If your teenager has been diagnosed with mild scoliosis, you want to do what you can to slow the curvature of the spine's progression. However, if they have any of the following two habits, your teenager may be making their condition worse:
Sleeping on Their Stomach
For several nights, look in on your teenager to see how they are sleeping. If they are consistently sleeping on their stomach, your teen could be making the curvature in their spine worse.
Whenever they sleep on their stomach, the top part of their spine, called the thoracic spine, flattens out. When this part of the spine flattens, the curve in the lower lumbar spine increases. Also, since it is next to impossible for the spine to be in perfect alignment while sleeping on the stomach, the spine curves sharply to either the left or the right.
If you notice that your teen is in the habit of sleeping on their stomach, discuss the situation with them, as well as measures you can take to keep them off their stomach. One thing you can do is to have your teenager place pillows along their back while hugging another one in the front. These pillows create a barrier that helps to keep them from rolling over onto their stomach.
Texting Constantly Throughout the Day
Another habit that could be wrecking your teenager's spinal alignment is constant texting. The position in which they typically stay while texting causing an overextension of the neck, as well as slouching of the shoulders.
To understand the strain that texting places on the spine, take out your cell phone as if you are texting. Normally, when you text, you hold your phone down so that you have to bend your head and neck. Also, your shoulders tend to push forward, placing your upper body in an awkward position.
When your teenager has scoliosis and maintains this position constantly throughout the day, the cervical and thoracic spines stay curved. Along with the pressure, the position places on the upper spine, the lower spine must either flatten out or curve to compensate, increasing the misalignment of their spine that can make their scoliosis worse.
If your teenager has any of the above habits, encourage them to make changes so that they do not increase their's spine's abnormal curvature. If you have any concerns, contact the doctor that is treating your teenager's scoliosis to seek specific advice regarding your child's situation, as well as discuss any treatment options for slowing the progression of their condition.
Contact a medical center like C D Denison for more information and assistance.
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