Mind you, this isn’t a coincidence – while scoliosis can have a colossal impact on anyone’s life, being diagnosed with a curvature of the spine can be particularly devastating for dedicated sportspeople. Scoliosis regularly leads to muscular imbalance and impaired flexibility / mobility, and when the patient is involved with sports or other physical activities, these symptoms may have a very negative effect on their performance.

It therefore stands to reason that sportspeople with scoliosis have more reason than most to seek an effective means of managing the condition. Happily, ScolioGold therapy (our own treatment method, specifically tailored to the unique needs of scoliosis sufferers) has proven to be a very effective means of tackling scoliosis and helping scoliotic sports enthusiasts to keep on performing to the very best of their abilities.

Here are just a few of the sport-loving scoliosis patients whom we’ve helped over the years:

Rugby can be rough even on a completely healthy body, and so 15-year-old Hannah understandably though that her rugby-playing days were over when she was diagnosed with a 37-degree curve in her spine. Fortunately, she happened to be watching TV when our founder Erika Maude was being interviewed on the BBC, and our treatment course left her in less pain, with a better posture and the ability to take part in demanding physical activities once again.

James (15, Birmingham)

Spinal fusion surgery would likely have brought James’s tennis days to an abrupt end. “Sitting on the sidelines and watching my friends having fun was soul-destroying,” he said of his time away from the court. However, his parents came across our clinic online and he was “ecstatic” when they told him that they’d found an alternative to surgery. After the treatment, James said that he had a “new lease of life” and was looking forward to a full summer of tennis.

Paige (13, Birmingham)

Paige was an enthusiastic young kickboxer from the West Midlands who came to the Scoliosis SOS Clinic (then located in Suffolk) with a 54-degree spinal curve. She was distraught at the prospect of having steel rods inserted into her back, not least because this would likely leave her unable to participate in her favourite sport any longer. In the end, however, a ScolioGold treatment course and an ongoing exercise regime ensured that she could carry on as before.

Over the years, we at Scoliosis SOS have been privileged enough to treat patients from practically every corner of the world. Not only is it very gratifying to know that people are willing to travel thousands of miles in order to receive treatment from our ScolioGold-certified therapists, we also find it very educational and enlightening to meet people from so many different countries. As you’ll see on our Overseas Patients map, we’ve welcomed scoliosis sufferers from all over the world through the doors of our clinic!

For instance, quite a few patients have come to us from China – including Hong Kong, which used to be a British colony but is now a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. 

Saffron and Tobey Turl are two siblings who live in Hong Kong. Both of them have curved spines: Saffron, who had been experiencing unexplained back pain for a while, was diagnosed thanks to a school health screening, while her younger brother’s curvature was spotted by their mum when he was running shirtless one day (Tobey is a keen distance runner!).

In order to get their spinal curves under control, Saffron and Tobey travelled nearly 6 thousand miles to reach our clinic in London. Once here, they completed an intensive exercise-based treatment regime that got great results for both of them.

During a refresher visit, Saffie and Tobey sat down for a quick chat about their experiences at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic. Watch the video below to find out what they had to say.

About Scoliosis SOS

 

 

When properly administered by a skilled practitioner, Schroth treatment can eliminate the need for spinal fusion surgery (an operation that is often used to halt the progression of spinal curves, but which – like any surgical procedure – carries with it a number of risks). As a result, the Schroth method is a very popular, highly sought-after treatment route amongst scoliosis sufferers who would prefer not to go under the knife.

 

The problem is that qualified Schroth practitioners are in fairly short supply. Depending on where in the world you live, it may be very difficult or even impossible to get Schroth treatment in your own country. For this reason, many scoliosis sufferers have travelled great distances in order to visit a Schroth clinic, get treated, and bring their condition under control without having to undergo surgery.

Australia is one country where Schroth method practitioners are few and far between. Because of this, many Australians with curved spines have made the long journey to England in order to complete an intensive ScolioGold treatment course here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic in London.

 

Monay, a teenager from Queenland, was one such Australian. She was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 14 after suffering from back pain for a long time; post-diagnosis, she tried countless different treatment methods, including osteopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, and the EMMETT technique. However, Monay was unsatisfied with the outcome of these assorted treatments, and so she decided to come to London and try ScolioGold therapy instead.

 

Watch the video below to find out what Monay thought of our treatment programme.

 

Are ScolioGold therapy and the Schroth method identical?

Phoebe’s mother first spotted the curvature when, while cutting her daughter’s hair, she noticed that her hips weren’t symmetrical. They went to visit her GP, who referred Phoebe to hospital. She was then diagnosed with scoliosis, and when she went back to the hospital a year later, she had grown a lot, causing her spinal curve to get even worse.

Phoebe was then told she may need spinal fusion surgery, but this was mainly for cosmetic purposes, and she was more concerned about the increase in shoulder pain that was stopping her from enjoying her favourite hobbies. This shoulder pain wasn’t all that severe when she was first diagnosed with scoliosis; however, over a period of time, her pain started to worsen and it began to become a large part of her life. At this point, Phoebe decided to research different methods of treating and managing scoliosis, and that’s how she came across the Scoliosis SOS Clinic. 

Phoebe completed a pair of two-week ScolioGold treatment courses, and this helped to reduce both her spinal curve and the significant amount of shoulder pain she was feeling. During her treatment and rehabilitation program, Phoebe wore Kinesio tape around her neck and shoulder. Taping is used to help reduce muscle tension, allowing the patient to manage the pain without having to receive regular massages. After receiving ScolioGold treatment here at the clinic, Phoebe’s shoulder pain had reduced and she noticed improvements in her posture. 

You can see a full account of Phoebe’s scoliosis treatment in the video below.

Here at Scoliosis SOS, we are very proud of the fact that we have helped scoliosis sufferers from every corner of the globe. If you’re familiar with our Overseas Patients page, you’ll know that people have travelled to our clinic from all over Europe, from North America, and even from Oceania and Asia.

One patient from that latter group is Amy, who travelled all the way to London from Taiwan to receive treatment for her scoliosis last year.

Amy is a nurse, and she has been living with a curved spine for roughly 15 years! She wore a brace for 4-5 of those years, but was unhappy with this treatment – her back brace was uncomfortable to wear in the hot weather, and she noticed that her muscles were shrinking and she was becoming weaker as time went by.

Amy visited the Scoliosis SOS Clinic after reading about us online and being impressed with the results she saw on our website – photos of other patients who had received treatment here and were now living a higher quality of life as a result. 

To find out more about Amy’s treatment here, you can watch this short video interview we conducted with her:

Why travel to the UK from Taiwan for scoliosis treatment?