I just returned from a quick but worthwhile trip to Germany. I like to get there at least once per year to stay up-to-date with the Schroth Method, as practiced in Germany.
I had the great honor and pleasure of spending the first day of my trip with Christa Lehnert-Schroth, PT. She is a spunky eighty-seven year old with a great sense of humor. Her dedication to scoliosis is amazing and I am inspired each time I meet with her.
When I arrived at her house we exchanged greetings and immediately sat down to get to work. I opened my laptop to review my recent patient cases with her. During the course of Schroth treatment, I take many photos to annotate for instructional purposes. I also create videos of our sessions to send home with patients so there was a lot to review. Patients are pleased I have the opportunity to share their cases with the ultimate Schroth expert.
Frau Christa was very excited about my work, which of course was very gratifying. I also shared a video of one patient in particular and a new way I am incorporating Schroth exercises to improve and/or accelerate results. She was excited about this new approach and encouraged me to continue, and I will.
Next, we went to the local museum featuring the history of Bad Sobernheim. The museum has a permanent exhibit dedicated to the Schroth Method since it has been such an important component of the development of that small but charming town.
It was an honor to get a private tour by the woman who has been pivotal in Schroth Method evolution. The museum depicts the chronology of Schroth over the past 90 years. (This spring is the 90-year anniversary of the Schroth Method).
There are hundreds of pictures and examples of scoliosis patients exercising and braces used over the years. As a Schroth practitioner, these were fascinating to see. She was eager to point out and provide history on some particularly interesting cases displayed.
We left the museum and went to lunch where we continued our discussion of scoliosis. Fortunately, we never have trouble communicating since she speaks some English, but because of my limited German, I kept the German-English dictionary close at hand.
It was a great day and I left her house thinking that the trip was worth it for that visit alone.
Next, my two days at the Asklepios Katharina Schroth Clinic.
