Scoliosis surgeons have claimed for years, and most still do, that it is impossible to correct scoliosis without surgery. We are happy to report another one of our young patients is proving the doctors wrong again – this time in a very big way!
D. came to Scoliosis 3DC® in September 2014, six months after being diagnosed with scoliosis. At that time, her Cobb angles were 27º thoracic, 29º thoracolumbar and 20º lumbosacral. She was pre-menarcheal, Risser 0, and not yet ten years old – meaning she was at high risk for scoliosis progression.
D. participated in our intensive scoliosis program. Dr. Marc and Amy both worked to educate her about her scoliosis. They showed her how to incorporate all of the Schroth Best Practice concepts from our intensive scoliosis program into her daily life. D. went home and took heed of all their advice. She continued to wear the Boston Brace she already had but didn’t really tolerate it too well.
Still, within seven months (see April 2015 x-ray), the scoliosis exercises D. learned helped her stabilize her thoracic curve to 24º and reduce her thoracolumbar curve to 18º ( down 11 degrees, 38% reduction). A pretty good result, but at ten-and-a-half years old, D. was about to start a growth spurt.
Her parents had learned about the Cheneau-style Gensingen Brace from Dr. Marc and its custom asymmetric design impressed them. They liked that it was a Schroth compatible brace, incorporating the same 3D overcorrection concepts as D.’s Schroth exercises and ADLs. They also liked that the Gensingen Brace strives for spinal improvement whenever possible rather than only halted progression. For those reasons, they decided to make the switch to the Gensingen Brace.
D. had another out of brace x-ray in September 2015 so that Dr. Marc could track her progress. Her x-ray revealed an 11º reduction of her thoracic curve (now measuring 13º, instead of 24° before she started treatment at Scoliosis 3DC®). Her thoracolumbar curve also improved, measuring 16°.
The other day, D. came in to be measured for her second brace with a new x-ray in hand. Her thoracic curve now measures only 7° – which is not even considered scoliosis! That’s a 17º reduction from her original 27º thoracic curve (63% curve reduction). The thoracolumbar curve has resolved. Additionally, her lumbosacral curve which originally measured 20° to the right, now measures 4° to the left (a 120% correction – or put simply, an overcorrection – which is what the Gensingen brace® strives for).
You may notice that the placement of the Cobb angle measurements has changed over time. This is to be expected during the treatment process as bracing and exercise influence the scoliosis curve(s) and can sometimes change the curve pattern.
D. is living proof that when the correct Schroth-based protocols are taken, and followed, before a growth spurt, then the potential for improvement of scoliosis does exist.
Ours is the only US clinic for scoliosis offering both an intensive (4-5 day Schroth Best Practice program) and the Cheneau-Gensingen brace (AKA Gensingen Brace by Dr. Weiss – GBW)! When used together, this combination of scoliosis treatment, from Germany, offers adolescents the absolute best chance of managing scoliosis to a successful outcome at skeletal maturity, not just temporarily, but permanently.
And remember…scoliosis doesn’t wait, so don’t wait and see. Part of the reason D. is achieving such good results is that her parents acted early, prior to growth, and she is following the best protocols available in terms of scoliosis bracing and Schroth exercise.
*This scoliosis success story represents one individual patient’s experience and ability to correct scoliosis without surgery. It in no way represents or implies that every patient will get the same result! However, for best results, don’t wait and see with scoliosis.
