In November 2018, the Scoliosis SOS Clinic helped treat Matthew Ellison, a 31-year-old male from Devon who was diagnosed with hyperkyphosis and hyperlordosis following an injury. Here is his story!
As Matthew explained to us, he had always noticed that his back had a rounded shape, particularly in the shoulder and thoracic region. During Matthew’s early teenage years, his mother took him to the doctor to have his back looked at, and the doctor informed him that he would simply grow out of it.
As the years went by, however, Matthew saw that he hadn’t grown out of it, and in his mid-to-late 20s he started to experience increased levels of discomfort and pain on a daily basis – and especially during sports participation. Things got worse for Matthew when he suffered an injury, which resulted in an X-ray scan and a recommendation for spinal fusion surgery. This was something that Matthew was not keen on at all and wanted to avoid, and so his doctor suggested that he could try a non-surgical treatment programme like the Schroth method. Matthew conducted some of his own research, and this eventually led him to the Scoliosis SOS Clinic.
Before reaching out to us, however, Matthew attempted to self-medicate his back problem with regular physical exercise in an effort to ‘open up’ the curve in his spine and strengthen his upper back muscles. Unfortunately, due to the injury that he had suffered, these exercises ended up making his spine worse. Matthew then sought professional help and undertook a 12-week physiotherapy course in the hope of correcting his spinal curvature; during this time, he was given simple instructions which helped with pain relief at the end of each day, but weren’t enough to reduce the curve.
Matthew comes to the Scoliosis SOS Clinic
Matthew found the Scoliosis SOS Clinic’s website via Google and decided to get in touch. After a simple phone call that answered a lot of Matthew’s questions, he decided to undertake a 4-week ScolioGold course with us to help alleviate the problems that he was experiencing. Matthew was sceptical at first regarding the efficacy of group-based therapy, but was very impressed with the level of attention he received during his one-on-one sessions. The treatment that we provided comprised massage for pain relief and specific exercises that targeted the affected area of Matthew’s spine.
Upon the conclusion of his treatment course, Matthew’s hyperkyphosis and hyperlordosis had returned to within normal range. Not only was he no longer in pain, he had actually grown 3.8cm taller!
Matthew recommends the Scoliosis SOS Clinic to anyone experiencing back problems like his. Watch the video below for a full account of Matthew’s story and to see how the Scoliosis SOS team were able to help him.
If you have any questions about the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, or if you would like to book an initial consultation with us, please get in touch today!
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23-year-old Frankie from Florida came all the way to the UK to complete a 4-week treatment course at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic. This is his scoliosis story…
Frankie’s father (who actually has scoliosis himself, albeit a far milder case) noticed Frankie’s scoliosis when he was 13 years old. Frankie had a slightly unusual gait and asymmetrical shoulders, and he was experiencing some pain in his back. At the age of 16, Frankie went for an X-ray scan which showed that he had quite a significant curvature in his spine – at 40 degrees, the severity of his scoliosis was worse than expected. He wore a back brace for one year, and his curve did actually decrease to 32 degrees.
When Frankie joined the military, he was pleased to find that his scoliosis didn’t affect him too much. However, during a particularly rigorous exercise, his back gave out, and so Frankie had to put his career in the military on hold and seek treatment ASAP.
Frankie decided not to undergo treatment in the United States; instead, he researched clinics in Europe as he felt that European practitioners would have more experience with cases like his. A family friend from Greece told Frankie about Scoliosis SOS, and it wasn’t long before he enrolled on a 4-week course here.
Treatment Results
The results of Frankie’s treatment were significant. He gained height, lost weight, and is now experiencing virtually no sciatica pain. Frankie was also able to improve his already exceptional lung capacity. In total, his lumbar rotation was reduced by 20%.
When asked how he found his experience at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, Frankie said it was amazing and that we had made him much more aware of his posture. He especially appreciated the way that Scoliosis SOS patients are educated about their condition and why certain exercises are good for them, not just given a set of instructions to follow. The highlight of Frankie’s experience at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic was the feeling of progress being made – he could feel muscles that he’d never used before working, and so he knew that he was achieving positive results.
Frankie advises anyone thinking about coming to the UK to receive scoliosis treatment to ensure they can dedicate themselves to the programme so that they will feel the full benefits. He also advises people to ‘prepare for greatness – the only thing that’s going to happen here is improvement.’
Following his treatment, Frankie is heading back over to the USA and plans to go straight back to the enlistment office to continue his military career. Watch the video below to see Frankie talking about his experience in person:
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In January of this year, we treated 13-year-old Isabella from Leeds, a keen runner and rugby player who had been experiencing back pains.
Back in 2016, a friend of Isabella’s mum whose own daughter had scoliosis suggested that Isabella might have a curved spine as well. This friend instructed Isabella to bend forward and touch her toes, and she was able to identify the signs of scoliosis (this is called the Adams forward bending test).
Isabella had an X-ray and an MRI scan, which confirmed that she did indeed have idiopathic scoliosis. The scans revealed that Isabella had an ‘S’-shaped curve with a Cobb angle of 30° at the top of her spine and 15° at the base of her spine. At this point, Isabella was given two options: wear a brace, or have surgery. She didn’t want to do either of these things, and so she and her family started looking for alternative treatments online. That’s how she came across the Scoliosis SOS Clinic.
Isabella completed a 4-week course with Scoliosis SOS. She initially thought that it would be hard work, but found that the corrective stretches and exercises got easier as she went along. Isabella met lots of people at our clinic who could relate to her condition and helped her learn a lot about her own spine. When we asked Isabella if she was still experiencing pain after playing sports following her Scoliosis SOS treatment, she said that “the pain has gone now” – an amazing result!
You can see an interview with Isabella about her treatment experience here:
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Max Thompson was diagnosed with scoliosis when he was still in his teens, but he wasn’t offered any advice or treatment at the time. Here’s how he tells it:
“I didn’t know what ‘scoiliosis’ meant – it was a strange word I’d never heard before – and no treatment was offered by the NHS. So I thought, ‘well, I’ll just carry on’.”
While Max – now 60 years old – hasn’t suffered any severe symptoms from his condition and has kept himself very fit over the years, during his initial consultation with Scoliosis SOS, he compared the sensation of having a curved spine to “wearing a jumper that’s two sizes too small”. He also mentioned that he frequently felt stiff and inflexible, especially across his lower back.
Prior to coming here for treatment, Max was already doing core-strengthening exercises, plus swimming and cycling most days.
Treatment Results
Following his 4-week ScolioGold treatment course, Max has achieved significant reductions in kyphosis, coupled with better head position and posture. His thoracic (upper spine) rotation decreased by nearly 20%, while his lumbar (lower spine) rotation is completely gone, meaning that he is no longer classified as being hyperlordotic!
On seeing his before and after photographs (above), Max was amazed by the appearance in his back’s appearance and shape, remarking: “You can see my neck! I thought I’d lost my neck!”
Max’s Comments
“Over the years, I’ve seen chiropractors and sports therapists. They’d relieve it temporarily, but I always wondered if there was a better solution.
“I would recommend coming to Scoliosis SOS for a diagnosis – you’ll be treated with respect and courtesy, and given a lot of hope and a lot of inspiration. It’s a very honest diagnosis, and I came away thinking, yes, I really can improve my condition.
“The team here are excellent – they empowered me. I’ve been shown the skills, and now I can go home and do things on my own. You’re given control; I feel like I’ve got control over my own health that I didn’t have before.”
Would you like to learn more about the Scoliosis SOS Clinic? Use the links below to find out how much improvement you could make with ScolioGold therapy.
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