Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis

Although many theories have been proposed, doctors still do not fully understand why idiopathic scoliosis develops. We hypothesize that idiopathic scoliosis has two main causes: first, an imbalance in the back’s muscles, and secondly, after the strong side curves the spine, the joints and ligaments on concave side get tighter and resist efforts to straighten the spine out again.

To solve the first problem, we’ve used yoga to strengthen the weak (convex) side of the spine, and it seems to work.  We’ve already published articles on the hundreds of patients we have helped this way^1–7. To solve the second problem, we use a stretching pose on the opposite (concave) side. As people age, the muscular discrepancy gets larger, and the resistance of the joints and ligaments on the concave side gets stronger, making correction more difficult. Conservative methods have a greater chance of success when applied to the very young. This is especially important because during the growth spurt of the early teens, spinal curves can worsen by 10 or 15 degrees in a single year.