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Color Guard Team Member Is Cheering After Physical Therapy for Scoliosis

By |2024-05-10T08:42:20-04:00October 10th, 2019|Categories: Health A-Z, Patient Stories, Physical Therapy|Tags: , , |

Monroe High School senior Sami Hughes, 16, was diagnosed with scoliosis during a routine screening in elementary school. She wore a series of back braces for three years to correct the curvature in her spine, but the treatment wasnโ€™t a permanent fix. When back pain threatened to sideline her participation in her schoolโ€™s color guard, Sami and her mother, Maria, searched for a nonsurgical solution and found CentraStateโ€™s Schroth 3D Treatment for scoliosis.

โ€œHaving scoliosis made performing in color guard more difficult because I was in pain and felt I wasnโ€™t strong enough to complete the movements with my flag,โ€ says Sami, who also plays guitar, ukulele, and keyboard. โ€œMy back hurt while just sitting in a chair.โ€

Because Sami wanted to avoid surgery, a pediatric orthopedist recommended that she try Schroth physical therapy. In April, she met with Jacqueline Maclearie PT, DPT, Cert MDT, Schroth-trained and McKenzie Method-certified physical therapist at the OceanFirst Rehabilitation Center at CentraState. Jacqueline reviewed X-rays of Samiโ€™s spine and performed an assessment of her posture, trunk balance, spinal alignment, and movement mechanics.

โ€œSamiโ€™s curve pattern was severe and worsening,โ€ Jacqueline explains. โ€œIt was causing pain in her back as well as her shoulder.โ€

A Nonsurgical Solution for Scoliosis-Related Pain

Schroth therapy includes treating patients at all planes of the body, making it a 3D approach to treatment. It involves cognitive, sensory-motor, and kinesthetic training, along with exercises designed to promote symmetry and improve alignment. Meeting twice a week, Jacqueline showed Sami a series of stretching exercises designed to realign the body. Mirrors helped Sami become more aware of her body to enable her to correct any issues.

โ€œYour body is like a peppermill; you can rotate the top or the bottom to realign and elongate the body,โ€ Jacqueline explains.

After about a dozen therapy sessions over six weeks, follow-up X-rays revealed that the curve in Samiโ€™s spine had stabilized and was no longer progressing. Now, Sami knows how to adjust her body without prompting. Her spine and trunk measurements are taken routinely to reassess her conditionโ€”and her improvementโ€”without unneeded radiation through X-raying.

โ€œWhen children are diagnosed with scoliosis, the condition may worsen as they grow, so early screening and treatment can be crucial to stop the progression,โ€ Jacqueline says.

Now, Sami is no longer in pain. Sheโ€™s standing taller, which has improved her self-esteem. And perhaps more importantly, sheโ€™s looking forward to her last year of color guard.

โ€œTherapy has made me a stronger person,โ€ Sami says. โ€œColor guard is a lot easier for me this year, and Iโ€™m no longer in pain. I wish I had started therapy years ago.โ€

For more information about Schroth therapy at CentraState, visit centrastate.com/pediatrics or call 866-CENTRA7 (866-236-8727).

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