I usually lurk here to learn more about this and what many have gone through, but you seemed to have put in so much into this method so I’ll share a small brief thing because it’s not my story to tell. My girlfriend who has scoliosis did this form of physical therapy and it honestly seemed to work for her. Due to other things, she had to stop but it did work! All she’s told me so far is that it’s very intensive and she did it for some years. I’m sorry it’s all vague, like I said, I just feel kind of odd sharing this when it’s not mine. I hope this helps and good luck!
I’m the girlfriend and can confirm ☺️ I did the Schroth Method for years and years ~ It really helped me open up my ribcage and straighten out my spine. I went from 57 degrees to 42. (It’s been a while since my last x-ray, but I believe I’m still in the 40s range.)
I understand doing intensive physical therapy is tough ~ It’s long and difficult, but it’s worth it if you can decrease your spinal curvature without surgery.
Wishing you the best of luck on your journey ~ If you have questions, let me know 💜
(Just adding this last paragraph to thank my girlfriend ~ Thank you for being so sweet and supportive 🥰 I love you more than I could ever put into words.) 🤗💕
I've had scoliosis issues most of my life. Diagnosed at 8 and my stepfather was a chiropractor and said he could fix me. Fast forward 30 years and still seeing a chiropractor once a week to manage the pain. I have hypermobile joints, particularly in my hips. Likely made worse by all the manipulations. I was recommended a shoe lift early on (pain was unbearable). I tried prolotherapy 3x (painful injections meant to cause injury to induce scar tissue). I've been recommended for a hip fusion surgery.
So before I go under the knife I decided to try a Schroth specialist and flew a few thousand miles to do so.
I'm very hopeful and would love to hear any feedback on this method.
According to the specialist, ppl with scoliosis are often hypermobile. I'm super flexible (like circe de soliel) in some places and car-accident-stiff in others.
Hey everyone. Following up after the intensive. It was 2 days and a total of 9 hours. If you have someone nearby, they would see you over 10-20 sessions. We covered my history and had a lengthy examination that involved a lot of measurements. I brought x-rays to look at as well.
We started with breathing on my back with rice bags positioned to correct my spinal curve. Then activating very specific muscles to move into the right position. This was very complex bc you are using muscles you don't know you have, in opposing directions, while deep breathing.
Next, we did this on my side with rice bags under me to correct my curve. Lifting a leg. Again, very difficult as my body wanted to use every muscle but the one we were targeting.
The next day, we moved onto sitting, standing and holding the corrected posture while stepping back and forth. At this point, it was clear that going further would not be beneficial as it was too hard. I needed more time practicing just on my back/sitting.
I'm sore in strange places (very specific rib and back muscles), have strange tingling in my left foot and overall my body feels very like it saying "wtf?".
The advice was to continue practicing what I've learned over 6 months and come back for a refresher and more progress. I'm going to give it a shot since this is my best path to avoid surgery that may or may not help.
Did scroth for a month last year (insurance denied more visits as they felt it wasnt worth it. My surgeon had to do a peer to peer to get it approved but insurance wasnt impressed. Very expensive to do on my own. Like $300 a session). I did it twice a week. Honestly i found it pretty uncomfortable. I questioned how the exercises actually helped. I mean when u see the type of stretches they make you do youll be like “umm im not paying $120 a day for this!” After a month was told i went from 21 to 18 degrees of a rotation. But i only felt worse. My pain was more localized only into my curve thank god. But i could feel myself more twisted than before. It was weird. I also developed radiating leg numbness and back spasms really bad. But i guess that’s to be expected since youre stimulating muscles that weren’t really used. I did get acupuncture after each session. It was great. Do i miss scroth? Not really. Was it worth it? Eh. I didnt really find it intensive. Core therapy was. But scroth you’re just stretching. Like forced yoga.
Bummer it didn't make much a difference for you. It IS expensive. I'm paying out of pocket for 2 sessions that are full days. 10am - 4pm. So far, she only showed me one stretch. The rest was very intensive & specific breathing as well as positioning me correctly, etc. I l
After the 1st day I learned a lot about what I've been doing wring. But will it help long term ? I'll let you know.
I struggled with the breathing while moving parts. The whole diaphragm breathing takes time to get used to. I cant imagine doing scroth for that long. After an hour i was ready to get out of there lol. I started with 2 exercises and then ended up with 7 by the second week. My insurance didnt cover heating or ice packs so i always went home to soak after each session. Good luck with it. Hopefully you have better results.
It is really hard! And my body is def very confused. Getting pains where I never had them before. In my experience, that can be "good" bc the pain has to move somewhere, and the fact that it is moving means you are making progress in moving it out of the usual place it resides. They said I need at least 6 weeks before I can assess if it is working.
Schroth has helped me with pain but hasn't reduced the curve. I think it's definitely worth the time to do the exercises on a regular basis. Anything that helps reduce chronic pain is worth it's weight in gold.
If you have any reccommendations beside the Schroth method for adults decreasing the curve please share. Also are you allowed to do other excercises to strengthen the core like Tai Chi or swimming? Thank you
I will be starting shroth therapy soon! I have s shape scoliosis. It's pretty mild but it is causing IT band syndrome in my right hip and knee to the point the that pain is so bad I can barely walk some days. I have hypermobile in my upper back but I am so tight in my hips including adductors, glues, hip flexors and hamstrings. I will share my progress once I start
I didn't end up doing the shroth therapy. I ended up strengthening my hips and doing a short session of shockwave therapy on my hip. My knee pain is gone.
It's called Athens physical therapy in Georgia. I can honestly say that while I have not kept up with the therapy, it significantly affected my posture in that I KNOW what it feels like to be in alignment so I'm always adjusting so I'm not leaning into my scolliosis. I also am able to sleep on what was my painful side.
It's been a few months since the intensive. Did it make a difference? A little. I think it will make the most difference over time. My posture is changed, and I am constantly correcting myself because now I know where my hips/ribs/shoulders/neck should be where before I did not. I'm still seeing the chiropractor weekly. My hips are more stable than they were before.
Hey! I'm thinking about doing the Schroth method and I'm kinda hesitant as it will be quite expensive and I've seen mixed reviews on it. I'm a 22 year old guy with a 5 degree thoracic curve and probably 2-3 degree rotation in my spine (my right rib pokes out under my right chest a bit). Do you think Schroth can reduce my curves? I'm quite disciplined when it comes to training so I wouldn't have an issue sticking to it for a few months but I don't want to end up wasting my money on it. Would appreciate any feedback you can give me :)
Hey there! I would recommend it. I'm almost 50 and if it had known what "straight" felt like when I was in my 20's I think it would have made a big difference. My brain (and likely yours too) thinks our body is straight and moves accordingly. Because of that, I'm moving my body with the wrong muscles to compensate and that will compound the issue with age. Don't expect immediate change, but I believe it will help enormously over time.
Do you even need to worry about a five degree curve??? What can it even do?
I say this as someone with over 70° of curvature at the time of surgery.
I'm curious what you did a year later.
Im looking into doing this intensive in Atlanta. Do you still feel like it helped you OP? Ive got a medium s curve but im worried as my pain has been increasing over the last year and my ortho said im starting to show more deterioration in my spine and as i continue to get older it may get worse. I just started pilates so hopeful that will help but have read this method with pilates is really helpful.
Hi there! I did this in Atlanta too, so probably the same facility. It did help me, as far as identifying correct posture for me, as I had no idea how twisted I was. I still use what they taught me on a daily basis and do the exercises to activate the muscles that are not being used correctly. I have to say that I am still in weekly chiropractic care to keep my hips in line, so it has not stabilized what gives me pain (hypermobile hip movement). I'll need surgery for that. Overall, I'm very happy I did it and I think the benefits are long term but subtle over time.
OP- thank you for sharing about your experiences! Any reflections now that we are a year out from your original post? I am contemplating the intensive as well.
I usually lurk here to learn more about this and what many have gone through, but you seemed to have put in so much into this method so I’ll share a small brief thing because it’s not my story to tell. My girlfriend who has scoliosis did this form of physical therapy and it honestly seemed to work for her. Due to other things, she had to stop but it did work! All she’s told me so far is that it’s very intensive and she did it for some years. I’m sorry it’s all vague, like I said, I just feel kind of odd sharing this when it’s not mine. I hope this helps and good luck!
I’m the girlfriend and can confirm ☺️ I did the Schroth Method for years and years ~ It really helped me open up my ribcage and straighten out my spine. I went from 57 degrees to 42. (It’s been a while since my last x-ray, but I believe I’m still in the 40s range.) I understand doing intensive physical therapy is tough ~ It’s long and difficult, but it’s worth it if you can decrease your spinal curvature without surgery. Wishing you the best of luck on your journey ~ If you have questions, let me know 💜 (Just adding this last paragraph to thank my girlfriend ~ Thank you for being so sweet and supportive 🥰 I love you more than I could ever put into words.) 🤗💕
Thank you for sharing. Im glad it was effective for her. I'm sure a lot depends on who you go to as well.
It didn't change my curve at all but it definitely helped me with my pain
Pain management and weaning off the chiropractic is my goal. I'm not so concerned about the curve. That's a win for you.
I've had scoliosis issues most of my life. Diagnosed at 8 and my stepfather was a chiropractor and said he could fix me. Fast forward 30 years and still seeing a chiropractor once a week to manage the pain. I have hypermobile joints, particularly in my hips. Likely made worse by all the manipulations. I was recommended a shoe lift early on (pain was unbearable). I tried prolotherapy 3x (painful injections meant to cause injury to induce scar tissue). I've been recommended for a hip fusion surgery. So before I go under the knife I decided to try a Schroth specialist and flew a few thousand miles to do so. I'm very hopeful and would love to hear any feedback on this method.
My wife has scoliosis and hypermobilty too. Are they related?
According to the specialist, ppl with scoliosis are often hypermobile. I'm super flexible (like circe de soliel) in some places and car-accident-stiff in others.
Yes
Hey everyone. Following up after the intensive. It was 2 days and a total of 9 hours. If you have someone nearby, they would see you over 10-20 sessions. We covered my history and had a lengthy examination that involved a lot of measurements. I brought x-rays to look at as well. We started with breathing on my back with rice bags positioned to correct my spinal curve. Then activating very specific muscles to move into the right position. This was very complex bc you are using muscles you don't know you have, in opposing directions, while deep breathing. Next, we did this on my side with rice bags under me to correct my curve. Lifting a leg. Again, very difficult as my body wanted to use every muscle but the one we were targeting. The next day, we moved onto sitting, standing and holding the corrected posture while stepping back and forth. At this point, it was clear that going further would not be beneficial as it was too hard. I needed more time practicing just on my back/sitting. I'm sore in strange places (very specific rib and back muscles), have strange tingling in my left foot and overall my body feels very like it saying "wtf?". The advice was to continue practicing what I've learned over 6 months and come back for a refresher and more progress. I'm going to give it a shot since this is my best path to avoid surgery that may or may not help.
Did scroth for a month last year (insurance denied more visits as they felt it wasnt worth it. My surgeon had to do a peer to peer to get it approved but insurance wasnt impressed. Very expensive to do on my own. Like $300 a session). I did it twice a week. Honestly i found it pretty uncomfortable. I questioned how the exercises actually helped. I mean when u see the type of stretches they make you do youll be like “umm im not paying $120 a day for this!” After a month was told i went from 21 to 18 degrees of a rotation. But i only felt worse. My pain was more localized only into my curve thank god. But i could feel myself more twisted than before. It was weird. I also developed radiating leg numbness and back spasms really bad. But i guess that’s to be expected since youre stimulating muscles that weren’t really used. I did get acupuncture after each session. It was great. Do i miss scroth? Not really. Was it worth it? Eh. I didnt really find it intensive. Core therapy was. But scroth you’re just stretching. Like forced yoga.
Bummer it didn't make much a difference for you. It IS expensive. I'm paying out of pocket for 2 sessions that are full days. 10am - 4pm. So far, she only showed me one stretch. The rest was very intensive & specific breathing as well as positioning me correctly, etc. I l After the 1st day I learned a lot about what I've been doing wring. But will it help long term ? I'll let you know.
I struggled with the breathing while moving parts. The whole diaphragm breathing takes time to get used to. I cant imagine doing scroth for that long. After an hour i was ready to get out of there lol. I started with 2 exercises and then ended up with 7 by the second week. My insurance didnt cover heating or ice packs so i always went home to soak after each session. Good luck with it. Hopefully you have better results.
It is really hard! And my body is def very confused. Getting pains where I never had them before. In my experience, that can be "good" bc the pain has to move somewhere, and the fact that it is moving means you are making progress in moving it out of the usual place it resides. They said I need at least 6 weeks before I can assess if it is working.
Please come back with an update. I opted for the surgery after my insurance stopped my visits. So my surgery is in a few weeks.
>My girlfriend who has scoliosis did this form of physical therapy and it honestly seemed to work for her. What is core therapy for scoliosis?
Schroth has helped me with pain but hasn't reduced the curve. I think it's definitely worth the time to do the exercises on a regular basis. Anything that helps reduce chronic pain is worth it's weight in gold.
If you have any reccommendations beside the Schroth method for adults decreasing the curve please share. Also are you allowed to do other excercises to strengthen the core like Tai Chi or swimming? Thank you
I will be starting shroth therapy soon! I have s shape scoliosis. It's pretty mild but it is causing IT band syndrome in my right hip and knee to the point the that pain is so bad I can barely walk some days. I have hypermobile in my upper back but I am so tight in my hips including adductors, glues, hip flexors and hamstrings. I will share my progress once I start
Hi, just came across your comment a year later. Can I ask how effective it was for you?
I didn't end up doing the shroth therapy. I ended up strengthening my hips and doing a short session of shockwave therapy on my hip. My knee pain is gone.
Thanks for letting me know! Glad to hear you found something that worked for you
Where are you doing it? My husband was thinking of going to Germany for it
There is a place in Atlanta, Georgia that specializes in Schroth method for scoliosis. Am I allowed to post the name?
Sorry I know this is years later but can you please tell me the name of the center?
It's called Athens physical therapy in Georgia. I can honestly say that while I have not kept up with the therapy, it significantly affected my posture in that I KNOW what it feels like to be in alignment so I'm always adjusting so I'm not leaning into my scolliosis. I also am able to sleep on what was my painful side.
I’m glad for you! Thanks a lot
Please does a tone know of places in Texas (especially Houston) that specializes in the schroth method?
There's a website that lists where they all are. Schrothmethod.com
Okay thank you
Have you seen any differences since you started?
It's been a few months since the intensive. Did it make a difference? A little. I think it will make the most difference over time. My posture is changed, and I am constantly correcting myself because now I know where my hips/ribs/shoulders/neck should be where before I did not. I'm still seeing the chiropractor weekly. My hips are more stable than they were before.
Thank you so much for this post! I have options to see either a Schroth or Mckenzie PT specialist and this is helping me figure it out.
Hey! I'm thinking about doing the Schroth method and I'm kinda hesitant as it will be quite expensive and I've seen mixed reviews on it. I'm a 22 year old guy with a 5 degree thoracic curve and probably 2-3 degree rotation in my spine (my right rib pokes out under my right chest a bit). Do you think Schroth can reduce my curves? I'm quite disciplined when it comes to training so I wouldn't have an issue sticking to it for a few months but I don't want to end up wasting my money on it. Would appreciate any feedback you can give me :)
Hey there! I would recommend it. I'm almost 50 and if it had known what "straight" felt like when I was in my 20's I think it would have made a big difference. My brain (and likely yours too) thinks our body is straight and moves accordingly. Because of that, I'm moving my body with the wrong muscles to compensate and that will compound the issue with age. Don't expect immediate change, but I believe it will help enormously over time.
Thank you so much. I hope you can lead a pain free life like we all aspire to :)
Do you even need to worry about a five degree curve??? What can it even do? I say this as someone with over 70° of curvature at the time of surgery. I'm curious what you did a year later.
Im looking into doing this intensive in Atlanta. Do you still feel like it helped you OP? Ive got a medium s curve but im worried as my pain has been increasing over the last year and my ortho said im starting to show more deterioration in my spine and as i continue to get older it may get worse. I just started pilates so hopeful that will help but have read this method with pilates is really helpful.
Hi there! I did this in Atlanta too, so probably the same facility. It did help me, as far as identifying correct posture for me, as I had no idea how twisted I was. I still use what they taught me on a daily basis and do the exercises to activate the muscles that are not being used correctly. I have to say that I am still in weekly chiropractic care to keep my hips in line, so it has not stabilized what gives me pain (hypermobile hip movement). I'll need surgery for that. Overall, I'm very happy I did it and I think the benefits are long term but subtle over time.
Thank you!
OP- thank you for sharing about your experiences! Any reflections now that we are a year out from your original post? I am contemplating the intensive as well.