Physical Therapy

There are many different types of physical therapy programs for scoliosis. The oldest and most well-known physical therapy for scoliosis is the Schroth (pronounced SHRŌHT in German, or SHRŌHTH in English). This method was developed in the 1920’s by Katharina Schroth, who suffered from scoliosis as a young girl. The Katharina Schroth Clinic is located in Sobernheim in West Germany, but many insightful and brave doctors and physical therapists have worked to bring the Schroth physical therapy for scoliosis to the United Kingdom and the United States. Many CLEAR doctors have studied the Schroth protocols and found them to be very beneficial. For more information on the history of the Schroth methods, please click here.

Another evidence-based and excellent physical therapy program for scoliosis was developed by the Italian Scientific Spine Institute (ISICO) in Milan, Italy. It is called SEAS, which stands for Scientific Exercise Approach to Scoliosis. While this physical therapy for scoliosis is yet to be widely available outside of Italy, some CLEAR Certified Doctors have begun studying these methods and incorporating them into their scoliosis treatment protocols. More information about the SEAS method can be found here.

Additional programs offering physical therapy for scoliosis include the Methode Lyonaise in France, the Dobosiewicz program (DoboMed) and the Functional Independent Treatment for Scoliosis (FITS) in Poland, the Side Shift exercises by Mehta, ScolioGold in the UK (which is based upon the Schroth principles), Scoliosis Rehab Inc and Scoliosis 3DC (which, like ScolioGold, are based around Dr. Manuel Rigo’s work with the Schroth program), and the Vojta method.

Other physical rehabilitation programs for scoliosis worth mentioning include the Yoga for Scoliosis program with Elise Miller, and the MedX Rotary Torso Machine.

For more information about the studies that have been published on the various scoliosis-specific exercise programs, please click here.