Align Physical Therapy Utah
Scoliosis Before and After
Scoliosis is measured on x-ray as a Cobb Angle. This measurement tells us how bad the scoliosis is and then guides us in how we treat it. Curves under 10 degrees usually aren’t considered scoliosis. Those curves 10-25 are called mild curves and we treat them with scoliosis specific exercise. Curves 25-45 degrees are treated with scoliosis specific exercise and bracing. Those above 45 degrees are usually surgical candidates. There is a measurement error of 3-5 degrees, which means to really have significant change, it needs to be above that.
Here are some examples of what can be done with scoliosis specific exercise with a variety of patients. The main goal of treatment is to STOP progression of the curve. With hard work and dedication we can also see reduction in the curve.
Scoliosis Success Stories From People Just Like You...
A 12-year-old patient diagnosed with scoliosis at age 11 with a 13 degree Thoracic and 12 degree lumbar curve. She was very diligent with her home exercises and had a lot of support from her parents to work to reduce progression of the curve.
She was successful in reducing the curve to 3 degrees in the thoracic and 1 degree in the lumbar. This effectively brings her down to where she is not classified as having scoliosis.
This is imaging of an 11-year-old boy who was diagnosed with scoliosis a few months prior to beginning Schroth therapy. He was very diligent in his home exercises and worked hard to be consistent with his home exercises. After a few months of treatment, he was fitted for a brace, which he wore faithfully. After 4 months of treatment, his upper thoracic curve reduced from 29 to 25 degrees. His mid thoracic curve reduced from 36 to 30, and his lumbar curve reduced from 22 to 17 degrees. Great result from being compliant with his home exercises.
A 12-year-old female patient who initially had a curve of 21 degrees in the thoracic and 16 in the lumbar. We began scoliosis specific exercise in June and then she had a follow-up x-ray in December showing a reduction to 15 degrees in the thoracic and 12 in the lumbar.
In this before and after picture of a 14-year-old with scoliosis we see halting of progression of the curve using scoliosis specific exercise. The before picture is almost the same as the after picture, but we see more skeletal maturity, which means she is close to done growing. Sometimes stopping progression of the curve, even if it stays the same, is a huge win. (This Cobb angle did decrease 3 degrees, but it was within the error range of measuring.)
A 12-year-old female who is braced and has a 32 degree thoracic and 28 degree lumbar curve. She began scoliosis specific exercise and did her home exercises as prescribed. In her follow-up x-ray her thoracic curve had decreased to 20 degrees and her lumbar curve to 24 degrees. Bracing combined with the Schroth Method has been effective with her.
This is a surface topography picture showing improvement of pelvis shift and rotation with Schroth corrections. The pictures on the left show this 22-year-old female in a relaxed position, and then she is showing how she can improve her pelvis balance and posture with the corrections she has learned.
This is a 13-year-old female who had a progressive curve during a rapid growth spurt. It had increased to 35 degrees, and she was looking at possibly needing surgery if it continued. We began with scoliosis specific exercise and she tried bracing, but she wasn’t able to tolerate it. After consistently doing her exercises, her curve reduced to 24 degrees and she was showing signs of nearing the end of growth. This pulled her back from a moderate curve into the mild category.
This before and after is of a 9-year-old male treated for scoliosis following surgery to correct a Chiari Malformation. Initially, the main concern was his scoliosis curve and his pelvis being off center. After working with scoliosis specific exercise and posture training, he was able to see a significant reduction in the imbalance of his pelvis and his scoliosis curve.
This is a 12-year-old female with an initial scoliosis measurement of 28 degrees and a significant shift in her pelvis. She was very diligent in doing her Schroth Method exercises. In 5 months she was able to reduce this curve to 20 degrees, brining her out of the range for bracing.
This is an 11-year-old male with an 18 degree curve and significant shift in his posture. He began scoliosis specific exercise and 3 months later was showing a reduction in his curve to 11 degrees. His pelvis and posture are significantly more balanced in the follow-up x-ray as well.
This is a before and after of a 18-year-old male who had a 25 degree thoracic curve at his initial visit. He also had a significant pelvis shift to the left. After 3 months of scoliosis specific exercise, and very good compliance with his home exercises, he was able to reduce this curve to 18 degrees with a nearly balanced pelvis. One very interesting thing is that he was done growing from the start of treatment.
This patient is a 13-year-old female with an original curve measuring 22 degrees. In this comparison, the before x-ray was after she had been doing Schroth training for 2 months. (We did not have access to the original x-ray) The after x-ray was 6 months following. She showed a significant reduction in her curve to 6 degrees in the thoracic and 9 degrees in the lumbar. (under 10 degrees is not considered scoliosis!) This is a great example of a mild curve reducing with scoliosis specific exercise.