“The prognosis from our first visit to orthopedics office looked no good. Y is 11 years old boy, his x-ray showed a scoliotic curvature of close to 20º and the doctor went on to explain to us that with his bones actively growing for another good 10 years the curvature is likely to increase to become a real problem. Treatment options sounded pretty limited: 23 hours-a-day corrective brace and possibly a surgery… When asked if there are any alternatives in the field of physical therapy or likes we got a categorical “no”.
For a few days we were searching frantically: google-ing, reading, asking anyone we could. From everything we found one option did stand out – it was a method called “Schroth”. What was special about Schroth is that unlike some other “alternative” treatments it had a benefit of decades long track record of practice in Europe that showed a significant success rate. We were very pleased to find out that one of the best World experts in this field is actually located right in our backyard: Woburn. MA.
When Dr. Moramarco worked with Y he showed nothing but full dedication. He was demanding but fun. He repeated tirelessly the routines that Y will have to embrace for the next few years to come. He recorded and re-recorded videos of the exercises that will guide Y when he stops attending the sessions. Dr. Moramarco is a true perfectionist and he does not cut a slack to his patients nor to himself.
Attending the sessions is actually only a part of the story. The crucial other part is what’s in between sessions after they are over. Not only Y has to remember very accurately all exercises and techniques that Dr. Moramarco gave him, but also he must to be aware of the way he sits, stands walks and constantly correct himself. It’s not an easy task for 11 years old. The technology was here to help. A small service called Pirfit reminded him about his posture and activities and kept recorded instructions always handy.
Four short months after Y’s initial diagnosis we went back to the orthopedics office to check on the dynamics of his curvature. The results were well above our best hopes: his curvature decreased by 7º. The doctor smiled and said: “keep on doing whatever it is you do.”
