Scoliosis: What Should You Do?

October 28, 2025

3 min read

When you are a child, your parents tell you not to slouch. When you are an adult, you hear that you should stand upright, straighten your shoulders and breathe deeper. How much are you in control of your posture, and how can you change your body from appearing like a question mark to looking more like an exclamation?

Key takeaways

When you are a child, your parents tell you not to slouch.
Basic facts
Progressing spinal curvature

Who this is for

People exploring Bones and muscles through scoliosis, posture.

Why it matters

This piece helps you get oriented quickly, then move into a collection or series if you want to keep going.

Article author

Dr. Anna

Neurologist

Basic facts

A stooped posture and scoliosis are developed during the period of growth of your vertebral column. In 80 % of cases, it is impossible to identify their cause. The other 20 % of cases are explained by birth defects (for example, connective tissue disorder) and injuries from accidents or issues developed from improper sitting. People can bend if they are not content with their height: sometimes, tall children slouch to avoid standing out from the crowd. It is not uncommon for such a habit to lead to hyperkyphosis.

Progressing spinal curvature

There are four stages of scoliosis. During the first stage, the disease hardly demonstrates any symptoms and can be diagnosed only if the doctor specifically looks for it. Slouching can be caused by completely different reasons, which require a visit to an orthopedic specialist. The higher the spine curvature, the more problematic it is. This can include back pain, chest wall deformities, and changes in the location of organs in the chest and abdomen. Over time, these processes can lead to the malfunction of these organs.

Spinal development

You can change your posture only in childhood, and the form of the spine can be corrected and straightened while it grows. When the spine has developed, and after you have grown into an adult, you can only maintain an optimal posture by strengthening your muscles. At this stage, you cannot achieve major changes in the structure of your spine.

Say hello to exercises

Certain therapeutic exercises can help you achieve a more optimal posture and is your first aid in working out your core muscles. Therapeutic exercises work as prevention of back problems in childhood and help control the severity of scoliosis if it is already present. All in all, the stronger your back muscles are, the better and more toned you look. Exercises such as ballet and swimming can help you achieve better posture — and these exercises can be done for life.

What to avoid

However, keep in mind that some exercises can make your scoliosis worse. Jumping, running, and lifting weights with the wrong technique create stress for the whole body. If your spine stabilizing muscles are not strong enough, such strain overloads your joints and intervertebral discs and can lead to developing an intervertebral hernia. These exercises can be especially dangerous for individuals with congenital scoliosis who have issues with connective tissue fibers.

Other considerations

Therapeutic exercise and fitness are essential but not the only means of fighting scoliosis. Corset therapy can also be helpful and orthopedic insoles are another effective and proven method that allows for correcting the difference in leg length. There are ongoing discussions about the efficiency of orthopedic insoles as there is no statistical data that prove their effectiveness.

Still, one thing is clear: the better you keep physiological curves when you sleep, the greater the degree of your overall muscle relaxation. Therefore, take time to select a mattress and pillow that work best for you and will keep your spine in a comfortable and supportive position throughout the night. The latest research has shown that medium-firm mattresses are the best option.

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