November 28, 2016

Where to Eat in London

erika Visiting London
Many of the patients who receive treatment here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic – particularly our many overseas patients – opt to stay in our self-catering accommodation for the duration of their ScolioGold course. There are several studio apartments within the clinic building, and staying with us means that the City of London is right on your doorstep!
We’ve already suggested a number of things to do during your stay in London, but today, we’d like to focus specifically on the capital’s many fine eateries. To get your mouth watering, here are 5 highly-rated restaurants located less than a mile from our clinic:

Bari Bari

  • Cuisine: Korean
  • Address: 24 White Church Lane, London E1 7QR
  • Distance from Scoliosis SOS Clinic: 0.3 miles
Bari Bari offers a wide range of traditional Korean dishes, plus a few modern twists. Their menu is packed with delicious stews, hot pots, and sizzling Korean barbecue dishes.

The Dispensary

  • Cuisine: British / Various
  • Address: 19A Leman Street, Whitechapel, London E1 8EN
  • Distance from Scoliosis SOS Clinic: 0.2 miles
More than just pub food! In addition to British classics like pie and chips, The Dispensary offers a variety of posher options such as wild mushroom ravioli and spiced chicken breast with Cajun spices and Greek yoghurt.

Thai Square (Minories)

  • Cuisine: Thai
  • Address: 136-138 Minories, London EC3N 1NT
  • Distance from Scoliosis SOS Clinic: 0.2 miles
The Thai Square group has restaurants all over London – their Minories location is a mere 3-minute walk from our front door. The interior is decorated with traditional carvings and Buddhist sculptures, making this the perfect environment in which to enjoy contemporary Thai dishes like golden soft shell crab and the spicy Weeping Tiger.

Sushinoen

  • Cuisine: Japanese
  • Address: 2 White Church Lane, Whitechapel, London E1 7QR
  • Distance from Scoliosis SOS Clinic: 0.4 miles
If you love sushi, this is the place for you! Sushinoen’s menu is home to a wide range of authentic Japanese dishes, including a variety of non-sushi options (including sukiyaki, a “legendary” hot pot meal) for those who would rather have something hot.

Absurd Bird (Spitalfields)

  • Cuisine: American
  • Address: 54 Commercial Street, London E1 6LT
  • Distance from Scoliosis SOS Clinic: 0.4 miles
Fancy a taste of the American South? Absurd Bird specialise in fried chicken, often served with waffles, maple syrup, and smoked sweet gravy (as shown in the photo above). It may sound like a strange combination, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!
Click here to find out more about our scoliosis clinic, located right in the heart of London.
November 25, 2016

Case Study: Sorting Out Scoliosis in Time for the Wedding Day!

erika Scoliosis SOS Patients
It’s always lovely to know that our scoliosis treatment courses have made a real difference to somebody’s life, whether by helping them to overcome their chronic back pain or simply by giving them a little extra confidence for a special occasion. Anna Smith, who came to the Scoliosis SOS Clinic from Birmingham and completed a 4-week treatment course in 2015, is a great example of the latter type of patient, and today we’d like to share her story with you.
Anna Smith
Anna (pictured above) was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 17. “I was diagnosed relatively late,” she says, “and there weren’t really that many treatment options offered to me. I had an X-ray, and it was explained to me that I had scoliosis, but I wasn’t really given much information on what that meant and how that might affect me.”
Over the years following her diagnosis, Anna received some treatment from chiropractors and osteopaths, but these occasional sessions never achieved completely satisfactory results. At the age of 36, Anna got engaged, and as her wedding day drew closer and closer, she decided that it was time to seek a more effective treatment route.
“As the day approached,” remembers Anna, “I found myself getting quite self-conscious about the image of myself standing in front of all the guests with a lovely dress on and my back exposed. And though it isn’t very prominent and most people aren’t aware of it, I personally felt really self-conscious.”
Anna wanted to beat her scoliosis and boost her body confidence in time to walk up the aisle, but this wasn’t her only reason for researching possible treatment options. “I was really hoping for some cosmetic benefits to give me that extra confidence on the day, but as I began to read about scoliosis a bit more, I also became concerned about how things might worsen in the longer term. That was ultimately what prompted me to take this further step.”
And so Anna looked for treatments that would improve her future quality of life as well as getting her the cosmetic results she wanted in time for her big day. Her research led her to Scoliosis SOS and our renowned ScolioGold treatment courses.
Anna on ScolioGold Course
Anna performs a stretch with the help of one of our our ScolioGold Therapists.
Here’s what Anna had to say about the Scoliosis SOS Clinic at the end of her 4-week course:
“It’s been great. They’re a really lovely bunch of people, and I’ve felt really supported by the team of physios here. I feel like I’ve learned an awful lot about my condition and how I can better manage it. And the exercises have almost been – dare I say it – fun!
“I would highly recommend ScolioGold treatment. It gives really good value for money.”
Anna married her fiancé in December 2015, and we are pleased to report that she did indeed feel happy and confident in her wedding dress!
Anna Gets Married
Click here to view the interview we conducted with Anna at the end of her ScolioGold course, or contact Scoliosis SOS today to find out more about our scoliosis treatment courses and book an initial consultation at our clinic.
November 24, 2016

Treating Spinal Curves Up to 120 Degrees

erika Scoliosis SOS News
 
It has often recommended that, if an individual with scoliosis displays a Cobb angle of 50 degrees or more, they should seek surgical treatment in order to correct their curve. However, we at Scoliosis SOS have demonstrated on multiple occasions that patients with a 55 degree curve or more can be successfully treated using non-surgical methods. 
We have treated a large number of patients whose spinal curves exceed the oft-quoted threshold for surgery, with consistently impressive results. While the majority of our patients have Cobb angles that fall within the range of 20-65 degrees, we have successfully treated patients with spinal curves as severe as 120 degrees.
Many of our patients find the prospect of having to undergo surgery quite daunting and seek other ways to correct their spinal curves. Here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, we treat all types of scoliosis – from the mildest to the most severe and debilitating – with an approach that we call the ScolioGold method.
Eileen Morgan came to our clinic in her fifties after years of pain and disability. She was diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age, and at one point the angle of her curve was recorded as measuring 100 degrees. Watch the video below to find out how our ScolioGold therapy helped her.
The ScolioGold method combines a range of non-surgical techniques that help to relieve the pain, reduce the visibility of the curve, and prevent the condition from progressing further. These techniques have all been thoroughly researched and are proven to help with correcting scoliotic spinal curves. We’re always monitoring and developing this method to ensure that we continue to deliver gold-standard results and helo our patients to enjoy a better quality of life. If you wish to learn more about our ScolioGold treatment, please click here.
 
If you wish to book an initial consultation, or if you have any questions regarding our treatment programmes, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Scoliosis SOS Clinic today.
November 22, 2016

Congenital Scoliosis: Your Questions Answered

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems
Congenital Scoliosis
 
The most common form of scoliosis is idiopathic scoliosis, which usually develops during adolescence and has no known cause (although science is gradually getting closer to solving that mystery). The vast majority of idiopathic scoliosis patients are diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 18; as a general rule, the characteristic spinal curve does not develop until the onset of puberty, when the body goes through a rapid growth spurt.
 
However, some people have a type of scoliosis that sets in far earlier – from birth, in fact. This is called congenital scoliosis.

What is congenital scoliosis?

Congenital scoliosis is a type of scoliosis that is present from birth. If a baby is born with a spine that curves to one side, they are said to have congenital scoliosis.
 
Congenital scoliosis is caused by irregular development of the bones in the spine while the baby is in the womb. In some cases, congenital scoliosis occurs because one or more vertebrae did not form properly, although a spinal curve can also arise because multiple vertebrae are joined together.

How to spot congenital scoliosis

The symptoms of congenital scoliosis are similar to the symptoms of idiopathic or any other type of scoliosis (although they may be somewhat harder to spot in an infant or small child):
  • Uneven hips and/or shoulders
  • Rib cage more prominent on one side than the other
  • The patient appears to lean to one side
  • Clothes do not fit properly
  • Numbness, loss of coordination or weakness

Is congenital scoliosis painful?

Every congenital scoliosis patient has a different experience of the condition, and that applies to children born with scoliosis just as much as it applies to those who develop the condition later on. Some scoliosis patients do experience pain, reduced mobility, and/or compromised breathing, but these symptoms are relatively uncommon, especially in their more severe forms.
 
In cases where congenital scoliosis is linked to a problem with the spinal cord / nervous system, the patient may experience reduced coordination, reduced strength, and/or a feeling of numbness. Again, though, such cases are quite rare.

Treating congenital scoliosis

Scoliosis can be treated in a number of different ways, and congenital scoliosis is no exception. If the patient is still very young, some doctors may recommend simply waiting and monitoring their condition to see whether or not the spinal curve corrects itself as the child grows. This is usually the recommended treatment for congenital scoliosis curves less than 25°.
 
If congenital scoliosis worsens over time, some doctors may recommend bracing to prevent further deterioration. The brace puts pressure on the patient’s lower back, helping to straighten the spine. This can often be uncomfortable and inconvenient, especially for children who want to be able to run around and play restriction-free. 
 
In especially severe cases of congenital scoliosis may be referred for spinal fusion surgery, but this is a major operation and surgery is not usually the preferred treatment route when the patient is a child.
 
As with other forms of the condition, congenital scoliosis can be effectively managed via exercise-based physiotherapy. We have treated many young children here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, and we have seen some real transformations – just visit our Results (4-14 Years Old) page to see how effective our treatment courses are when it comes to reducing spinal curves.
 
If you would like to find out more about our treatment courses and how they can benefit congenital scoliosis patients, please call Scoliosis SOS on 0207 488 4428 or click here to book an initial consultation.
November 18, 2016

How to Improve Your Posture: Exercises to Try at Home

erika Scoliosis & Other Back Problems
If you read our recent blog post about the effects of bad posture, you’ll know how detrimental postural problems can be to a person’s overall health. Unfortunately, certain jobs / activities can put you at a particularly high risk for poor posture – for example, you are more likely to have bad posture if you:
  • Work at a desk
  • Regularly lift heavy objects
  • Play certain musical instruments (drummers are especially prone to bad posture)
  • Frequently drive for long periods
More generally, you may well develop postural problems if you tend to lean on one leg while standing, hunch over your phone while texting, and/or slouch while sitting in a chair.
The good news is that exercise can go a long way to combating the effects of poor posture. Here are three simple posture-improving exercises that are easy to perform in the comfort of your own home:

Shoulder Squeezes

This exercise is great for computer users who spend hours every day leaning over a desk.
Shoulder Squeezes
  1. Sit on a chair (try to find one without arms, as these may get in the way).
  2. Rest your hands on your thighs.
  3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together – imagine there is a pencil between your shoulder blades, and you are trying to hold it in place.
  4. While doing this stretch, keep your chin tucked in and your chest high to achieve the right position.
  5. Hold the squeeze for 5 seconds, relax, then repeat several times.

Titanic Stretch

This exercise is good for the shoulders – see if you can work out why we call it the ‘Titanic’ stretch!
Titanic stretch
  1. Find something to hold onto – we’ve used our wall bars in the photo above, but a bannister, door frame or towel rail will be fine.
  2. Stand with your back to the bars and hold onto them just above shoulder height. Place your feet together, as close to the wall as possible.
  3. Keeping your arms straight, lean forwards. You should feel a stretch in your chest and at the front of your shoulders.
  4. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Try to keep your chin tucked in.
  5. Relax and repeat 3 times.

Planking

This exercise strengthens your core muscles and targets the lower back to help improve your posture.
  1. Lie on your front.
  2. Prop yourself up on your forearms and toes, so that your whole body is raised off the floor. Try to place your shoulders right above your elbows and create a straight line from head to toe – you will need to make sure that your legs are straight and your hips raised.
  3. Hold this position for 5 seconds, relax, then repeat several times.
An easier version of this exercise involves resting on your knees instead of your toes, as shown here:
Planking for Beginners
More exercises to try at home:
Disclaimer: The above information should not be treated as medical advice, and the exercises described may not be suitable or beneficial for everyone. You should not begin any exercise routine without consulting a qualified health practitioner, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, elderly, or if you have any chronic or recurring conditions. Any application of the exercises suggested above is at the reader’s sole discretion and risk. Scoliosis SOS accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or injuries caused directly or indirectly through the performing of any exercises described. If you feel any discomfort or pain during exercise, stop immediately. Always consult your own GP if you are in any way concerned about your health or anything associated with it.

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