Any experience with Scoliosis Rehab Inc in Stevens Point WI?

[WNCmom]

Has anyone here had any experience with a clinic in Stevens Point WI called Scoliosis Rehab, Inc.? It offers intensive sessions of Schroth Method therapy and opened in 2006. They have a website. It appears they prefer to work with the Cheneau brace, but when I asked they said they would be willing to work with a Spinecor brace wearer. I'm doing a little advance research with my 12-year-old son in mind.

Mary Ellen

[rtremb]

Mary Ellen:

I am very interested to learn how to goes for you and your son. It is interesting they will work with the Spinecor brace - I thought they only worked with Cheneau. I emailed them about a month ago but I never received a response.

Ruth

[~ScoliosisGirl~]

Hi Mary Ellen
I dont have any experience with the clinic in Stevens Point WI called Scoliosis Rehab, but all i know about it is that i do sessions of Schroth Method therapy every day and i wear a Cheneau brace. My parents acually took me to Dr. Manel Rigo in barcelona which is the developer of the Cheneau brace and they there were his students. I'm going for another visit in his clinic on the 18th. Im really anxious to see the results..

[Celia Vogel]

I read on Scoliosis-Support that Sahare was going to the Schroth clinic in Wisconsin. I think she's a member on this forum as well.

[WNCmom]

Rotem--

Sounds like you've had good results! I wish you luck at your next appointment. Let us know how it goes.



Ruth--

At this point we are considering the clinic in WI, but I have to do more research. The earliest we could go would be March; and I do want to discuss it with Dr. Ouellette in Atlanta and get his opinion. I can't imagine he would think it would be a bad thing. We see him on Nov. 21. I'll post anything I learn about Scoliosis Rehab Inc. Rotem is correct in that they say they were trained in Spain at the Schroth Clinic there.

If you've been there, Sahare, and you read this, please let us know your experience.

Mary Ellen

[IowaMom]

We just got back from a trip to Scoliosis Rehab in Stevens Point, and couldn't be more pleased with our experience there. The physical therapists are highly skilled, very caring and compassionate, and excellent teachers who are dedicated to helping people of all ages who have scoliosis. They have been trained (and continue to be trained) by Dr. Rigo from Spain. The rest of the staff are also very warm, welcoming, and helpful, and the facility itself is beautiful. We had an absolutely wonderful experience there.

Of course it's too soon to say how effective the Schroth Method will be for my daughter, but after only 3 days of therapy, I could already see a difference in her back (and I'm just a regular mom, not a medical professional). Another mom who was there that week with her daughter is a physical therapist, and she spoke highly of the therapists' competence. Perhaps most telling is what my daughter said to me the evening of the 4th day -- she said at first she didn't know if she could commit to the exercise program, but after 4 days she knew she could. I asked her why and she said "Because it works." She's been very faithful about doing the exercises since we've been home.

I noticed that someone said they emailed Scoliosis Rehab and didn't get a response. That really surprises me, as they have been very responsive to us. I suggest that you call and talk to Julayne (toll free 1-877-734-2220). She can answer all your questions, and will send you a list of references (parents of current and former patients) if you're interested. We contacted several of the references before deciding to go there and it was extremely helpful.

I will be posting more information about Schroth and Scoliosis Rehab over the next few months, but wanted to at least get the word out that it's a great place and a very promising treatment!

A little background on our situation: My 13-year-old daughter has a Cobb angle of 49, so she's in what the orthopaedic doctor calls the "gray zone", meaning close to needing surgery. We very much want to avoid that, so we spent a great deal of time researching other options, and found Scoliosis Rehab as well as Luke Stikeleather (orthotist who makes the Rigo-Cheneau brace). Our daughter has been wearing the brace since the end of October.

We also have a 16-year-old daughter with Cobb angle 42. She's not at risk for surgery, but has a prominent right shoulder blade, so she will also be learning the Schroth Method at Scoliosis Rehab in January.

Tracy

[WNCmom]

Tracy--

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond, and I'll very much appreciate it if you can keep us posted on your daughter's progress. My son is 12 and also in that "grey zone," and we too want to avoid surgery. Sidney is in a SpineCor brace, and the folks at Scoliosis Rehab said they'd be willing to work with a patient in that brace. If we did go to Wisconsin, we wouldn't be able to go until next spring at the earliest, but I want to find out as much as possible beforehand. I also have concerns about whether my son could be committed to the exercises (of course I want him to be, but it would need to come from him...), so I'm very interested in your daughter's response.

Looking forward to hearing more as you progress down this road!

Mary Ellen

[edd]

hi,

I am from Philippines, and I have sent my 16 year old daughter to Scoliosis Rehab last May 2007. She was x-rayed after 3 months of doing the Schroth exercises at home and there is a reduction of 3 degrees of her cobb angle (from T35 to 31), but then it can easily fall within the margin of error which is plus or minus 5 degrees. But we can see that her posture has improved dramatically. She used to have a slight numbness on her shoulder and was now gone. She's due for her bi-annual x-ray this coming january. She is using a Cheneau brace too.

Like Tracy have said, I am surprised too about SRI not responding to your email. They have been very responsive to us. SRI folks are really accomodating and warm. Being from different country it was harder for us to get there. But the clinic helped us in anyway they possibly can. Stevens Point is a nice place too, according to my wife who have accompanied my daughter there, people are nice and hospitable.


edd

[yellowfish]

I'm planning to go, it seems most patients going to Scoliosis rehab are teenagers, are there any adults been there?

[gardenjen]

My daughter went when she was 22. The other person attending the Schroth program was in her 40's, I think...a pilates instructor from the Carolinas. We - and she - thought it was a great program.

[cameol998]

I have an appt for the spinecor brace in April and was considering the Scoli rehab clinic in WI. Has any adult with a previous fusion and harrington rod gone this route? If so I would love to hear from you. Any adivice , pro or con is welcome.

[Writer]

I'm not post-op, but I know someone who is and who was very significantly helped by Schroth treatment. There is an article about how and why it helps, which you can read or download at Christa Lehnert-Schroth's website.

http://www.schroth-skoliosebehandlung.de/

First click the English flag, then at the left margin click on the link "What can patients do?...(following surgery for spinal fusion)"

Then scroll down on the page that comes up, and click on the PDF link:

Physiotherapy For Scoliosis Patients Following Spinal Fusion Surgery.

[BETall]

I have an appt for the spinecor brace in April and was considering the Scoli rehab clinic in WI. Has any adult with a previous fusion and harrington rod gone this route? If so I would love to hear from you. Any adivice , pro or con is welcome.
I had a bone fusion T12 L2 for my left 85º thoracic scoliosis which gave me a lot of pain and disability after menopause. Learned the Schroth method in Spain, Wisconsin and Germany with great results! You can send me a PM.

[cameol998]

Writer,

Thank you, I just spent about 45 minutes on the website. I am not sure when I will be able to get to wisconsin. I am in CT. But I really do not want to go to another Physical Therapist who has very little knowledge of scoliosis. I spent 4 weeks in physical therapy and was worse than before I started. Thank you again for your help.

Cindy

[gardenjen]

Did you see that there are 2 other Schroth clinics nearer CT? They were
listed on this NSF website:

10. MARIAN WADE
NEW YORK, NY.
212-866-0648
CMJWADE@EMAIL.MSN.CO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Denise Bozue, MSPT, NCS
12. Jennifer N. Graham, MPT

Scoliosis Solutions
9711 Medical Center Drive, Suite 106
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 240-403-1770
therapist@scoliosissolutions.org
www.scoliosissolutions.org

Best wishes to you. I am a physical therapist in MI who has sent patients
off to Schroth clinics from our practice.

[cameol998]

gardenjen,

Thank you, I did not see that. I will be looking into that.

Cindy

[Writer]

There's another physiotherapist not far from CT, who works at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Mass. Contact Christine Sharkey in Pediatric Rehabilitation there. She may be a specialist in kids, but the Schroth principles apply as well to adults.

http://www.cooley-dickinson.org/services/rehab/pediatric_rehab.php

I believe Christine is right now in an advanced training course at the main Schroth clinic in Germany till about mid-May. (My knowledge is secondhand: I know another participant in the course who mentioned her.)

[bracegirl]

Hey!
So, I have never actually been treated at Scoliosis Rehab Inc. But in 2002, Dr. Rigo who was mentioned above came to Stevens Point WI to train PT's in the Schroth method. One of those PT's is my neighbor, and they each had to find a "guinea pig" of sorts to bring with them. Well, here I was, ready made! So, I went and met Dr. Rigo and Beth Jansson who owns Scoliosis Rehab Inc. They are great! My PT owns a spinal clinic in Milwaukee, WI which has 1 week immersion courses in Schroth for out-of-towners. My family is willing to host girls who come for the immersion there. But, scoliosis rehab inc. is great, although I was there before it became official :)

Hope this helps!

[rtremb]

Bracegirl:
Can the therapy be done and be useful even if the patient isn't wearing a brace?
Also how much does it cost to do the one-week immersion program?
I am very interested in this for my daughter (almost 14 years old). Her curves are very large but the doctor is not recommending surgery so we are wanting to pursue alternative therapies for her to keep her flexible and keep her breathing at its best.
Ruth

[bracegirl]

it is actually encouraged that the patient start the therapy before the brace. It is extremely useful while out of it, and I feel the most beneficial when the patient is out of the brace. I am not sure how much it costs, but if you want more information, go to:
http://www.sdwpt.com/services/scoliosis.php

My Physical Therapist there is Cindy, who is absolutely wonderful, and Amy and Meg are awesome too!

Feel Free to send me a Private Message for more information. The immersion is specially geared towards out of town patients, and usually is covered by insurance, although it depends on what carrier you have.

Hope this helps!!

[Laura's mom]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the 2 Schroth clinics in Wisconsin - Scoliosis Rehab and the Schroth Clinic at Spinal Dynamics?

Julie

[scoliomom]

hi Julie
I took my 14 year old to Milwaukee in March. We had an excellent experience. We took part in a "group" immersion training which was like 8-9 days. The Stevens point site doesn't offer "group" sessions, which were, quite honestly, cheaper. I choose it for that reason but found it a true blessing to be there with 2 other girls. My daughter made life-long friends with these girls. WE are having one of them down next week from DC to visit!!! I highly recommend doing the Scroth with groups when the girls are near the age of 13 - 15 (these girls were). IT gave them a peer group so they weren't so isolated (like girls that age can feel) !! hope this helps.

[Andrea]

Hi Ruth,

Have you tried Schroth Physiotherapy exercises? If you are in Ottawa your family could learn the exercises at the Ottawa & District Physiotherapy clinic 613-233-1235
Mary Ellen:

I am very interested to learn how to goes for you and your son. It is interesting they will work with the Spinecor brace - I thought they only worked with Cheneau. I emailed them about a month ago but I never received a response.

Ruth