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The Align Clinic Blog
​ Your Home For Orthotic and Prosthetic Knowledge

All You Need to Know About Schroth Therapy for Scoliosis

3/13/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Scoliosis is a unique medical condition that can have a severe impact on the patient’s quality of life. It affects between six to nine million people in the USA or about two to three percent of the population. 

There are a few different treatments for scoliosis, and a doctor will recommend one of the following depending on the severity of the case: 

  • Surgery 
  • Bracing 
  • Exercise 

Surgery would be recommended in more extreme cases. A combination of bracing and exercise is often used among adolescents and adults with less severe scoliosis. The most effective type of exercise is known as Schroth Therapy, which can prove to be very beneficial to many patients. 
​

So, let’s dive deeper into this therapy and see whether it’s a treatment you should discuss with your doctor. 
What Is Schroth Physical Therapy? 
Schroth therapy was developed by Katharina Schroth in 1921. The German physiotherapist herself had scoliosis, and the exercises she developed were based on her own experiences. 

The focus of the majority of Schroth exercises is to boost muscle strength and posture. Katharina put a strong emphasis on adopting proper breathing techniques as well. Different breathing techniques will affect the movement of the ribs differently, so each patient will receive individual instructions based on their own scoliosis. 

Scoliosis is often described as a C or an S curvature of the spine. However, it’s more 3-dimensional and often resembles a spiral shape rather than a C or S shape. What this means is that the treatments shouldn’t focus on correcting the spine from one angle but all of them. 

That is precisely why proper breathing is so crucial in Schroth therapy. While exercises affect the spine from the outside, breathing affects it from the inside. Together, breathing and exercises approach scoliosis in a 3-dimensional way and offer a complete treatment. 

How Can Schroth Therapy Treat Scoliosis? 
Schroth therapy is very similar to other types of muscle strengthening exercises. Patients with scoliosis need to work on strengthening the muscles around the spine so that the vertebrae can be well-supported. 

It’s also essential to work on the core (abdominal) muscles to improve posture and help straighten the spine from front to back. 

By strengthening the weakened muscles and releasing tension from the overused ones, Schroth therapy effectively fights scoliosis. 

However, it’s important to note that this therapy isn’t a cure for scoliosis. It aims to prevent further degeneration of the spine.

Schroth method practitioners aim to help their patients: 


  • Correct their posture 
  • Become aware of their posture 
  • Improve lung capacity 
  • Release tension and pain 
  • Stabilize the curve of the spine 
  • Improve neuromuscular control 
  • Strengthen muscles 

There currently isn’t a cure for scoliosis in a traditional sense. Most treatments aim to prevent the condition from getting worse, not eliminate scoliosis in its entirety. 

Schroth Therapy for Adolescents 
Schroth therapy has proven to be the most effective treatment for scoliosis in adolescence. The human spine normally stops developing and growing by the age of 18. So adolescents typically have better spinal flexibility, which allows for exercises to be more productive. 

Schroth therapy is often recommended in cases where the curvature of the spine is between 10 and 30 degrees. The smaller the curvature, the more useful this treatment becomes. 

Scoliosis is usually expected to progress when the curvature of the spine is over 20 degrees. Schroth method will likely be paired with other treatments if a child or adolescent has a stronger case of scoliosis. 

Schroth Therapy for Adults 
Once the spine is already fully developed, it loses a lot of its flexibility. Therefore, Schroth Therapy comes with a somewhat different approach for adults. 

Adults will focus mostly on becoming more aware of their posture and correcting it as much as possible. An emphasis will be placed on improving mobility and ensuring better control of movements during regular daily activities. 

Even in more severe cases where improving posture is almost impossible, Schroth therapy can still be beneficial for adults. It can help with improving lung capacity and relieving pain and can promote better balance. 

Adults will often need a more customized approach that helps with treating their specific condition. 

Schroth Therapy and Scoliosis Brace 
This therapy is often paired with other scoliosis treatments such as bracing. The combined treatment is the most effective in children and adolescents. 

Wearing a scoliosis brace tends to be uncomfortable, and Schroth therapy can help to develop proper breathing techniques, which will allow children to get used to the brace. Doctors with Schroth method certification will develop a custom plan that will ensure exercises can be comfortably performed with braces. 

A combination of scoliosis brace and Schroth therapy exercises can serve to prevent surgery. However, long-term commitment is necessary to ensure success. 

Types of Schroth Therapy Exercises 
As previously mentioned, Schroth Therapy involves personalized exercises. Each person’s scoliosis is different, and not all types of exercises will be beneficial to all patients. Some can even result in more considerable pain and discomfort. 

With this in mind, most Schroth therapy exercises follow some similar steps. The first step is correcting the position of the pelvis. It’s easier to achieve better balance and posture when patients start from the bottom up, adjusting their feet, knees, then pelvis. 

The next step involves adjusting the rib cage. That is achieved by standing in a specific position and adopting proper breathing techniques. 

Lastly, it’s crucial to properly align the patient’s head and neck above the ribs. 

Most Schroth exercises make use of a variety of props such as belts and straps, and many look more like stretching rather than exercising. 

While anyone can easily find instructions for Schroth exercises online, you should never follow them without consulting your doctor. You’ll risk hurting yourself and worsening your condition. Only do these exercises with the supervision of a practitioner with Schroth method certification! 

To Summarize
Schroth therapy can immensely help with pain relief and posture. However, it’s important to note that it requires constant commitment from the patients for the best results. You’ll need to do these exercises both during the therapy and at home. 
​
Make sure to find the right Schroth method practitioner before you attempt any of these exercises.
2 Comments
Shannon Long link
3/20/2021 05:41:14 am

I am a 49 year old woman recently diagnosed with idiopathic adolescent scoliosis I want to learn how to exercise properly

Reply
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1/25/2023 09:41:23 pm

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  • Home
  • Locations
    • AC San Mateo, CA >
      • Inside AC SM
      • Our Practitioners >
        • Grant Wood
        • Steve Baum
        • Miguel Bustamante
      • Advanced Technology
      • Stanford Children's Health Partnership
      • Local Hotels
      • Contact Us
      • Team Members
    • AC Green Bay, WI >
      • Inside Wisconsin
      • Patient Testimonials
      • Contact Us
      • Emery Maloney
    • AC The Woodlands, TX
    • AC Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • The WCR Brace
    • Case Presentations >
      • Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Switching to a WCR Brace
      • Adult Scoliosis Bracing
      • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
      • Treating Upper Thoracic Curves
    • Brace Articles
    • Patient Testimonials >
      • Grant's Testimonials
      • Paul's Testimonials
    • WCR Partner Testimonials
    • Grant's MS Thesis
    • Our Patients
    • Patients and Sports
    • Patients and Hobbies
    • Brace colors
    • Scoliosis Fashion
  • Patient Resources
    • WCR Brace Clinics >
      • USA Clinics
      • China Clinics
      • Canada Clinics
      • Australia Clinics
      • WCR Brace Clinic Finder
    • WCR Certified Practitioners
    • Professional Contacts & References
    • Forms & Insurance
    • Clinical Photos and X-rays
    • Scoliosis Rehab PT, CA
    • Blog
  • Events
    • Brace Clinic Calendar
    • Sosort 2022 - San Sebastian, Spain
    • Past Events >
      • Advancements in Conservative Treatment of Scoliosis 2018 >
        • Award for Advancements in the Conservative Treatment of Scoliosis
      • Past USA WCR Clinics and Conferences
      • Advancements in Conservative Treatment Of Scoliosis 2017
      • Shanghai Clinic
      • AAOP Meetings
      • BSPTS Schroth PT Training
    • Past SOSORT Conferences >
      • sosort2019 San Francisco - CA
      • SOSORT2018 Dubrovnik/Croatia
      • SOSORT2017 Lyon/France
      • SOSORT2016 Canada
    • Northeast Region Re-Align Clinic
  • Services
    • Scoliosis & Spine Online Learning
    • Prosthetics
    • Orthotics >
      • Pediatric Orthotics
      • Cranial Remolding Band
  • Hope's Embrace® Undershirts
  • Wall Grids
  • WCR Brace Fitting Evaluation
  • For PTs/Orthotists
  • WCR Measurement Order Form
  • Masterclass Conferences
  • Careers