The practice of yoga has not only turned out to be a good way to relieve back pain or even stress, now a new study from the College of Physicists and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York (USA) affirms that a single posture of Yoga for 90 seconds a day reduces the curvature of the spine in scoliosis patients . The results of the study have been published in the journal Global Advances in Health and Medicine e.
Scoliosis, a condition that causes a curvature from side to side in the spine, either in the shape of an “S” or a “C” and that can be suffered by anyone at any age, affects millions of people in the world , especially in ages between 10 and 15 years and more in girls than in boys.
“Since many scoliosis patients are teenagers, this bra is difficult to handle and makes them feel socially awkward; it is emotionally painful and physically difficult. However, untreated scoliosis can progress at 7% per year , and the result can lead to disability and life-threatening health risks, ”says Loren Fishma, leader of the study.
For their study, the researchers experimented with a basic yoga posture, the side plank, with a total of 25 participants aged between 14 and 85 years old and with idiopathic scoliosis , which constitutes 80% of all diagnosed scoliosis. After undergoing an initial examination, an X-ray and a radiological evaluation, the patients began practicing this yoga pose.
The experts asked the volunteers to perform the pose on the weakest side of their spine for 10-20 seconds each day. Later, they tried it for as long as possible that they could hold out, always on the curvature side of the spine. The researchers found that by strengthening the weaker side for at least 3 days a week , the curvature of the spine improved by about 32% in all patients, during the 7-month experiment . By age, adolescents saw an improvement of 49.6% in curvature and adults 38.4% on average.
” Asymmetrically strengthening the convex side of the primary curve with the daily practice of the lateral plank posture posture maintained for as long as possible for an average of 6.8 months significantly reduced the angle of the curve caused by scoliosis”, he concludes Fishman.
