Can you squat with scoliosis?
If you’re considering squatting with scoliosis, understand that it can be a difficult exercise to perform safely. This is because everyones scoliosis has varying degrees of severity depending on the curvature and diagnosis of your scoliosis.
Be sure to speak with your doctor or physio before incorporating squatting into your workout routine.
With this being said, Squats are a great exercise to strengthen the muscles in the legs and improve posture. If you already have had a consultation or have mild scoliosis, then this guide will take you through the steps on making sure you can incorporate squatting into your routine.
How to Squat with Scoliosis
Firstly, lets go through how to squat whilst ensuring you are setup correctly to accomdate for your scoliosis.
1. Place the bar on your traps or lower down your back depending on whether you want to perform a high bar squat, or low bar squat.
2. Bring your hands to the bar so that you are tight and take a couple of steps away from the squat rack
3. You then want to spread your legs out around shoulder width so you can squat down in a good range of motion
4. When squatting down, focus on keeping your chest up, back straight and core engaged so that you ensure you do not put execessive stress on your scoliosis
5. When you have reached the bottom of the squat, push your feet into the ground and squat up with your chest up, back straight and core engaged still
6. Finish and re-rack the weight
Is it safe to squat with scoliosis?
If you have followed the above steps on squatting with scoliosis, then you should be in safe hands. However, everyones scoliosis is different and if you feel any pain during a squat, you should seek professional guidance to see where you are feeling this pain during the movement and adjust.
Can you squat with mild scoliosis?
You can squat with little to no complications if you have mild scoliosis. If you do experience any discomfort, record a video of yourself and see if you have any issues with your squat and fix them.
Do squats worsen scoliosis?
If you do not perform a squat correctly with scoliosis, they can make it worse. This is because you can overload your back with too much weight, or you can do it incorrectly and therefore injure yourself.
Can you squat heavy with scoliosis?
It is not recommended to squat heavy with scoliosis due to the amount of compression and load on your spine when doing the movement. Therefore, lighter squats in higher rep ranges is the goal here to minimise the stress on your back.
So, should you squat with scoliosis?
Yes you should! As long as you follow the steps and guidance and the advice from your doctor, you should try squatting with low weight and see how your back responds to the compression. If you feel any discomfort or pain, do not continue with squatting.