Schroth Treatment "Three Dimensional Treatment"

[MelissaH]

Hi can anyone explain to me what happens with this treatment, my curve is 58 degrees and im looking to improve it. i have checked many websites and it all gives me a very vague idea on what it is, but can anyone tell me what it is personally? I live in canada so would there be anyway to get it?

[Writer]

Schroth is a treatment system that aims to derotate and elongate the scoliotic spine. Muscles in your scoliotic back are asymmetrical, that is, some are stronger than others though they're supposed to be evenly balanced on opposite sides of the spine. So you have to strengthen the weak side and lengthen and stretch the taut, strong side muscles. The imbalances are not simple, either, since one has to take three regions (or four for four-curve scoliosis) into account -- lumbar, thoracic, and cervical.

The Schroth system uses exercises tailored to the individual patient to accomplish these aims, and also a technique of "rotational breathing," which uses the ribs as lever arms to rotate the rib cage. You breathe into the concave section of your torso to rotate the ribs around to their normal physiological position.

Christa Lehnert-Schroth's book gives the fullest account: www.schrothmethod.com. The author also gives quite a bit of information about her system on her personal website at http://www.schroth-skoliosebehandlung.de/

There's a Schroth therapist (Andrea) at the Ottawa & District Physiotherapy Clinic in Ottawa. Ring them up.

[Mckay]

I just ordered this book not too long ago and am waiting for it to come in. I've been worrying that the explanation of the treatment may be too technical or scientific. Do you know if the book is written in an easy to follow way?

[Writer]

The book was primarily written for physical therapists, to give them an encyclopedic but fairly in-depth overview of the system. But as one non-therapist reader said, "it isn't brain surgery." Most people can understand virtually all of it if you have a medical dictionary at hand (try the internet) for anatomical terms.

[Claus Skaaning]

My wife went to the treatment in Germany where it is well accepted and tried and proven. It has been used for more than 60 years down there and is approved by the medical welfare system. We didn't have too much success with it, but probably because they recommend that you come for one week every year to remember the exercises, and we live too far away from Germany to do that.

[Wayne L]

I also live in Canada and I got the book a little while ago. I simply ordered it from www.schrothmethod.com. It seems like its audience is mainly physical therapists, but it's not too bad. It's got pictures, which help you understand. I also got the spineharmony program, from www.spineharmony.com, which has exercises aimed at a more general audience and they are all explained with videos. Some of the exercises are quite similar between the two.

All these scoliosis exercises are based on making the muscles on your back to work evenly. I don't know whether scoliosis starts with the muscles or with the discs in your spine, but to make it better you have to fix the muscle problems for sure. I work out at the gym too, so I'm trying to incorporate all the exercises into one workout program. So far, it's going well; I'm starting to pay more attention to my back.

[bscoli]

A good friend of mine has a clinic in Milwaukee, WI that offers Schroth. I do some work with her to help inform people about scoliosis and Schroth. Three of the clinic's PTs studied this technique in Europe and have provided Schroth treatment (group and individual) to hundreds of patients for the past few years. Both children and adults have traveled from states across the US for services at this clinic. I believe they've had one or more patients from Canada. This clinic's therapists are involved with SOSORT, an international organization focused on research and education for conservative (non-surgical) approaches to scoliosis treatment. The group's participants acknowledge that, for some patients, surgery may be appropriate. For others, however, physical therapy and exercise are valid options to explore and may be valuable for those seeking options to surgery.

An article about one of their patients recently appeared in the Chicago Tribune. See: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-tc-fam-child-s...

Also, the clinic's site offers LOTS of information about their scoliosis services at: http://www.sdwpt.com/services/scoliosis.php
And also about the Schroth method at:
http://www.sdwpt.com/media/docs/SpinalD_Scoliosis_Clinic_Overview-1...

Best wishes as you explore options for managing your scoliosis.