“I have scoliosis. Do you have any exercises to help me? I have been doing the eldergym exercises for some time and feel that they have been a lot of help, especially in preventing falls. My lower back pain has also improved. Thanks so much.”

Thanks for the great question and for keeping up with exercising. I truly believe exercise is the single best thing an older adult can do for improving health and happiness. The challenge many times is in working with the physical and medical problems that accompany aging, and figuring out how to modify the exercises so that we can continue to be active.

When we talk about scoliosis in the older adult we are certainly speaking of posture. If you remember back to the olden days when you were young and flexible you may recall that your posture was much better. Your head was held over your shoulders, shoulders over the hips, and hips over the ankles. All was well.

Then that age thing comes along and starts throwing our posture off little by little. Our head begins to move forward, our spine becomes more rounded and our lower back becomes straighter and less flexible. We find it harder to maintain our posture for very long.

Scoliosis is a postural deviation that affects not only our back, but also our shoulders, neck, head, pelvis and hips. This can increase pain and affect our breathing and muscle strength.

A good assessment from your doctor and physical therapist is the best course of action. Other than that, certainly any of the back exercises on my website would be a good place to start.

Try the bridging exercise along with the cat and camel and back extension exercises. These will improve the flexibility of the spine as well as strengthen the structures of the back.