How Scoliosis Affects Balance and What to Do About It
Today, we’re talking about how scoliosis affects balance. Your curve can have a significant impact on your balance, making it harder to perform daily activities comfortably. And if you don’t take steps to counteract those balance issues, they can become worse over time. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to improve your balance.
How Your Scoliosis Affects Balance
It’s easy to think that balance is directly tied to overall fitness. But that’s not the case! I’ve seen many scoliosis patients who work hard on their fitness, and they can run or lift weights without any issues. But they can’t handle even the most basic balance exercises, like standing on one foot, because they’ve never worked on their balance!
If you want an effective fitness routine that directly addresses your scoliosis, you need to build a well-rounded program that includes strength and balance.
Testing Your Balance
Before you can create a plan to improve your balance (or work with a scoliosis specialist to develop a plan), it’s important to know just how much your condition has affected your balance.
Want to test your balance? Try holding each position in this list for 1 minute:
Stand with your feet as close together as possible (ideally with no space in between).
Repeat the same exercise, but with your eyes closed.
Try to stand with one foot directly in front of the other (heel to toe). Try switching so the other foot is in front.
Repeat those positions with your eyes closed.
Stand on one leg. Then, switch to the other one.
Try standing on each leg with your eyes closed.
Each of these steps challenges the balance more than the previous one. If you try this sequence to test your balance, note which of the poses was the most difficult.
Additionally, most people find it harder to balance when their eyes are closed. When you close your eyes, you might find that you sway more or experience more wobbliness in your feet and ankles.
Spinal Curvature and Balance
Consider your results from the balance test above. When you stood on one foot, was that more challenging on a certain side? Most people with scoliosis find it far more difficult to balance on one foot than the other.
Understanding how scoliosis affects balance is an important part of the treatment process. Here are five ways that your curve impacts your balance.
Body weight
Most people tend to bear more weight on the leg that’s on the side of their primary curve. Your curve pulls your body in that direction, so it feels natural to support more of your body’s weight with that leg and foot
Muscle development
Your body’s muscle development also plays a role in your balance. Because your body automatically carries more weight on the side of your primary curve, the muscles on that side (particularly the hip muscles) are likely far stronger and more developed than the muscles on the other side.
Proprioception
Three main body systems manage your balance.
Vision
Vestibular (managed in the inner ear)
Proprioceptive
The proprioceptive system manages your awareness of your body’s position and movement. You have proprioceptors in all your joints that tell your brain where your body is in space.
So when you close your eyes, your body has to rely more heavily on your vestibular and proprioceptive systems to maintain balance. Strengthening those systems helps you improve your balance all the time, even when your eyes are open.
Discomfort
If your scoliosis causes discomfort, you may have a harder time maintaining your balance. When you experience pain, your body naturally focuses on that feeling and tries to fix it. That leaves fewer resources to focus on managing your balance.
Neurological issues
Some people experience numbness, tingling, or other neurological issues caused by their scoliosis. You might experience those sensations when you’re trying to stand on one foot, which makes it harder to focus on your balance.
How to Improve Your Balance
There are several steps you can take to reduce the effects of scoliosis on your balance.
Alignment
The first step toward better balance is improving your alignment. This means finding your midline and learning how to hold yourself in a centered way. Your curve pulls you away from your midline (generally toward your greatest prominence).
Finding better balance means drawing yourself away from that side toward your midline, and then doing strengthening exercises in that corrected position to help yourself maintain that posture all the time.
Exercise
Several specific exercises can help you improve your balance. It’s best to work with a scoliosis specialist or physical therapist to choose the ones that are best for your unique condition.
Many people find balance exercises frustrating, especially those who tend to be perfectionists. But even if they’re difficult, these exercises can have a significant positive effect on your balance. And the more you practice them, the easier they will get.
Lifestyle
Following an exercise routine to work on your strength and balance is important, but if you can find ways to incorporate minor balance work into your daily life, you’ll see improvements even faster.
I like to find times during the day when I can practice standing on one foot. For example, I do this while I brush my teeth, and I switch feet every time I move my toothbrush to a different part of my mouth.
Another option is to change your foot position when you’re standing in a line. When I’m waiting to check out at the grocery store, I practice putting my feet right next to each other or one foot in front of the other and just holding that position until it’s time to move forward. Having your feet in these positions gives you a narrower base of support, so it requires your body to work harder to balance.
Consider an assistive device
If you don’t feel like you can perform any balance exercises for fear of falling, you might want to think about getting a cane, walker, or similar assistive device to help. Lowering that fear of falling can help you feel more capable of working on those balance exercises consistently. And that practice may eventually eliminate your need for the device entirely!
There are many different choices when it comes to assistive devices. It’s best to work with a PT or scoliosis specialist to decide which device is best for you.
Consistent Practice Improves Your Balance
Many scoliosis patients find that their curve impacts their balance and alignment. If you had a hard time with the balance test I recommended, don’t be discouraged. There are several things you can do to improve your balance. And as long as you work on these exercises consistently, you will see your balance improve.
If you don’t know where to start or want extra support while you work on your balance, I offer small group coaching sessions online. My Scoliosis Strength Collective is a 6-month virtual coaching program designed to help you understand your curve and learn how to manage your scoliosis symptoms effectively. Get all the details here! You can also schedule a free call with me, and if my programs aren’t the right fit, I can recommend other options.
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Resources Mentioned
The Scoliosis Strength Collective
