The problem of scoliosis of the spine in children is very acute, and methods of treatment of these diseases also belong to excessive therapeutic actions. Usually in this case, parents have a problem of choice: whether to do surgery on the spine in order to correct (straighten) the spinal column by fixing it on a variety of metal corrective structures, or still abandon the operation and engage in natural correction of the spine?
There are many theories that explain the appearance of scoliosis in the child’s body, but so far none of them has become fundamental. From my point of view, all the theories known to me are speculative, since they all consider only the bone part of the vertebral column (vertebral line) and do not give any comments about the role of poorly working muscles of the spine and their interaction with the muscles of the belt of the upper and lower extremities. In addition, the features of age physiology are not taken into account, that is, the influence of the spinal column and all its anatomical elements on the development of other organs and systems during adulthood, as well as the peculiarities of the formation of the body in the puberty period (puberty) — in girls it is 13-15 years, in boys 14-16 years. In some cases, girls may experience this period earlier.
I constantly have to look at x-rays, streaked lines at different angles, through which the child is diagnosed with scoliosis from the 1st to the 4th degree. But even a schoolboy knows that in the treatment of any disease it is necessary to treat the cause, not the consequence. When curvature of the spine x-ray shows only a consequence, that is, changed, curved line of the vertebrae. Of course, bone tissue is the main part of the skeleton, which performs a supporting function in relation to the muscle structures that are attached to the bones, but it is the muscles that form a system of levers that multiply the efforts created by man, and convert them into body movements. That is, the muscles move the bones, and the bones just hold these muscles and because of this, by the way, the bones become stronger. That is, how muscles work, this is what bones become. If the muscles do not work well, the bones are weak, and the vertebrae are curved. If the muscles are working fine, and the skeleton is strong, and leverage is strong.
Now tell me, what is the point in the angles of vertebrae measured by radiologists and their rotation, if these images do not see the muscles (muscles 84 % consist of water, so the x-rays pass through them without being reflected in the pictures) and their strength can not be measured. If the structure is considered without understanding the function, then the structure is considered incorrectly. Bone is a structure. Muscles are a function!
Bone is a structure of muscles is a feature. If the structure is considered without understanding the function, it is considered incorrectly.
Meanwhile, in a teenager with scoliosis of the spine, there is an asymmetry in the development of surface muscles as well. In this regard, orthopedists offer children to perform asymmetric exercises or dress them in corsets with an attempt to forcibly “correct” muscle groups. But asymmetric exercises create new muscle rollers, and corsets squeeze the body, interfering with the internal organs. Orthopedists insist on surgical correction, inserting various metal structures into the spine, but it is still impossible to align the spinal column, and the vertebrae begin to “walk” in these structures. In addition, with surgical correction, it is scary to look at children: there is a rough scar all over the back, from the neck to the pelvis. A little later, a whole group of diseases associated with non-working muscles develops, back pain occurs and… there are new curvatures above or below the “corrective” system. What awaits the patient in this case — a new operation? And then new scars, new suffering and… new diseases? In such cases, there are blood diseases, and a decrease in immunity, and the consolidation of psychological inferiority.
Exercises on the exercise therapy system also practically do not give results, because specialists in exercise therapy forget that efforts create muscles, and bones are used only as levers. That is, in this case, serious efforts are needed, and simple exercises and body movements in the space of the gym such a problem can not be solved. If the muscles move the bones, and the bones are the skeleton, then what kind of effort must be created to deploy the bones (vertebrae) in different directions? I believe that if they have formed scoliosis (and it’s formed by girls for 11-13 years and boys to 14 years), deploy the bones is impossible, so any attempt to expand the vertebrae violently in the other direction are pointless and harmful!
What to do? You have to learn to live with that back. But how is that possible?! To understand this, you just need to analyze the functional anatomy of the spine. The anatomical structure of the musculoskeletal system suggests that in the formed spine, in addition to the bones, there are also three groups of muscles only on the back surface (deep, intermediate, surface), and deep spinal muscles are characterized by the fact that the deeper they are, the shorter and… stronger. In addition, there are lateral muscles (square and lumbar), which tilt the body to the side, the muscles of the anterior surface of the spine — abdominal wall muscles (straight and transverse), as well as internal oblique and external oblique muscles of the trunk. Rotation (twisting) of the vertebrae occurs precisely due to the deep paravertebral muscles with the participation of broad and oblique abdominal muscles.
Age-related physiology suggests that from the moment of birth the child primarily formed cartilage and deep muscles. Over time, cartilage is gradually transformed into bone, and deep muscles contribute to the development and formation of more superficial muscles. The correct formation of the skeleton depends on the correct physical development at an early age, and the correct physical development depends on the correct gymnastics, affecting the development of the skeleton and deep muscles of the back and abdominal muscles, which parents should carry out with a small child. But who of parents regularly engaged in little physical exercises like pull-UPS, hyperextension, or “squats” while lying? Unfortunately, most parents don’t do that.
Why am I talking about this? The fact is that when performing these exercises with a baby, it is possible to identify the functional asymmetry of the development of deep muscles, which in turn affect the correct or incorrect development of the spine.
In the initial period of life, the child is always better pushed with one foot or better grabs with one hand. This is a functional indicator of dysplasia (underdevelopment) of the muscles of one side of the trunk. If during the exercises you pay attention to this and in a timely manner (that is, during the most active growth of the child — in the first year of life) start to carry out corrective gymnastics for the baby, which will make him work with lagging limbs, then there will be no negative consequences in the form of scoliosis. Such gymnastics should be carried out regularly, and it requires certain knowledge and courage from parents. But if time does not pay attention to the problem and raise a child as a crystal vase, afraid of exercise, then wait for trouble! And the trouble will come in the form of scoliosis of varying degrees of severity: in girls it will happen at the age of 11-13 years, and in boys at 14-16 years.
That is, it is necessary to actively engage in the prevention of scoliosis, developing the muscles of the trunk — the upper, lower limbs and back muscles, it is during the rapid growth of bone tissue, which at this time grows by itself, without any effort on the part of a rapidly growing organism, and muscles develop only through exercise. If this is not done, then in the period from 11 to 14 years from the depth of the body to the arena “out” underdeveloped on the one hand and strong on the other side of the spine muscles (paravertebral muscles). They twist the spine, and the bones only multiply the efforts created by skeletal muscles. So there is scoliosis in a child whose parents did not have it, but their child just did not do. Of course, there are also injuries, and… chiropractors, which prevent the spine to develop properly, and orthopedists, who prescribe tires for the so-called hip dysplasia. But this contribution to the overall picture of the development of scoliosis in children is still small — it is much less of a threat than illiterate parents.
The best treatment is disease prevention. In this case, the right power (!) gymnastics and child, namely children’s home trainer with ladders, ropes and rings. Muscles develop only strength exercises, which include pull-UPS, push-UPS, viss and jumps. But the baby is usually prescribed only massage. But if the child grew up without gymnastics, then during the puberty period he has for one year “suddenly” gets scoliosis.
What to do? Do not rush and try to fix it mechanically — corset, surgery or plaster beds! Such measures prevent harmonious development of the whole body. It is necessary to know that for the harmonious development of the body, the main element is not the bones, but the spinal cord, hidden in the spinal column under the thickness of the muscles. But if the vertebral column is fixed by metal structures, it can no longer work fully, and this affects the functions of all body systems. The immobility of the spine, caused by the installation of metal structures, primarily prevents the work of the muscles of the back, inside which there are nerves and blood vessels that supply food and oxygen to all organs of the trunk. Muscles, surrounded or fixed by a metal structure, stop “pumping” blood and lymph through these vessels, and as a result, the nutrition of the relevant organs is disturbed. This leads to pain and disease.
Muscles, surrounded or fixed by a metal structure, stop “pumping” blood and lymph through the vessels. As a result, the nutrition of the relevant organs is disrupted, which leads to the appearance of pain and the development of diseases.
But these “adjusted” metal children the real trouble lies in wait a little later. About the cosmetic effect (the scar in his back) I said, but the disease is more terrible than any scar! In addition, a little later (maybe even after 5-10 years) begin to hurt undeveloped, fixed metal muscles. Such back pain is difficult to remove even strong drugs, and in fact “child” by the time it will be 20-30 years! His life in fact has not yet begun, but ahead of him only continuous suffering, and such a difficult situation is rewarded only because of the whim of adults quickly and easily straighten the child’s spine…
If scoliosis is already formed, it is necessary to engage in the development of “underdeveloped” muscles. To do this, contact the Center of modern kinesitherapy, working by the method of Bubnovsky. In the treatment of scoliosis by kinesitherapy, power stretching is used, that is, simulators that include simultaneously all the levers of the trunk (from fingers to heels) in decompression mode. In this method, there are many subtleties, so patients have many questions. One of them is excluded if the asymmetric exercise?! The answer is Yes. Only symmetrical on the axis! For example, the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall are powerful flexors of the trunk. They are located in front of the axis of the spinal column. These muscles pull the entire spine forward in the lumbosacral and thoracic joints.
These muscles have an extremely powerful effect, as they work with the use of leverage. In our case, it is a horizontal (lower) thrust, which helps to straighten the lumbar and thoracic kyphosis. That is, the hands should be strong, as they extend the spine top-forward along the axis. But orthopedists do not attach any importance to the strength of the hands or their impact on the correction of the spine. Nevertheless, there are several dozens of exercises (primarily on MTB) that allow decompression unloading of the spine along the axis forward and upward. This levers the top of the body from the arms to the pelvis. I must say that the main muscles of the back are attached to the pelvis, to the sacroiliac ligament. But, in addition, of great importance is the lever of the lower half of the body from the pelvis to the heels — a belt of the lower extremities. That is, the pelvis (“fifth point”) as it divides the body into two equal levers, which complement each other, so the correction of the spine specialists in modern kinesitherapy do not consider these levers separately from each other. In this case, the lower limb belt lever has a more significant functional value, since it is he who aligns the pelvis with the help of special exercises. The main exercises for the correction of the spine include the press of the legs at an angle of 45-50 degrees, lying on the back.
Children with scoliosis usually have weak or rigid legs. Such children are bad “bend”, and often they have both these functional defects that worsen the elasticity of the spine. How can a child run or jump if the legs do not help the spine? But if this spine to be augmented to include a metal structure, which is held on the vertebrae with transversely screwed in the screws?..
Thus, the correction of the spine can not be considered a real correction, if it is carried out without the participation of the body levers, which include the belt of the upper and lower limbs. And let it be my personal opinion, because there are many specialists who do not agree with this position! But artificial straightening of the spine with locally screwed correctors I think is meaningless and harmful not only for the spine, but also for the whole body. It is especially difficult to look at children who have not yet reached the age of 16-18, but already have a similar metal structure that “corrects” their spine. At this age, the body (and the body as a whole) is still growing, and such a metal system does not allow it to grow and develop. But nature can not be fooled! And then what happens? The body is twisted in those parts that are free from the metal corrector. And then the same orthopedists raise the question of the “need” to install additional correctors, which they recommend to place above or below the already set — from the neck to the pelvis. Better put them to themselves that it was better for them to think…
In the middle ages there was a kind of execution, when a person was put on a stake. In our time, such an execution is the installation of a metal corrector on the spine. The child does not understand what price he will pay for the temporary (it is temporary!) alignment of the spinal column surgically. It is necessary to explain and, if you want, to show the parents of those children who underwent such an operation. But in orthopedic medicine it is considered that scoliosis 3-4-th degree is necessary to operate…
Why is this happening? The answer is that they, orthopedists, just do not want to admit the serious consequences of such a correction, which are waiting for the child (teenager, young man or girl), because nothing else they can not do. They look at the person as on a disc to which it is possible to screw something or, on the contrary, to cut off. At the same time, natural physical correction with the help of decompression antigravity simulators MTB allows you to correct many physical development omissions in childhood and helps a teenager with scoliosis become flexible, strong, confident.
There are more than 60 exercises that correct the spine, and the child can do exercises on MTB from the age of 5-6 years! But it is important to understand that you need to do exercises all the time — these classes should become a necessary component of your lifestyle! But what’s wrong with that? It’s not only useful, but also much nicer than spending hours on the Internet, stupefying from games and losing adequacy in real life! Unfortunately, this affects a huge number of young people today! But if a person has a goal, if he is faced with the task of spiritual development and improvement of his own physical health, if he subordinates his life to this task — is it bad? Such girls with scoliosis marry safely, give birth to healthy children and raise them correctly from the first day of life. Thus, a person with scoliosis has a choice: voluntary disability or a healthy life, but in the fight!
Correction of the spine can not be considered a real correction, if it is carried out without the body levers, which include the belt of the upper and lower limbs.
And if the patient still put a metal structure? Can he then engage in kinesitherapy? Is there in this case a guarantee of preservation of some correction occurred in the case of removal of the metal structure?
I often hear such questions. First: to engage in kinesitherapy is simply necessary at least to adapt the body to this metal structure, to achieve at least some compensation. This allows you to restore normal blood circulation and microcirculation in the muscles of the spine.
But in such a situation, I’m talking more about Hyper-compensation, that is, very hard work on the simulators, because it is this attitude that will not allow the spine itself to fall apart. It is necessary to understand that the vertebrae, isolated attached to each other by a metal structure, do not move fully, but from the point of view of anatomy it is hinges! Due to the lack of full-fledged movement gradually atrophy deep periarticular muscles, which, in fact, nourish and “feed” the vertebrae, supplying them with trace elements (calcium, water, blood) and removing all waste. But with the metal system, these muscles do not work, so over time they atrophy, and together with the vessels, capillaries and lymphatic vessels passing in these muscles… So only their own work at the level of hypercompensation will allow with the help of other (neighboring) muscles partially fill this deficiency!
What prevents a person who has undergone the installation of a metal structure on the spine from doing compensatory gymnastics? Laziness? It is difficult for me to comment on laziness, but I know that those patients who came to our center with similar “corrective” designs, feel sharply increased functionality, and in their life there are new horizons and new opportunities! Very often, as a result of such work, the metal structure is loosened, the plates break, and they are removed. But the work continues! However, the scars in my back still, but we must move on!
I work a lot with Paralympic wheelchair users. These are very cheerful people! You have to learn optimism from them, if you do not see other examples. These guys have a goal, and this goal is life! And the more tests their body makes, the more interesting their life becomes!