How can a Schroth Method Patient-Parent Program Help your Family

Is it possible for me to help my child?

A scoliosis diagnosis affects the whole family - for this reason in our Patient-Parent Program will help you and your child to understand and manage scoliosis.

Treatment is individually tailored to your child's curve pattern, focused on three-dimensional self-correction, stabilisation of corrected posture, education, and training in everyday activities.

The objective of our specialised physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) treatment is not to promise that every curve can be straightened or that surgery can always be avoided. Rather, it is to provide you and your child with an active, individualised conservative treatment approach when there may otherwise appear to be few choices remaining.

Our Schroth Method Patient-Parent Program will give your child the knowledge and skills to actively manage their scoliosis. Importantly too, as a parent you will be present step by step, learning how to help your child manage their scoliosis now and in the future.

Our conservative Schroth Method Patient-Parent Treatment Programs adopt the same model as our adult program - Schroth Method Scosliosis Exercise Treatment Program. They provide young patients and their parents with customised physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) treatment.

Our Treatment Model is different, rather than providing isolated weekly appointments, our program provides concentrated one-to-one treatment over six days. This allows sufficient time for assessment, education, repeated practice, refinement and stabilisation of three-dimensional corrections for every day activities, and development of an individualised home program.

Schroth-based physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise does not involve simply giving your child a list of general exercises.

During our 6 day Patient-Parent Program treatment your child would learn to:

Understand their individual scoliosis
Develop three-dimensional postural self-correction
Improve their postural awareness and control
Improve their movement and function
Learn exercises specific to their curve pattern
Apply their corrections during daily activities
Develop the skills to actively participate in managing their scoliosis.

And you would learn how to support them.

You are not simply an observer.

You would learn how the Schroth approach works, what your child’s individual corrections are designed to achieve, and how you can support their ongoing home program.

Mum and Daughter

Timely Treatment & Education

Timely assessment and consideration of appropriate conservative treatment can help improve quality of life for young idiopathic scoliosis patients. With this in mind, treatment goals are developed collaboratively with the patient and, where appropriate, their parent.

In our Schroth Method Patient-Parent Programs the Therapist's role is to empower both the patient and their parents by providing:

A customised Schroth In-Clinic and Home Exercise Program for their specific idiopathic scoliosis curve type.
Coaching and education in 3D auto postural correction; stabilising corrected posture; and managing activities in daily living for patient and parent.

The patient and their parents, need to commit to:

A customised Schroth In-Clinic and Home Exercise Therapy Program.

As each patient's spinal curvature is unique, Schroth Method physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE) focuses on their muscular and postural asymmetry to reverse the "Vicious Cycle" to lengthen and stabilise their spine three-dimensionally.

: Lumbar mobilisation

: Thoracic mobilisation

The above images show mums and daughters engaging with gentle Schroth Method mobilisation techniques during their Schroth Patient-Parent Programs.

Schroth Method physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises can help improve function and mobility; decrease Cobb angle; improve vital capacity; and reduce pain and disability in patients diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis. Treatment is also aimed at limiting curve progression and reducing the likelihood of progression to surgery.

Schroth exercises when performed in conjunction with bracing have improved bracing outcomes in patients with curvatures >40º.

A Team Approach To Care & Treatment

In providing Schroth Method exercise treatment for our patients we adhere to the Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) 2016 guidelines which advocate a team approach: Orthopaedic Specialists, Orthotists, Therapists and other medical professionals collaborating in the treatment and care of idiopathic scoliosis patients.