Scoliosis? Sway with Gait? Truncal Lean? Strengthen Lateral Flexors!

I love this exercise, and fortunately my clients tend to tolerate my love. In the picture I am beside the client, but often I am on my knees straddling the client’s knees. This way I block significant lower extremity movement so the child only gives me lateral flexion. Otherwise he may simply pivot in supine. I use this exercise a great deal with clients who are developing a scoliosis or who have a functional lateral curve in stance. I also use it with clients who have a strong side to side trunk excursion with gait. Often the child will have one way he can lean to more easily. I usually start with that side, so I get a feel for how much excursion is possible. Then I have the child laterally flex in supine to go to the harder side. I dangle my index finger over the spot I want the child’s nose to come to. I say something like, “Bring your nose over here to underneath my finger.” I usually let the child go as far as he can on the weaker side, and then physically assist him to go the rest of the way, usually by letting him pull on my other hand. This is a great stretch and allows the child to do more of the range active assistive. Be warned, the differences between the sides can be dramatic! I remember one client who could laterally flex easily 45 degrees to one direction and about 5 degrees passed neutral the other direction.