Schroth Treatment of Scoliosis

The scoliosis exercises are designed to reverse all of the abnormal curvatures with a variety of means, based upon the therapist's analysis of a patient's muscle imbalances. Christa Lehnert-Schroth writes in her book:

Scoliosis is characterised by a more or less pronounced change in the balance of forces, starting already in the feet, legs and hips, with inequality of muscles in terms of length and size. The greater the deviations from the midline, the longer the affected muscles become and the more volume is lost. They become flaccid and finally inactive. They lose their supportive function. Shape changes are only possible because the muscles permit them to happen. They become longer or shorter depending on the direction in which the trunk is moved and rotated. In other words, deviations of the trunk to the side or backwards can only develop if the corresponding supportive muscles give way and become elongated.

Therefore, treatment must improve posture so that the body can regain its original vertical axis. This can only happen by developing and training the corresponding muscle groups responsible for upright posture. To restore muscular balance, those muscles that have grown longer must be shortened and those that have become shorter must be lengthened. In order for these to be able to hold the spinal column and ribcage in their normal vertical position again, they need to be strengthened -- and on both sides. It is absolutely essential that the inactive, shortened muscles perform strength work in the lengthened state.

The basis of correction is a properly aligned pelvis. A scoliotic pelvis is often not only shifted laterally but also tilted and rotated. Therefore the spine, which attaches to the pelvis via the sacrum, has a misaligned foundation. The Schroth method first addresses the patient's pelvis position with five corrections.

The treatment can then focus on spinal elongation, and on derotation by means of individually designed scoliosis exercises.

One of the primary Schroth tools is strengthening exercises tailored to the individual patient. Another, the unique rotational breathing technique, focuses on vertebral derotation using the ribs as levers, as well as on increasing the patient's vital capacity.

24-year-old woman (left) with extremely severe scoliosis and atrophied left side.
After three courses of intensive Schroth treatment, each of 3 months duration (center).
After four in-patient courses (right).
Treatment in this extraordinary case was significantly longer than usual.

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