Scoliosis is a different animal. And thus far, this thread hasn???t explained the inherent natures of training for people diagnosed with scoliosis.
You have to understand the nature of scoliosis. It is NOT a fixed physical deformation of one's spine. Scoliosis DOES get worse - the quicker your skeletal growth, the worse the condition. The older you get, the worse the condition. The more you gym, the WORSE more pronounce the deformities - but more on this later.
To clarify the above, it is not rare to find people with curvatures of 20 degrees between ages 20 - 25 (just after puberty). The skeletal growth after puberty is minimal, so the curvature will not increase as drastically as during puberty, until the vertebrae start deteriorating due to old age.
However, if neglected, scoliosis does have the tendency to increase by 1 degree a year (and apparently 2 degrees for woman who have bared children).
Every spinal curvature WILL correct itself WITH ANOTHER curvature. eg. If you were diagnosed at age 16 with a 20 degree curvature in the thoracic region, then by the time you end puberty, you will have another curvature in the lumbar region.
Another point to consider is the vertebrae rotation as a product of scoliosis. This is normally more significant in the thoracic region for 2 reasons.
1. It DECREASES the capacity of the rib cage, putting undue stress on the heart and lungs &
2. Causes diverse deformities to every muscle attached to said rib cage (obviously, if the ribcage becomes twisted due to the vertebrae's rotation, then the muscle covering the rib cage will be either enlarged or elongated)
Again, if you have been diagnosed with scoliosis in the thoracic or lumbar region, you will eventually experience rotations in both regions.
Another point is the lack of lordosis, this is the loss of the natural curve in the spine. This brings about all sorts of posture related problems which are a bit beyond the scope of this post.
Deformities of scoliosis
One Enlarged shoulder.
This is due to the spinal column pushing the lateral muscle (which would be under stress) and actually lifting the shoulder blade forward. Giving the appearance that-
a. Your shoulder is more forward than the opposite side.
b. It appears as if you???re always slouching no matter how straight you stand.
This problem under training conditions
The most significant problem is unequal form ( the effected side's arm will likely seem longer than the other) which will cause extra ( apart from the inherent left/right hand problem) development of one side.
The above is directly related to the pec issue.
The only advice i can give is to keep the effected shoulder as back as possible when performing an movement. e.g. Squeezing the shoulder blades together for bench press will ensure both arms reach the bar at more or less the same distance. Or pulling your shoulders back when performing barbell curls. This will help (but never solve) the symmetry problem.
Uneven abdominals.
Now here i would stake my life that the alternate lumbar area (right abs dominant, left lower back dominant etc) will also seem enlarged. This is caused by both the correction curvature pushing the lumbar area out and the rotation of the spine in that area, all cooped with the body???s ability to correct asymmetry.
Gives the appearance of
a. Great Abs!!!....albeit on one side.
b. Your torso will seem a lot thicker due to the deformation in lower back muscles.
This problem under training conditions.
Again, inherently bad form will cause one side to be more developed than the other. Nothing can be done about it, so may as well make your abs as strong as possible to support the lower back and hopefully prevent any further increase in the lumbar curvature.
As for the lower back symptom, I would suggest trying SLDLs as a means to strengthen the lower back, or hyper extensions, weighted or not, up to you.
I cannot recommend dead lifts, i feel that if the spines lack of lordosis (which will definitely occur with all the rotation and correction) removes the possibility of doing dead lifts free from injury ( the spine needs to be supported by a natural curvature to place sufficient strain on the lower back muscles instead of the lumbar vertebrae while doing dead lifts, if you lack lordosis, perfuming dead lifts is not only difficult but very dangerous - think instant fibrocitis).
If you do manage to hurt yourself on SLDL, or notice deformities developing, then opt for the hyper extension root.
One hip lower than the other.
This may not seem extremely visible, but I promise....if the lumbar region is affected, they are as well. This will also give the appearance of having one leg shorter than the other (common symptom of this is that when you walk, the shorter leg automatically hooks inside your stride, you feel as if you are walking on the outer most side of your foot). This is not really significant since limbs are normally free from deformities.
At the end of the day, training under scoliosis symptoms such as these (to be more direct, if your curvature is 20+ degrees, you will experience a majority of these symptoms) is a risk you yourself have to weigh.
Risk 1, continue with the worsted case 1 degree increase per year and be in a crippled state for your old age (not joking here, it is possibility)
Or
Risk 2, try strengthen the muscles now enough to support you through to old age.
Sure you might suffer a bit of deformities and never really look as good as you should, but you decrease the risk of heart and lung disease associated with serious (35 +) scoliosis.
You might think 20 - 30 degrees is mild, but take a look at the x-rays used to measure the curvature and think how the muscles will form around the curved spine. It will paint a scary picture.
My objective here is to help people with this condition to have a realistic perspective of scoliosis and training under scoliosis.
In closing, orthopedic surgeons don???t want to touch scoliosis until its absolutely chronic (45+), and you will obtain very little advice or help in that direction. Chiropractors are a better choice, they are actually willing to help without cutting you open and screwing around, plus most have a interest in bodybuilding.
It is in your own interest to check the curvature degree every few years, your efforts might prove detrimental if you are not following basic body building principles.
edit: Been reading more about this condition, Some recent studies show a few people that have managed to correct their scoliosis to some degree though proper posture management (see alexander technique) aswell as other exercises. I cant find any other information or details about this.
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