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Non-Surgical Approach

Non-Surgical Approach:

Both the NHS in Britain and the medical establishment in the States pay little attention to the possible benefits of exercise programmes as an alternative to surgery. Surgeons are often sceptical about the extent to which exercise might alter the curvature of the spine. Medical papers often state that there is no scientific evidence that exercise makes any difference.

In fact, the limited research that has been done in this area suggests that exercise CAN make a significant difference - particularly if it is done early enough, when the scoliosis has been identified in a young spine. There needs to be much more research in this area.

The Scoliosis SOS clinic in Suffolk is currently the only UK clinic offering the Katharina Schroth exercise programme, which is specifically designed for scoliosis cases. (See Further Information and Links section). There are also clinics in Germany and Spain offering the Schroth programme, which was devised in Germany in the 1920s.

There is also strong anecdotal evidence that yoga can do a great deal to improve posture for people with scoliosis. There are some practitioners in the UK specialising in yoga for scoliosis. (see Links)

The following links are to some key papers suggesting that exercise may be the way forward for many people with scoliosis – and could even permanently correct the condition if done when it has just been diagnosed. They are written by an American research scientist, Martha Hawes, who has scoliosis but has significantly reduced it through exercise: