor must be proficient in dealing with the scoliosis patient, as it’s crucial to adjust according to the specific curve in order to keep them as pain-free as possible with the most range of motion within their spine.