How is Scoliosis UK different to other Schroth clinics?
Scoliosis UK Our Vision
“We know that bracing and exercises have a negative impact on a patient’s quality of life. And we believe the patient has a right to a normal life, without restrictions and overwhelming treatments. Treatment should be affordable and ultimately effective to all that need it and can be realistic to their individual lifestyle”
We never place unnecessary pressure on patients for treatment. Scoliosis rarely causes death or serious illness.
We place less emphasis on ‘intense physiotherapy’ sessions and more emphasis on providing the patient and family with the information and exercise or brace tools to manage
We know most patients can manage to apply exercise advice at home with support – this has been demonstrated successfully during the pandemic.
We know that prolonged weeks of ‘physio intense’ programs are not the most up to date-evidence-based and make treatment unnecessarily complex expensive.
We therefore try to give the most effective treatment in the shortest time for the patient.
Our ‘intense home programs’, enable the patient to complete these for short periods of time (between 2-4 months maximum) with virtual or face to face support fortnightly as needed.
Once the posture is normalised (usually within 2-4 months) and the cobb angle is reduced or stopped (usually within 1-2 years), then in periods of slower growth there is more focus on normal activities to maintain improvements.
Schroth Therapy
The Schroth method originated from Germany in the 1920’s with Katharina Schroth, the founder of the method. The method was further developed by Christa Lehnert Schroth and Hans Rudolf Weiss within the Schroth family. Although there are elements of the principles seen in other approaches to scoliosis exercise treatments, such as the ‘side-shift’ by Mehta in the United Kingdom in the 1980s.
What Katharina Schroth realised was that scoliosis effects the posture.
And most importantly – it creates a pattern / ‘classification’
Schroth Therapy Scoliosis Treatment
This classification was then used to develop the Schroth principles, exercises and 3D bracing designs.
Schroth Therapy
Augmented Lehnert-Schroth
(ALS) Classification
The 3-Dimensional Schroth principles explained:
Actions / positions : SHIFTING, ROTATING, EXTENDING (elongating)
What is the action correcting?
The position of the Schroth body blocks pelvis / curve / ribcage / shoulders
Ensure the right exercises or brace with the right curve:
Katharina Schroth original exercises (those in the advanced master’s course of SBP). Will include rotational breathing. May require more equipment.
Schroth Best Practice exercises (simple but end of range and therefore very effective. Will include rotational breathing. Usually, equipment isn’t needed but easily obtained (you don’t always need a full set of wall bars!).
* This exercise treatment and bracing requires specialist post-graduate physiotherapy certification*
Basic Curve Patterns according to Lehnert-Schroth
