Guides · Last reviewed 2026-11-13
Scoliosis exercises to avoid, and what to do instead
There's no single list of exercises that every adult with scoliosis must avoid. The NHS says most people with scoliosis can exercise and play sport, and SOSORT recommends staying active. What matters is how your back responds, the size of your curve, and whether you've had surgery. Be careful with the movements below, and swap them for easier versions when they bring on symptoms.
Be careful with these
These are the movements most likely to aggravate a sore back, so they're the first to scale down if they bring on symptoms. None of them is banned outright.
- Heavy loads on your shoulders, such as heavy back squats or overhead presses.
- Forceful twisting under load, such as fast rotational throws with a medicine ball.
- Loaded bending at the end of your range, such as heavy deadlifts with a rounded back, or hundreds of sit-ups.
- Repeated high-impact moves, such as box jumps, or long runs on hard ground while your back is flaring up.
Easier swaps
- Heavy back squat → goblet squat to a box, holding one weight at your chest.
- Heavy deadlift from the floor → hip hinge with a light kettlebell, or a trap-bar deadlift from raised blocks.
- Sit-ups and crunches → dead bug or a forearm plank.
- Rotational throws → a band press-out that resists twisting (often called a Pallof press).
- Long runs on a bad day → brisk walking, cycling or swimming.
Keep the swap until the original movement feels easy again, then go back to it with a lighter load.
If you've had spinal fusion
After fusion surgery, your surgeon's instructions come first. Getting back to sport is usually gradual, and some contact or high-impact activities may be restricted for a while or for good. Ask before you start lifting, running or playing twisting sports.
If your curve is getting bigger
SOSORT's 2016 guidelines, written mainly for people who are still growing, advise those at high risk of progression to avoid competitive sports that move the spine a great deal (grade C). The same guidelines note that curves over 30° carry a higher risk of getting bigger in adulthood. If your curve has been increasing on X-rays, ask your specialist which activities suit you.
When to stop
Stop and get checked if exercise brings on numbness, tingling or weakness in your legs, pain that shoots down a leg, or any change in bladder or bowel control. The red flags guide explains which of these need urgent care.