Katharina Schroth

Katharina Schroth was born in Dresden, Germany in 1894. She had scoliosis and disliked its effect on her body. What’s more she had to wear a brace which prevented her from doing the physical activities she so loved.

Incredibly, her idea for the Schroth Method was sparked by a depression in a rubber ball! She got the idea for self-treatment from the principle that air could be pressed out of a rubber ball. Since the depression in the ball reminded her of the concave side of her own body, she decided to begin breathing into the concavity to fill it up with air.

She began practicing between mirrors, watching the effects on her own physique. One discovery led to another and her scoliosis began to lose its power as a deformity and became a condition that could be managed!

While she was a teacher at a business school in Dresden, her co-workers began noticing the change in her posture and physique. When asked to begin sharing her knowledge publically, she began an intensive study of anatomy in order to deliver speeches on her newfound techniques.  In 1921, she began to teach others formally, in Meissen. Today, use of her technique continues to spread and the Schroth Method is now practiced world-wide by patients who are truly grateful to have discovered it.

This inspirational woman was the recipient of numerous awards in Germany of the course of her lifetime. She passed along her passion for her work to her daughter, Christa Lehnert-Schroth, PT, and grandson, Dr. Hans Rudolf-Weiss.