Pilates for Scoliosis: 12 Exercises for Pain & Tightness Relief (Free 33-Minute Class)
The short answer: the best scoliosis exercises lengthen your spine, open the space between your vertebrae and teach the muscles on both sides to work together. In this free class, physical therapist Liron Nosrat guides you through 12 gentle Pilates and mobility exercises you can do at home with no equipment. They include seated side bends, twists, cat-cow, bird dog, plank and a bridge with hip tilts. The goal is less daily pain and a spine that moves more freely.
Key takeaways
Scoliosis is a sideways curve of the spine. Exercise won't "straighten" a structural curve, but it can help many people feel less tight and move with less pain.
Focus on length first, then movement. Sit tall, drop your shoulder blades and breathe into your ribs before every stretch.
Expect the two sides to feel different. Work in the range you have today and try to gain "just an inch" each rep.
Liron's daily habit: 5 rounds of the bridge with side-to-side hip tilts. It takes under 2 minutes.
No equipment needed. A yoga block or a thick book helps if sitting cross-legged is hard.
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Before you start: this content is for education only and isn't a substitute for a personal medical assessment. Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness or tingling. Check with your doctor or physical therapist before starting a new exercise program, especially if your curve is large or still progressing.
Can Pilates help scoliosis pain?
Liron explains the goal of the class: less daily pain and a more open spine. 0:00
Scoliosis means the spine curves to the side. Most cases have no known cause, called idiopathic scoliosis (NIAMS / NIH). Whether your scoliosis is functional (caused by muscle imbalance or posture) or structural (something you've had since childhood), the muscles on one side of the spine often end up tight and overworked while the other side is long and weak. That imbalance is a common source of daily tightness and pain.
As a physical therapist, I use Pilates for scoliosis to do three things:
Elongate the spine: create space between the vertebrae with breath and reach.
Re-educate the muscles: teach both sides of the trunk and hips to work in a more balanced, stable way.
Restore natural movement: so your spine can bend, twist and articulate with less stress pulling on one side.
Exercise is part of conservative scoliosis care in international guidelines (SOSORT 2016). It works best alongside your medical team's advice, not as a replacement for it.
1. Seated setup: find your tallest spine
Sit bones down, shoulder blades down, spine long. 1:05
Sit cross-legged (or on a chair). Feel both sit bones on the floor.
Place your hands on the floor beside you and sit as tall as you can.
Drop your shoulder blades down and slightly in, as if they're hugging your rib cage.
Breathe in through your nose. As you breathe out, sit even taller.
Modification: if you feel yourself caving in, sit on a yoga block or a book (2–6 inches high) so your pelvis can tip forward and your spine can lengthen.
2. Seated side bends (the most important stretch)
Reach up first, then over, keeping both sit bones down. 2:40
Inhale and reach your left arm to the ceiling. Get super long before you bend.
Exhale, slide your right hand out along the floor and arc the left arm up and over to the right.
Keep your chest open and your hip bones facing forward. Don't let the left sit bone lift.
Alternate sides for 4–5 reps each, then hold each side for 2 slow breaths.
Liron's tip: one side will feel tighter. That's normal with scoliosis. Don't judge it; just see if you can go one inch further with each rep, using your breath to expand your ribs.
3. Seated spinal twist
Reach up, then rotate on the exhale. 5:43
Reach both arms up to the ceiling.
Exhale and twist right: left hand comes forward, right hand goes behind you.
Return to center, reach up, and twist left. Do 4–5 per side.
Be "super forgiving" with your range. The goal isn't depth. It's encouraging movement in the tighter areas of your spine.
4. Cat-cow and side-to-side hip shifts
Hands under shoulders, knees under hips. 7:18
Cat-cow
Come onto hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Push the floor away so your shoulder blades spread. Inhale, look forward and arch (cow). Exhale, tuck your tailbone and round into a C-shape (cat). Repeat 6–8 times.
Wag an imaginary tail to each side while the upper body stays still. 9:59
Lateral hip shifts ("wag your tail")
From a flat back, shift your hips to the right, shortening your right waistline. Return to center, then shift left. Keep your upper body stable and your neck long. Notice which side pulls more and give it a little extra attention. Do 4–5 per side.
5. Child's pose reach
Hips back, fingertips forward, head heavy. 11:35
Bring your big toes together, open your knees a little and sit back toward your heels. Walk your hands forward as far as you can. Let your head rest heavy. Feel the opposition: your hips pull back while your fingertips reach forward. That pull elongates your spine. Take 3 slow breaths.
6. Bird dog for balanced core stability
Opposite arm and leg reach long while the spine stays still. 12:35
Start with arms only: reach your right arm forward without letting your spine move. Switch.
Add the leg: right arm forward, left leg back. Hold 5 seconds, then switch.
Progress to 10-second holds, 2–3 rounds per side.
You may feel one hip is less stable. That's exactly what this exercise trains. Keep both hip bones square to the floor.
7. Plank and plank-to-pike
Long line from crown to heels. 15:45
A plank trains your whole body to work in a synchronized pattern. Step back into a high plank with your abs engaged and push into your shoulder blades. Hold 5, then 10 seconds, three times.
Too much? Keep your knees down. 16:15
Plank-to-pike: from the plank, drop your hips and open your chest (arch), then exhale and pike your hips up into a triangle, pressing your heels toward the floor. Do 3–4 slow rounds, then hold the pike and let your chest melt. If this is too much, go back to cat-cow.
8. Side-reach child's pose
Walk both hands to one side to open the opposite waist and ribs. 20:23
From child's pose, take little steps with both hands to the right. Keep your hips sitting toward your heels. You'll feel a stretch through the whole left side of your body. Breathe there, walk back to center, then go left. Only go as far as your body allows.
9. Roll down to a full-body lengthen
Roll down one vertebra at a time. 21:34
Sit with your legs straight (bend your knees if you can't sit tall). Reach your arms forward and slowly roll back one vertebra at a time until you're lying down. Reach your arms overhead and your heels away, as if someone were gently pulling your hands and someone else your feet. Take 3 deep breaths, tucking your shoulder blades back.
10. Bridge with hip tilts and marching (do this daily)
Bone by bone up, bone by bone down. 23:06
Articulating bridge
Feet hip-width and parallel, arms by your sides. Tuck your pelvis and peel your spine off the floor up to your shoulders. Squeeze your glutes, then melt back down one bone at a time. Do 5 reps.
Bridge with side tilts
At the top, push your left hip slightly forward and down toward the knee, then lower one vertebra. Come through center and tilt right, lower one more. Keep going side to side all the way down. Then reverse it on the way up from just a sacrum lift.
"If you can do five of these every day, you will feel amazing." This is the move I most want you to take into your daily routine.
Lift one leg at a time while the hips stay level. 27:16
Bridge marching
Hold the bridge with your hips level. Lift your right leg to tabletop, lower it, then the left. Your standing hip, SI joint and pelvis do the work. Do 3–5 per side.
11. Supine twist and roll up
Shoulders stay down while the knee crosses over. 29:23
Hug your knees and rock gently side to side to massage your spine. Then straighten your left leg, take your right knee across your body with your left hand and open your right arm out to the side. Hold and breathe, then switch. Finish with a slow roll up to sitting, reaching toward your feet.
12. Closing breath
End the way you started: tall, open, breathing. 31:32
Come back to your seated position (on your block if you used one). Two deep breaths, getting taller on every inhale. Reach both arms up, then bring your palms together and lower them to your chest.
Who is this scoliosis workout for, and who should skip it?
Every move has an easier option.
Great for you if…: You have functional or mild-to-moderate scoliosis with tightness or achiness — Talk to your doctor or PT first if…: Your curve is large or progressing, or you're in a brace
Great for you if…: You feel "pulled" to one side or uneven when you stand — Talk to your doctor or PT first if…: You've had spinal fusion surgery
Great for you if…: You want a gentle, at-home routine with no equipment — Talk to your doctor or PT first if…: You have numbness, tingling, leg weakness or pain after a fall
See a doctor promptly if you have: loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin area, progressive leg weakness, pain after trauma, fever with back pain, unexplained weight loss, or night pain that doesn't ease.
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Every scoliosis is different. Your curve, your tight side and your daily habits all change what you need. Here's how to keep going:
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"Over the last 3 months I have learned to help my body in so many ways so that I don't have intense pain every step… You have given me my life back actually!" — Delessa B., GA (more client stories)
Scoliosis exercise FAQ
Is Pilates good for scoliosis?
For many people, yes. Gentle Pilates and mobility work can help you lengthen the spine, build balanced core and hip strength, and ease the one-sided tightness that often comes with scoliosis. It does not straighten a structural curve, so get guidance from your doctor or physical therapist, especially for larger or progressing curves.
What exercises should I avoid with scoliosis?
Avoid anything that causes sharp pain, heavy loaded spinal flexion or twisting you can't control, and forcing range on your tight side. My rule: stay in a stretch that feels comfortable and away from pain, and be forgiving of the range your body has today.
How often should I do scoliosis exercises?
Little and often. Do the bridge-with-hip-tilt sequence (about 5 rounds) daily, and the full 33-minute class 2–3 times a week.
Can I do these exercises sitting on a chair?
Yes. Do the seated side bends, twists and breathing on a chair, or sit on a yoga block or book so you can lengthen your spine.
Will these exercises straighten my spine?
No exercise routine can promise to change a structural curve. What many people do notice is less tightness, better posture awareness and more comfortable movement. Ask your specialist about scoliosis-specific exercise programs for your curve type.
Who is Liron Nosrat?
Liron Nosrat is a physical therapist, posture specialist and Pilates instructor with more than 10 years of experience, and the founder of MUVwell, an online Pilates and pain-management platform.
Full video transcript: Pilates for scoliosis
Read the full transcript (33 minutes)
0:00 Introduction
Hey guys! In this video we are going to focus on scoliosis. If you know that you have a curved spine (scoliosis), whether it is a functional scoliosis or something you've had from birth, these are the key movements to start moving your body and re-educating your muscles to work in a more stable way. The main goal is to get you out of daily pain. You want to be able to feel like you can move a little more naturally, with your spine slightly more open and with less stress pulling on one side. So I'm going to teach you my favorite and most important mobility exercises for scoliosis.
0:33 Seated setup
The first thing I want you to do is sit with me in this position, with your legs crisscross. If this is not comfortable, you can try doing most of the exercises sitting on a chair. I want you to be able to feel both of your sit bones down on the floor, and to sit up as tall as you can. Open the spaces between your vertebrae and put your hands on the floor on both sides. Think of dropping your shoulder blades down. I know that things might feel slightly different on both sides. I want you to put that away and try to create as much movement as possible.
Hands are down, we're dropping our shoulder blades. If this is not comfortable and you feel like you're caving in in this position, grab a block or a book, something to elevate yourself off the mat. Sit on something that will help you elongate your spine. If it's 2, 4 or 6 inches, whatever it is.
We're going to start breathing in this position. Sit bones are down. Try to think even taller: sit as tall as you can and open those spaces. Take a deep breath here, and as you exhale, drop those shoulder blades.
2:40 Seated side bends
Inhale again. As you inhale, reach your left arm up towards the ceiling. As you exhale, take it into a side bend: reach your right arm out to the side, slide over, and bring that left arm up and over to the right. Inhale, come back in, and switch. Right arm goes all the way up. Get super long here, and only then tilt over. Slide your hand to the side and try to keep both sit bones down on the floor.
Right hand goes down, left arm goes up. Find that super long position and reach to the side. Keep your chest open, your hip bones facing straight forward, and both sit bones on the floor so you get the ultimate stretch. You want to feel one side of your body stretching. Again, this will probably feel different on both sides. One side is curved and a little more tight. Just drop that, try to get the most movement possible, and see if you can get just an inch further with each one.
Keep going with your breath. The breath is essential here. It'll help you open those spaces, push into your ribs and open the spaces between your vertebrae in the back. Let's do one more each side. Keep thinking tall, all the way over. This time we're going to hold this position. Reach with the tips of your fingers, left sit bone stays on the floor, chest is open, super long. Hold and breathe: inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Keep your shoulders away from your ears. One more time, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, and bring it back in.
Take it to the other side. Right arm goes all the way up towards the ceiling: super long, reach, reach, reach. Take that reach and slide over to the left side. Find a position that feels like a stretch but is still comfortable and away from pain. Two deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Bring it back in and sit up tall. Remember, sitting up tall here is essential. Keep thinking of dropping your shoulder blades down and slightly in towards each other, like they're hugging your rib cage.
5:43 Seated spinal twist
Take a deep breath. This time we're going into a spinal twist. Reach both arms up towards the ceiling. As you exhale, twist to the right side: your left arm comes forward and your right hand goes back behind you, in the range of motion that's available to you. Switch. Reach up again, exhale, and twist all the way to the other side. Up to the ceiling, and twist.
It's important to be super forgiving of the range that is available. It doesn't matter, as long as we're moving our spine, encouraging those spaces to open and encouraging the places that are tighter to get a little relief. Reach and twist. Two more each side. Keep working with your breath. Then come back to center. Perfect.
7:18 Cat-cow
Now come onto your hands and knees. I really want you to focus on your alignment here. Make sure your hands are right under your shoulders, elbows straight, wrists long, fingers facing forward, and your knees right under your hips. We want to find that natural alignment, focusing on stability and on mobility through the spine. Keep both hip bones square to the floor and both shoulders square to the floor. Keep pushing your hands into the floor, open the space between your shoulder blades and keep your neck long.
We'll take this into our spinal stretch, cat-cow. Inhale, look forward, open your chest and arch your back. Exhale, round your spine, look in towards your belly, tuck your tailbone and create a C-shape. Again: open, look forward. Exhale, push into the floor, round your back and look into your belly button. Think of tucking your tailbone in each time. This might feel like more of a stretch on one side. Keep being forgiving and just enjoy the movement. Last one: arch, bring it in, and come back to center.
9:30 Lateral hip shifts
Come back to your perfect alignment: hands under shoulders, knees under hips, flat back, neutral spine. This time we're going to start moving our hips from side to side. Imagine you had a tail and you were moving it from side to side. Take it all the way over to the right side, contracting your right waistline, then back to center. Switch over to the left, and back to center. Your upper body stays super stable.
Right, center, left, center. Keep breathing naturally. All the way to the left, and see if you can go a little more. Try to feel which side feels like more of a pull, more of a stretch, where you want to pay a little more attention. Two more each side. Don't forget your upper body posture; keep that neck long. Last one: right, center, left, center. Perfect.
11:35 Child's pose
Bring your feet together, open your knees just a little wider, and take a child's pose. Sit all the way back towards your heels and start stepping your hands forward as much as you can. Take a deep breath and let your head be heavy on the floor. Keep reaching with the tips of your fingers. Your butt wants to go down and your hands want to go forward. We're feeling that opposition, and that pull is helping us elongate our spine just a little more. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Let your chest sink a little more. One more time, in and out, then come back to hands and knees, knees right under the hips.
12:35 Bird dog
Excellent. We're going to take this into right arm forward, left leg back. If you want to work with your arms only, go ahead. We'll start with just the arms. Try to fixate your spine so nothing moves, and reach your right arm straight forward off the floor. We're still working through our abdomen and thinking about alignment. Bring it back in and try the other side, just the arm. The arm aligns with the rest of your spine. Keep working through your abdomen and your hip muscles.
Now let's see if we can add extending the left leg all the way back. Find your balance, push into your back and keep your neck long. Five seconds: 3, 2, 1, and come back in. Beautiful. Other side: left arm forward, right leg back. Find your balance, abs engaged, extend your right leg all the way out. Reach with the tips of your toes and the tips of your fingers. Hips square down, abs working. Five seconds: 3, 2, 1, and back in.
Two more times each side, this time arm and leg at the same time. Stability through the center. Right arm, left leg: 10 seconds here. Bring it back in, keep those abs working, and switch. Center is strong, keep breathing. One more time each side: right arm, left leg, reach and breathe. Then left arm, right leg. You might feel like one hip is a little more stable. That is okay. Give it your attention and focus on creating stability through that hip. Bring it back in. Excellent.
15:45 Plank
From this position we're going into a plank. A plank is a really good exercise for stability through your entire body. You want to be able to work in synchronized patterns with your whole body. If this feels like too much, drop your knees down. I'll show both variations. If it feels okay, keep your hands on the floor, find a centered spine, super long, abs engaged. Extend your right leg out, tuck your toes and find your balance, then extend your left leg out. Hold: abdomen is tight, pushing into the shoulder blades. Five seconds: 3, 2, 1, and drop the knees down with control.
Let's do that again for 10 seconds. If that was too much, scoot your knees back, drop your hips and hold in this position. Up into your plank: abdomen tight, glutes working, 3, 2, 1. Drop the knees down or bring them forward, and take a deep breath. One more: right leg back, tuck your toes, left leg back, find your neutral spine. Reach with the crown of your head and reach your heels back. 5, 3, 2, 1, drop your knees down with control. Beautiful. Sit back towards your heels for a moment and shake out your wrists with little circles.
17:47 Plank-to-pike
Now come back into your plank position. If that was too much, keep your knees on the floor. We're going to take this into a cat-cow, but this time add piking the hips toward the ceiling, kind of like a downward dog if you're familiar with yoga. Find your plank: right leg out, left leg out. Drop your hips, open your chest, look forward and arch your back. As you exhale, pike your butt up towards the ceiling and find your triangle shape. Heels are lifted; try to press them down to the floor. Then bring it back into your plank.
Arch again on the inhale. Exhale, hips go up. Push your hands into the floor and push your chest down. We're trying to open those spaces and create more movement through the back. Bring it back in and open the chest. Two more times. If this whole exercise feels like too much, go back to the cat-cow from the beginning. Take your time. Last one: chest open, look forward, arch. Strong arms, push all the way back, and hold for a moment. Press your heels down, press your arms into the floor and let your chest melt. Then come back to plank, drop your knees and sit back towards your heels.
19:50 Side-reach child's pose
Reach both arms straight forward into child's pose, head down. We're trying to elongate: your butt wants to sit back to your heels and your hands want to reach forward. Great. Now start stepping your hands over to one side. Let's start to the right, taking little steps with both hands, opening the space on the left side of your body. Keep your lower body stable and your butt sitting towards your heels. We're stretching the left side of your body, so you really want to feel it. Let your chest melt and take a deep breath. Step back to center and take it to the other side. Little steps, one at a time. Only go as much as your body will allow. Feel the stretch through the entire right side of your body, then come back to center and come up. Perfect.
21:34 Roll down and lengthen
Come forward to sit at the front of your mat with your legs straight forward. If you can't sit up straight in this position, bend your knees. Reach both arms straight forward, hands across from your shoulders, elbows straight, super tall. Inhale. Now slowly start rolling back to a lying position, slow and controlled, using your abdomen and rolling your spine one vertebra at a time. Reach your arms all the way back and reach your feet out. Imagine someone was pulling your hands and someone else was pulling your feet. Open and stretch as much as you can, and take a few deep breaths. Think of tucking your shoulder blades back. Remember, the breath is crucial to opening the spaces and creating more movement through the spine.
23:06 Bridge
Bring your arms to your sides, bend both knees and place your feet on the floor, hip-distance apart and parallel. We're going into a bridge, which you might know from yoga or Pilates. What I want you to focus on is a very slow movement through the spine. As we talked about, we're trying to re-educate the muscles to work in a synchronized way and open up a little more with daily movement. So: one bone at a time up, one bone at a time down.
Start by tucking your pelvis. Slowly peel your spine off the floor all the way up and squeeze your glutes as tight as you can, only up to your shoulders. Roll back down, melting your spine one bone at a time, controlling with your hamstrings and glutes. Again: lift, squeeze and lower. Three more, two, and last one all the way up. Hold it lifted.
25:09 Bridge with hip tilts
This time we're going to tilt one hip to the side, like we did at the beginning when we were closing one waistline. Push your left hip forward, going down towards the knee, then lower one vertebra, just one. Come back through center and switch: the right hip goes to the side and a little forward, and we go one vertebra down again. Left tilt. This might feel a little funny, but I find it super effective. Right, lower down through center. Left, lower down. Keep using your glutes to stay stable up there. Last one: left, and lower down.
Now we'll do the same thing going up. If you can do five of these every day, you will feel amazing. We're only doing one up and one down, but I want this to be something you take into your daily routine. Lift just a teeny bit, so only the sacrum comes off the floor. Tilt to the left and roll up one. Tilt to the right and roll up one. Left, up. You're literally opening the spaces between your vertebrae, trying to get those super tight areas to open. Right, lift. Last one: left, lift, and hold it up here.
27:16 Bridge marching
This time your hips are stable. Look at your hip bones and make sure they're up and aligned with each other. Without changing anything, lift your right leg into a tabletop position. We're taking this into marching. Keep pressing your arms into the floor. Switch: right foot goes down, keep squeezing through both hips, left leg comes up. Left leg down, right leg up. Your hips, your SI joint and your pelvis should be really working. As you lift one leg, the other hip is stabilizing, so focus on one hip at a time. You might have one side that feels a little looser and one that feels more stable. Just give it your attention. Three more each side. Keep pushing through your hips and keep them lifted. Last one. Push your hips all the way up, squeeze your glutes tight, and slowly roll back down bone by bone, opening those spaces.
29:23 Supine twist
Take a deep breath and give yourself a little hug: grab both knees. See if this feels good. You can open your knees to the sides if you prefer, or keep them together. Rock your body slightly from side to side, like you're massaging your spine. Keep your right leg in and straighten your left leg all the way out. Grab your right knee with your left hand only, reach your right arm out to the right, and take it into a single-leg twist. Pull that right leg over to the left. We're trying to open the space in the low back while keeping the shoulder blades on the floor, stretching through the hip and the low back. Hold and breathe.
Bring it back in and switch sides: right leg goes out, left knee comes in. Grab your left knee with your right hand, reach your left arm out to the side and take it into a big twist. Don't worry about how far you can go. As long as you feel that opening, you're doing good.
31:01 Roll up
Bring it back in and reach your arms all the way back. Press your heels into the floor and flex your feet, sending your toes towards your face. We're going into a roll up. Deep breath. Exhale, tuck your chin towards your chest, scoop your belly, round your spine and reach all the way up and over towards your feet. Take a moment here, stretching the backs of your thighs.
31:32 Closing breath
Sit up tall again with your legs crisscross, back in our starting position. If you were sitting on a block or a book, grab it here. We're going to finish with the same deep breaths. Hands on the floor, sit bones on the floor. We're opening the spaces; think of long waistlines. Drop your shoulder blades down and keep your chest open, holding that contraction for a moment. Two deep breaths: inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Every time you inhale, get even taller. On the last inhale, reach both arms all the way up towards the ceiling, super tall. As you exhale, bring your palms together and slowly lower them through your forehead to your chest. Good job, guys. Hope you enjoyed it, and see you again soon!
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