Scoliosis and exercise

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explainsitall
explainsitall Posts: 35
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all

I have scoliosis in my upper back, so I've been doing low impact cardio such as fitness walking and pilates. I'm noticing results and have steadily increased from 30 minutes of physical activity to averaging between 70-95 minutes per day.

My question is am I going to continue seeing results with low impact fitness? It's very hard on my back to do high impact and I have to stop myself after 15 or so minutes because of the pain. I am just concerned that eventually the low impact wont be "good enough."

So far I've gone from a size 16 to a 10 or 12, so I am definitely losing, I just don't want that to completely stop.

Replies

  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Weight loss is largely or completely diet related so I wouldn't sweat it too much. Injuring yourself and not being able to do ANY exercise is a lot worse than just strictly low impact exercise. When you say high impact, what do you mean? Lots of jumping around and such? Why not just avoid the specific moves that hurt? Maybe see a doctor and see what some good exercises are for someone in your condition? Maybe add in some resistance training that you can handle instead? You'll be better off long term.
  • yummy_
    yummy_ Posts: 248 Member
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    I have mild scoliosis through my mid back and rather pronounced lordosis in my lower back.
    I find running to be very uncomfortable, but use the elliptical for cardio (intervals).

    I find that prolonged steady state cardio exercise is effective if you are training for a marathon, but not if you are seeking to increase strength and maintain muscle structure. You will also run into over-training issues, and your calorie burn is likely not as high as you think.

    In addition to trying interval based cario, I highly encourage you to begin strength training to complement your conditioning.
    Done correctly, this will help strengthen your core muscles which in turn, support your spine.

    If you'd really like to nerd out on it, please see this article by Mr. Lyle McDonald
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/steady-state-and-interval-training-part-1.html

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