The Treatment and Management Process
After the assessment, different programs are available and which one is recommended depends on your specific needs.
Program Delivery Options
Comprehensive program
Our Comprehensive scoliosis treatment program is a 3 month training plan involving 5 private sessions, 8 group sessions and 1 re-evaluation. It is designed to individually teach and also importantly, support the establishment of a regular exercise habit.
In the private sessions, you learn how to de-collapse and expand the closed sections of your torso. The physiotherapist uses a variety of cues and Schroth method techniques, considering your scoliotic spine in 3 dimensions, to improve postural condition and alignment.
The group sessions then advance this knowledge and bring your training into upright postures and functions. In these sessions the physiotherapist further develops the Schroth method concepts and teaches you how to maintain your corrected posture in the activities of daily living such as walking, climbing stairs and picking things up.
All our physiotherapists are additionally trained in Pilates. They incorporate safely selected exercises into the group sessions to further address other imbalances and weaknesses that need to be attended to, to take the load off a scoliotic spine. Some of these are gluteal and quad weakness, hip asymmetries in strength and flexibility and shoulder girdle asymmetries.
Weekly contact helps support you settling into a regular exercise routine. This is required to ensure the therapeutic effects of the exercises are being achieved (stretch of restrictions and strength of specific weakened areas) and habituated into daily activities.
Working in a group is a great opportunity to meet others with scoliosis. Psychologically this has great benefits in reducing anxieties and normalising scoliosis – many people have structural scoliosis, however the many people don’t know the many people!
After 8 weeks of group work, a private session is had again with the original physiotherapist to re-assess objective postural measures, pain and functional scales. We objectively ascertain whether original goals are being met and discuss ‘where to’ from there.
Upon completion clients will have an exercise book full of exercise descriptions and photographs as well as complete voice recordings on their phone of the physiotherapist coaching them individually with their exercises.
Flexible session by session
Session by session booking, usually some days or a week apart, is best suited for:
- clients in pain
- clients with past scoliosis surgeries
- more mature spines
- adult degenerative scoliosis
- neurological conditions
- clients who simply need the flexibility to work around other commitments
Week private intensive
This immersion style approach may be booked any week of the year and is best suited for:
- adolescents and young adults
- clients with no or minimal pain
- out of town, interstate or international clients
This program is not for clients who are in high levels of pain, who have adult degenerative scoliosis or who have had past spinal surgeries.
The program is an:
- Intensive cluster of 15 hours training held within 1 week. Usually 2 ninety minute sessions are booked daily for the 5 days.
- Follows the immersion method of learning where clients are able to wholly concentrate on the new postures and movement patterns taught by repetition and constant correction with few distractions
- Letters are written to all practitioners involved in the clients care such as Orthopaedic surgeons, GP’s and Orthotists
- Upon completion clients have a thorough understanding of how to adopt a better postural position and how to maintain it in functional activities such as sit to stand, walking, stair climbing and in their given sport
- Clients have received recommendations on workstation set-up, sleeping positions, schoolbag / backpack use and all have a full home exercise program including photos, descriptions and voice recordings
Ongoing Management
After completion of the above programs, you can choose to continue with your home exercise program (with periodic review if required) or continue with our scoliosis specific group conditioning classes
After your private sessions you will have a very comprehensive home exercise folder of exercise explanations, photographs and guidelines.
Additionally you will have voice recordings (on your phone) of your physiotherapist coaching you through each of your exercises. You will feel confident in your ability to do the exercises and will have received advice and guidance on the order of your home exercises and their frequency.
We really try to set you up so that you are able to continue with what you have learnt independently at home. Growing adolescents are generally reviewed on-going every 8 weeks for a single session, due to the fact that they are still growing and may need their exercises adjusted accordingly.
Some adults like touching base every 3 months or so to review technique, alter exercises if needed, reassure all is good and support compliance.
Our group training is a great way to help you stick with your exercises and is fun! You need to speak with your physiotherapist if you are eligible to join the group training. You need to have received an appropriate amount of private tuition to have gained adequate knowledge and ability in your Schroth postural corrections.