A cool case study to share...

[betty14]

Hello all those seeking to learn about conservative treatment!

Someone pointed me in the direction of a physical therapist (who is a member here), and I discovered the following poster presentation that she presented at the 2007 SOSORT conference.

Case studies can be very valuable tools, because you get to follow one person's journey through a process. They are often used to help clinicians develop clinical reasoning skills, and how to alter treatment strategy depending on a person's unique factors.

Here's the link:

http://www.scoliosispt.net/pdf/Torres_Poster3.pdf


I find this particularly interesting because:

1) the "subject" was already middle-aged and had significant pain and deformity.
2) the results show that a very specific exercise approach can be effective
at significantly reducing pain, improving posture and quality of life.

B.

[Lorraine 1966]

Oh Betty, how I wish I could just pick up you wonderful physiotherapists and bring you to my house for a little while. We have good ones here of course but nothing, nothing like this.

To be in no pain, wow I cant remember, but I am not complaining please don't get the wrong idea, just wishful thinking.

Lorraine.

[scooter950]

Hi Betty, and thanks for posting this link. Wow! I am amazed at the correction achieved thru exercise! Who knew??! I was considering taking a "vacation" to Minnesota, there's a Scroth clinic there, but I doubt my ability to consistently exercise. I have such fatigue every day. But to look at these photos- I know I have poor posture, I try to sit perfectly straight but invariably I end up slouched down with the laptop on my stomach. I don't know if I have the self-discipline to achieve and MAINTAIN such a great correction!!! and - to control the pain!! I wish there were more therapists trained in the Scroth method. Thanks again for a great, informative post! Jamie

[Qikdraw]

Scooter

I know how you feel, it is VERY hard to start up something, but you really should. I've had my surgery a long time ago, but I have pain these days that some exercise would help with. I just haven't been able to get myself moving that well.

Both of us should make that commitment to statr up on something. I need to lose weight and then get back to teh exercises a PT recommended to me and you should see what alt treatments can do for you. Just remember, you're gonna have to keep up with it!

But being in less pain really is worth it isn't it?

[Writer]

For those of you post-operatives who are experiencing pain, a Schroth therapist who knows what she/he is doing can usually reduce or eliminate it quite rapidly.

For some post-op exercises see:

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

The rest of the site gives general background.

www.schroth-skoliosebehandlung.de (click the Brit/US flag for English).

Lorraine-- there is a German Schroth therapist in Toowoomba, Queensland, who learned the system under Christa Lehnert 20 years ago: sabine.kehoe@gmail.com

Scooter -- a significant part of Schroth training consists of ADL preparation (activities of daily living), where you are coached how to sit, walk, carry loads, lie in bed, and so forth. It's geared to your specific case, and is not just grueling exercises at wall bars. It's a matter of becoming conscious of the kinds of posture (slouches or whatever) that are causing you trouble, and correcting them. I had two kinds of pain that a Schroth therapist fixed in nothing flat: one was tight hamstrings (easy fix, just do stretch exercise 1x/day), the other was ergonomic, sitting in a soft chair (which was too low) at my desk. Now my chair is raised, seat is hard and straight (so the pelvis is level). No more pain.

[Lorraine 1966]

Thankyou writer for that information, that was really nice of you. I take back all I have said about you

Seriously, that was kind of you to go to that trouble for me.

Lorraine

[mamamax]

That's one great presentation Betty - thank you for posting it. I'm making an appointment with my specialist on Monday - for many reasons .. one of them will be to ask if the PTs in my area are trained in Schroth. Who knows, i could get lucky. Having been asymptomatic most of my life - i have pretty much had the luxury of ignoring my condition most of the time.. Such is not the case anymore. My current treatment is helping a great deal in terms of pain, but i feel i need to be more knowledgeable about my specific curvature pattern, how curvature patterns work in general, and i would like to be far more knowledgeable about Schroth than i currently am.

Like some others here, i need to work on that motivational factor towards exercise as well .. seems life will not allow me to operate as in the past - you know, popping in the DVD and watching the pretty lady on the screen exercise while i sit on the couch eating buttered popcorn :-) Believe it or not i actually raised a daughter who is among the 1/3 of the population that engages exercise as a way of life.

Great thread - Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend everyone!

[betty14]

Hi Betty, and thanks for posting this link. Wow! I am amazed at the correction achieved thru exercise! Who knew??! I was considering taking a "vacation" to Minnesota, there's a Scroth clinic there, but I doubt my ability to consistently exercise. I have such fatigue every day. But to look at these photos- I know I have poor posture, I try to sit perfectly straight but invariably I end up slouched down with the laptop on my stomach. I don't know if I have the self-discipline to achieve and MAINTAIN such a great correction!!! and - to control the pain!! I wish there were more therapists trained in the Scroth method. Thanks again for a great, informative post! Jamie

Thanks for your replies everyone, and the links you posted, Writer!

Jamie, it is very hard to get motivated when you feel sore and tired....
but even people with pretty bad pain and a low level of function can benefit from the right treatment provided by the right therapist.

I am goinng on a "vacation" like you describe this summer. 3 days of therapy with a Schroth therapist for 2 hours each day; the rest of the week is purely family holidays. I am looking forward to it, and since I have already been working from the Schroth book for several months, I already know this approach works for me. If you do take that trip to Minnesota, I suspect that you will find the motivation you'll need to continue.

Also, when you start exercising in a way that targets your specific dysfunctions, your fatigue should lessen because your muscles, and your mind, and heart, won't get so exhausted simply holding you up. Less pain will also help you get better sleep (restorative sleep is critacal), so you may find your downwards spiral slowly changing to an upwards spiral.

If you got, let's say, a 50% pain reduction, and felt like you had some control of your body, and your posture improved, how much of a percentage increase in quality of life would you get?

B.

[betty14]

A case study about SEAS from Italy:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...?artid=2639536



A case study about Shroth therapy in a middle aged person:

http://www.sosort-lyon.net/pdf/saa65.pdf



A report on Martha Hawes scoliosis journey:

http://www.scoliosis.org/resources/s...on_spr2002.pdf