Late Onset Scoliosis is Common in Older Adults

by Nina

Reclining Nude, back by Henri Matisse

A recent New Times article Scoliosis Can Hit Well Past Adolescence by Jane Brody confirmed something I have been observing in the yoga community: late-onset scoliosis is quite common in older people. I developed the problem myself in my fifties, so I’m quite aware of the condition, and I’ve noticed a large number of other older yoga practitioners with the same problem. Here’s what Jane Brody said about this:

"Although scoliosis is generally thought of as a problem of adolescents, who often require bracing or surgery to correct the curvature, the condition is actually far more prevalent in older adults. In a study by orthopedists at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn of 75 healthy volunteers older than age 60, fully 68 percent had spinal deformities that met the definition of scoliosis: a curvature deviating from the vertical by more than 10 degrees."

Even a mild version of scoliosis can result in chronic pain of different types. While your pain could be in your back, it might also be in your hip (because scoliosis can make your hips uneven) or even your leg and/or knee (because scoliosis can make one leg “virtually” shorter than the because that hip is higher).

Baxter, who teachers Yoga for Back Care, has already written about scoliosis (see Friday Q&A: Scoliosis). But I decided to write about it today because I think it’s important for us all—students and teachers alike—to realize what a common problem this is. And if you (or a student of yours) are having mysterious back pain, hip pain, or leg pain, it’s worth being checked out to see if this is causing the problem. Some people just don’t think of it! I personally know of two cases of women with pain who didn’t realize they had scoliosis. In one case, the yoga student’s teacher casually mentioned, well, of course, you have scoliosis, because it was visible to his sharp eyes. She had no idea! And in another case, it was I myself who noticed it while I was assisting a fellow student doing a backbend. I just asked her, “Do you have scoliosis?” She was surprised I had asked, but we when talked afterward, it turned out she was having quite a lot of pain, including in her hip. So I encouraged her to get checked out by a health professional, and sure enough, she did have scoliosis.

Getting checked out is not necessarily a big deal. A health professional can do a visual test that is quite simple (he or she will watch your spine as you come bend into a forward bend), although in same cases, if your scoliosis is very mild, you may need an X-ray to detect it. But it is worth knowing the source of your physical problems because, yes, yoga can help. Even Jane Brody had a yoga pose recommended to help her:

Determined to minimize further shrinkage and to avoid pain and nerve damage, I consulted a physiatrist who, after reviewing X-rays of my misshapen spine, said the muscles on my right side, where the spinal protrusion is, were overdeveloped relative to the left. He prescribed a yoga exercise — a side plank — to strengthen the muscles on the left and exert enough of a tug on my spine to keep it from protruding farther to the right. He suggested that the exercise might even straighten the curve somewhat.

That pose sounds like Vasisthasana (aka Side Plank pose) to me! And there are whole lot of other yoga poses you can do to strengthen your back and balance your curve. So if you’ve been diagnosed with this condition, seek out a yoga for back care teacher who understands scoliosis, take a Yoga for Scoliosis workshop, or check out Elise Browning Miller’s web site (she’s a long-time yoga teacher who uses yoga to manage her own scoliosis) for info on her books and DVD and other resources.

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Why Many Working Adults Spend For A Massage Therapy

By Mattie Knight

With the tough competition in todays workplace, it is easy to see why many people are struggling to always perform on their best and make sure that they deliver high quality job for them to secure their spot in the company. This can be real draining if you do it at a daily basis. And we know that when you start to feel tired, the quality of your work starts to decline as well.

There are several means by which one could go about this. Massage therapy in Queens NY is only one of those popular interventions. Its a non intrusive kind of treatment used to help people relax. Of course, the effect may not be that immediate. But when done at a regular manner, one will soon see the improvement.

If you start looking at your options around town, you will see that there are really several services who are opening their doors to those who need the service. You just need to choose who among them would you like to work with. If you are still unsure of what this can do to you, then knowing the following reasons behind its popularity could help you make the decision.

Improved flexibility. Those who spend majority of their time staying in one place for work and does not get the chance to move around are likely to have difficulty in flexing their muscles. This can contribute to more tension build up. Having regular massage could help stop it from becoming more severe which can then lead to pain.

Enhanced mood. Following the good feeling brought about by this massage, one can then start seeing an improved performance in terms of mood. Reduced feeling of anxiety as well as mood swings can also be observed.

Lesser body pain. Working while you have all of those body pains is really uncomfortable. And the more you expose to more work, the more painful it becomes. Once you feel that stinging pain in your back for example, you should already take the time to rest. Having the massage is an effective means of reducing the pain.

Improved activity. There is also a proven effect on its capacity to give you more energy. This way, you will not immediately get tired after doing one thing. You will feel more revitalized and will be able to proceed with the rest of the work.

Great for meditation opportunity. Its not easy to find some silent and quality time spent for talking to yourself and emptying your mind with all those worries. This is because we got all the noise everywhere. The time you spend for massage sessions can help you give some silent type which you can then spend for meditating.

Stress factors are all around. And if we are not careful, we may end up feeling more uncomfortable than what we already are. So before things come to worse, might as well invest on trying out this intervention that does not need any form of ingesting something.

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You can visit www.bodycareny.com/ for more helpful information about Proven Benefits Of A Massage Therapy To Adults.