Schroth

[LindaRacine]

Another Schroth study abstract.... I sure wish someone would conduct a follow-up study to one of these. There are several studies that show that curves decrease during treatment, but none that show that the correction is maintained once treatment has ended.

Saudi Med J. 2005 Sep;26(9):1429-35. Related Articles, Links

The efficacy of Schroth s 3-dimensional exercise therapy in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Turkey.

Otman S, Kose N, Yakut Y.

Professor, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Samanpazari 06100, Ankara, Turkey. Tel. +90 (312) 3051507. Fax. + 90 (312) 3243847 / 3111131. E-mail: sotman@hacettepe.edu.tr/ asotman@superonline.com.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of 3-dimensional therapy in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. METHODS: We carried out this study with 50 patients whose average age was 14.15 +/- 1.69 years at the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation School, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, from 1999 to 2004. We treated them as outpatients, 5 days a week, in a 4-hour program for the first 6 weeks. After that, they continued with the same program at home. We evaluated the Cobb angle, vital capacity and muscle strength of the patients before treatment, and after 6 weeks, 6 months and one year, and compared all the results. RESULTS: The average Cobb angle, which was 26.1 degrees on average before treatment, was 23.45 degrees after 6 weeks, 19.25 degrees after 6 months and 17.85 degrees after one year (p<0.01). The vital capacities, which were on average 2795 ml before treatment, reached 2956 ml after 6 weeks, 3125 ml after 6 months and 3215 ml after one year (p<0.01). Similarly, according to the results of evaluations after 6 weeks, 6 months and one year, we observed an increase in muscle strength and recovery of the postural defects in all patients (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Schroth s technique positively influenced the Cobb angle, vital capacity, strength and postural defects in outpatient adolescents.

[Celia]

Makes me wish I lived in Germany or Spain where the Schroth method is being used *sigh*

[Karen Ocker]

Schrotth

Linda:

The way I understand it the person must be highly motivated and do this strict routine forever.
I also haven't found later follow ups but I haven't looked very hard.
Karen

[LindaRacine]

Yes, you have to be willing to essentially devote your life to this exercise plan. That's why I'm really curious to find out what happens when one stops the exercises. While a small percentage of people may be able to continue exercies for 4 hours a day for the rest of their lives, I think most of us would eventually drop it.

--Linda

[Celia]

What ?! four hous a day ?! Are you sure ? I was thinking maybe 1/2 an hour per day.

[LindaRacine]

See the abstract above:

5 days a week, in a 4-hour program

[gerbo]

i am sure i picked up somewhere that maintenance after the indeed very intensive initial treatment is in the order of 1/2 hour a day.

Nobody would have enough motivation to do this 4 hour/day longterm, wouldn't be worth it!!
gerbo

[LindaRacine]

I now have the entire text of the paper. For the first six weeks, patients exercised under supervision 4 hours a day X 5 days a week. Later, "they carried out the same program at home."

These patients all had right thoracic curves between 20 and 35 degrees and were aged 11 to 17. As I suspected, there has been no followup of these patients after exercise was discontinued.

I think this study shows that if you've got a really motivated kid who is skeletally immature, this program may be an excellent alternative to a brace.

--Linda

[gerbo]

an article by Dr Weiss which i read this week confirmed above intensive treatment with maintenance at home for 1/2 hour a day afterwards.

gerbo

[LindaRacine]

Gerbo...

That's a different study, carried out in 1992.

--Linda

[gerbo]

"paediatic rehabilitation" decemebr 2003, written by the man (dr weiss) himself describing treatment regime in schroth clinic and aftercare.

[LindaRacine]

I'm aware of that. I was specifically referring to the 2005 study quoted at the beginning of this thread.

--Linda

[gerbo]

1) It does appear from the summary (and I assume the original article) of the study in Turkey, that exercises at home following inpatient treatment need to be done for four hours a day.

2) However this is not the norm; in the Katharina Schroth clinic in germany, run by Dr Weiss, who i believe is a son of Katharina Schroth (could be wrong there) which to all intends and purposes could be described as the "home of schroth therapy", treatment consists of 4-6 weeks intensive inpatient physiotherapy (with 2-3 week long repeats if necessary) with half an hour daily home exercises afterwards. This should be quite do-able. Anybody who wishes to read up on this : "Rehabilitation of adolescent patients with scoliosis-what do we know now? A review of the literature" by HR Weiss in "Pediatric Rehabilitation,2003,vol6, no3-4, 183-194" For that matter, that whole edition of the magazine is dedicated to non-surgical managemnt and makes interesting reading.

[Alistair]

Has anyone got any kind of benefit from the Schroth book only? I can't even understand the rotational breathing let alone the exercises.. what's the point of that book I wonder.. so far the only thing I understood is that I shouldn't sleep on my rib hump :/

[Pooka1]

Has anyone got any kind of benefit from the Schroth book only? I can't even understand the rotational breathing let alone the exercises.. what's the point of that book I wonder.. so far the only thing I understood is that I shouldn't sleep on my rib hump :/

1. It was written by a lay person (and it shows).

2. Even in Germany where it was developed it is still a fringe treatment and surgery goes on as usual.

3. The developer's grandson tried for more than a decade and with tens of thousands of patients to make it work. He admitted he failed, admitted PT can't control curvature, and uses braces now.

I was recently outraged to hear a pediatric orthopedic surgeon on Doctor Radio (SiriusXM) state that it works and people should check it out. I am going to write what I wrote here on the FB page about this ignorant misinformation and email the host of that program (a physiatrist) about the bad info. I am going to cc the medical director of Doctor Radio about it also. Complete nonsense.