Scoliosis Can't Slow Down Usain Bolt

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Scoliosis is an unnatural sideways curvature of the spine with a twist into the concavity of the curve. It needs to have a Cobb angle measurement of 10 degrees or greater to be considered scoliosis.

How scoliosis affects a patient is unique to each case and determined by the patient's age, condition type, and severity. How severe the scoliosis is doesn't always determine how it affects the person. Scoliosis introduces uneven forces into the body, and this is possibly what can cause a compromise in function.

In children and adolescents, the main sign of scoliosis is postural deviation, such as uneven hips and uneven shoulders, something that can be seen posturally. In adults, the main symptom is pain since the spine is compressing as a result of gravity over time. When the patient is no longer growing, we move to what is called compressive scoliosis. Compression of the spine and surrounding tissues, muscles, and nerves can now cause scoliosis-related pain.

Usain Bolt is a world-famous athlete with severe scoliosis. He is known as the world's fastest man and is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist.

When you apply the determination necessary to become a world-class athlete to a treatment option that is very patient-dependent, it normally means better results. Bolt had to train to make his stride as asymmetrical as possible, which shows that optimal training can reprogram someone's stride and posture alignment to allow them to function at a very high level. His scoliosis doesn't hinder him as it may other people because he has been committed to his conservative treatment approach.

The conservative treatment approach is a non-surgical approach option whose goal is to maintain function. Surgery, by definition, is a nonfunctional approach as even though it forces the spine into a straighter position, you lose function at the core of the fusion; you sacrifice function for alignment.

In conservative treatment, we try to restore alignment, which maintains function by integrating multiple types of treatment options. These treatments are focused on structural rehabilitation to try to reduce the curve, not only to increase core strength. With one doctor coordinating the entire program, we ensure that the treatment isn't fragmented and that it has the least amount of impact on the patient's life.

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00:00 What Is Scoliosis?
00:36 How Does Scoliosis Affect A Patient?
02:48 Who Is Usain Bolt?
03:16 How Can He Achieve These Feats With Scoliosis?
04:15 What Is A Conservative Treatment Approach?

[slendy]

Hi I'm 16 and I have functional scoliosis from a series of back problems from weightlifting. I'm still growing but my scoliosis happened pretty much instantly when I did a heavy squat and a muscle imbalance I had caused one side to over-compensate and curve. I've seen many people with spine curves but are very athletic or can lift heavy. But my back, core, legs are very weak and unstable. I've gone to 3 physiotherapy/fitness experts. The first just gave me pain relief and simple stretching exercises. The second gave simple diaphragm and leg exercises (at this point in time I couldn't do any advanced ones). And the one I'm going to right now is doing fully functional exercises with running and light dumbbells, resistance cables, strengthening my posture and legs, back, traps, etc. I've had some good progress though I don't do my exercises as much as I'm supposed to in my own time.

*My question is: Should I consider getting a back brace for alignment after I have a stronger core and back since I'm still growing? Or soon as possible?*

Spine curve was 27.8 degrees at the early times of my injury when I got my X-Ray. But it looks like it's straightened a lot more.

[lucyfoster]

Question: What would a radiologist call the X-ray you use to measure cobb angles?