Seeking the Scoliosis Treatment Secret – A Personal Journey
In 2001, Dr. Marc Moramarco diagnosed his twelve-year-old daughter with scoliosis. Dr. Marc and his wife (Kathy) were appalled at the lack of viable treatment options offered by Boston’s best scoliosis surgeons for their daughter’s rapidly progressive scoliosis.
Both parents and daughter were adamantly opposed to spinal fusion surgery. The doctors prescribed the SpineCor brace and despite wearing it 23 hours per day their daughter progressed, rapidly. When Dr. Marc asked her doctors what type of rehabilitative exercise he could do with his daughter, they answered, “just wear the brace.”
Undeterred by the doctors’ advice (or lack of it), Dr. Marc set his sights on finding a way to help his daughter. Their journey involved a lot of time away from work and school, extensive travel, and several dead-ends. In January 2001, the internet wasn’t what it is today. Online information about the Schroth Method was nonexistent. On the plus side, there weren’t sites making unrealistic promises and careless recommendations, like ‘don’t brace,’ to parents wanting treatment options for scoliosis other than ‘watch and wait’ or surgery.
Dr. Marc spent a frustrating year researching (most of the published research on scoliosis is related to surgery), studying scoliosis, and calling anyone who might provide helpful information – SRS surgeons, scoliosis associations, MDs, other DCs, physical therapists, research scientists, and academics. It was a year of lost time as his daughter continued to mature. At that time, no one he had spoken with alluded to any type of viable scoliosis exercise or the Schroth method. It was as if it were a secret! One day he had the idea to track down a former professor he recalled with great respect. He was in Texas researching lower back pain. He listened to Dr. Marc’s story, then simply advised, “Go to Germany and learn the exercises.” A lead! Dr. Marc immediately called the Asklepios Katharina Schroth Clinic in Germany.
The Beginning of Schroth Method in the United States
The family scheduled a trip to Germany. It was the first glimmer of hope after months of searching! Dr. Marc spent time in the clinic observing and was immediately encouraged by what he learned. Father and daughter also attended sessions together to learn the Schroth method.
Upon returning to the US, the Schroth method became a way of life in the Moramarco household. In time, Dr. Marc and Kathy couldn’t help but think that other families dealing with scoliosis needed to know what they had discovered.
Dr. Moramarco continued his study of Schroth and eventually returned to Germany to become the first US practitioner certified in the Schroth Method (2007). After that, he followed up with several trips to continue to advance his knowledge and depth of understanding of Schroth techniques including newer ones evolving at that time. On those trips, he had the pleasure of learning in the living room of Christa Lehnert-Schroth, PT, and also from her son, Dr. HR Weiss. Their relationship evolved and Dr. Marc had the good fortune to be on the ground floor of new advancements to the method. As time went on he was able to take his understanding of Schroth and apply what he had learned in the clinical setting to be able to improve the Scoliosis 3DC® program for the benefit of patients.
It’s now been more than two decades since Dr. Marc’s involvement with conservative scoliosis treatment first began. His expertise, experience, and reputation for excellence when it comes to nonsurgical scoliosis patient care are now unparalleled in the US.
