<![CDATA[Clay Scoliosis Clinic

<![CDATA[Clay Scoliosis Clinic - Blog]]>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 16:35:48 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Bracing: Facts, Myths, and Types]]>Wed, 15 Sep 2021 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/blog/bracing-facts-myths-and-types

Bracing has been a tool used in the treatment of scoliosis for centuries. There are countless models and methods and to be frank, there is not one agreed upon style of brace that is the best. Lets go over some of the agreed upon facts and myths about scoliosis bracing though:

Myths and Facts:

Myths:

Bracing is harmful: Not true. Think of a brace as a tomato cage that helps guide growth.
Bracing doesn’t work: False. Studies are continuing to show that bracing helps scoliosis
Scoliosis can just go away, you don’t need a brace: Depends. Small curves can resolve themselves, but curves 25 º and higher often progress and require action.
Bracing can fix curves in adults: Not typically. Adults have mature spines that are no longer malleable. Braces can help with pain and Schroth can help with posture.

Facts:

Bracing Helps! Studies consistently show that bracing can prevent progression and often improve curves
Rigid is BEST: For curves that are in the bracing range 25º to 50º , soft braces are not sufficient to overcome the forces. Rigid braces are the agreed upon recommendation.
Full-time Compliance is a MUST: Also agreed upon is that you must wear the brace most of the day to get the full benefit. Typical recommendations on wear time are 18-23 hours/day.
Braces Need to Fit Right: certified orthotists should fit and issue braces to ensure that they do what they are intended to do.

Types of Braces

Here ends the general consensus on what bracing should and shouldn’t look like for scoliosis. Below I will go over some of the general TYPES of braces that are issued so that you can be informed about your options. Note that some orthopedic surgeons are only comfortable with certain types of braces.

Soft Brace

SpineCor: not for curves greater than 25 º

TLSO (thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis)

Milwaukee: brace from 1940’s that extends up to the neck for high curves. Rarely used now.
Modular: TLSO with pads for correction
Boston: TLSO with pads, cutouts, and asymmetrical pelvis if needed. Very Popular
Charleston/Providence: TLSO braces that are built into side bending overcorrection and work only at night. Not as popular.

3D Bracing

In the past 20 years there has been significant development in the area of 3D bracing.

Scoliosis is a change in spinal posture in 3 dimensions. Schroth Therapists are trained to favor 3D braces because they better compliment our goal of correcting alignment in all planes. They are newer and do tend to be more expensive.

Wood Rigo Cheneau-
Boston 3D
ScolioBrace
Cheneau-Gensingen
SCT 3D Full-Time Scoliosis Orthosis
ARTLyon brace

Whatever brace is to be used is ultimately up to the parent(s). Just make sure that your bracing option works well with your care team and child so that you can be on the same page for treatment approach.

Let us know if you have questions about how bracing and Schroth work together!

]]><![CDATA[Do Dance and Gymnastics Contribute to Scoliosis?]]>Fri, 22 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/blog/do-dance-and-gymnastics-contribute-to-scoliosis

I get asked these two questions often:
1. Do dance/gymnastics cause scoliosis?
AND
2. Should I pull my child out of dance/gymnastics now that she/he is diagnosed?

As a dancer with scoliosis this question hit close to home and I hope I can offer some encouragement and guidance!

The short answer to question number one Do dance/gymnastics cause scoliosis? is NO. What a relief right!? There is no known activity that directly causes scoliosis. There is however a higher prevalence of dancers and gymnasts that have scoliosis than in other sports, so what gives? The answer is that scoliosis and hyper-mobility tend to correlate. A study from 2011 that investigated this correlation found that 51% of the 70 adolescents with scoliosis displayed hyper-mobility while only 19% of the 58 control adolescent were hyper-mobile.

And more flexible sports tend to attract flexible people!

On to question two: Should I pull my child out of dance/gymnastics now that she/he is diagnosed? This answer is not as straight forward. While dance and gymnastics do not cause scoliosis, extreme range of motion can be a factor in progression. It is generally recommended that individuals with scoliosis aim to keep their spine in the most neutral position while performing sports or exercise to decrease the risk of worsening the condition.

On the other hand there are studies that show that being physically active can reduce the risk of progression. A study that won at SOSORT this past year presented by Alessandra Negrini, found that children who were active in sports had less progression than children not involved in sports. In addition, the more times a week children participated in sports the greater the improvement! The study did not however, look at improvement across different sports. Studies specific to dance and gymnasts are needed to explore if the core strengthening component of these activities outweighs the downside of extreme range of motion.

So there are definitely pros and cons to consider strictly looking at the mechanical aspects of dance and gymnastics. I think the most important question is: how important is the activity to your child? If it's just one of many sport she/he loves, then maybe drop it. If it is the passion of your child's life, it is important to weigh that into the decision.

I LOVE dance. I always have and it is a huge part of my life. I refuse to give it up. But I recognize that my body has different needs and limits than many of my peers. So as I continue dancing and most recently trying aerials, I make a conscious effort to adapt whenever I can. A little sacrifice in aesthetics is worth it for me to be able dance without pain and for as long as possible in my life. Here's an example of an adaptation I make:

Leaning back in a cambre, my dancer goal has always been more is better. If you look at the picture on the left, that mental goal leads to me hinge through my low lumbar spine pretty aggressively. Now using knowledge of my spine and Schroth concepts, I aim for a more gentle curve like the photo on the right. I also choose to do this position minimally or if I am practicing for a performance I don't do the full version of this movement. Less intensity and repetition equal less stress. I may not be the most limber or impressive ballerina out there, but it's worth it to be wise about what my body needs.

In my aerial class I adapted a lot of things. If I do it again I will adapt even more.
There are some things I just shouldn't do because of my scoliosis, but there also many things I can in spite of it!

So the bottom line is dance and gymnastics are not to blame for scoliosis, but we have to be smart with them!

Check out Why Practice Did Not Make My Pirouettes Perfect? to learn about how Schroth has helped my turns!

Click HERE to learn more Adolescent Scoliosis about Schroth Therapy for Children and Teens!

Scoliosis: Wait, Brace, or Operate?
The Ultimate Parent Guidebook to Making the BEST Health Decision for Your Child

References

Joint hypermobility in children with idiopathic scoliosis: SOSORT award 2011 winner. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3204294/
Impact of Sports Activity on Full-Time Braced Patients: An Observational Study of 785 Risser 0-2 Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis. Negrini et al. 2019 SOSORT Award Winner.

]]><![CDATA[Is My Child a Good Schroth Candidate?]]>Wed, 19 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/blog/is-my-child-a-good-schroth-candidate

There are a lot of different approaches when it comes to managing scoliosis. As a parent it can be difficult to sort out what is fact, what is opinion, what is marketing, and what may be variable depending on the details of each case.

That is why I am so thankful for organizations like the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) and Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT). These groups are comprised of doctors, nurses, therapists, orthotists, chiropractors and other health care providers who are dedicated to developing research-grounded treatment for scoliosis in all ages.

When I have questions about what is best for each of my clients I refer back to their recommendations. SOSORT regularly releases consensus papers based on reviewing all the current research. The papers from 2011 and 2016 provide excellent guidelines for treating adolescent idiopathic scoliosis through all its stages. The recommendations are presented as ranges for each combination of age/severity of scoliosis leaving room for the individuality of each case.

The least aggressive way to manage scoliosis is observation, next is physical therapy scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE, Schroth being one type), followed by various types/intensity of bracing, and lastly surgery. SOSORT recommends PSSE in the range of treatment for mild to moderate cases of scoliosis. For severe cases, the minimum recommendation is bracing with surgery being the maximum.

So you might take away that Schroth is only good for mild to moderate cases of scoliosis. I would clarify that Schroth ALONE is recommended for those cases. There are several research studies that show that the results of bracing are improved even further by doing them in conjunction with scoliosis specific exercises.

Even if surgery is unavoidable, pre/post surgical Schroth is often used to improve the outcome and recovery afterward. Pre-rehab has become a common practice for total knee replacements due to the recovery advantages of preparing the tissue for surgical changes. Because scoliosis therapy is catered specifically to the individual, it can help promote appropriate soft tissue flexibility and strength to accelerate acceptance of the new corrected, surgical posture.

So I would propose that most children ARE GOOD CANDIDATES for Schroth Therapy! The goals differ depending on the individual, but good posture is GOOD regardless. Sometimes additional interventions are needed, but knowing how to promote balance in the body is a powerful tool that can maximize success in all ages and severities.

Achieving BALANCE in the body is more correlated with pain in scoliosis than the SIZE of curve. Learning to find that balance sets kids up to be successful in whatever path their care takes!

Click HERE to learn more about Schroth Therapy for Children and Teens!

Scoliosis: Wait, Brace, or Operate?
The Ultimate Parent Guidebook to Making the BEST Health Decision for Your Child

]]><![CDATA[Head Over Heels... Or Hips]]>Fri, 14 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/blog/head-over-heels-or-hips

Did you know that your head is about as heavy as a bowling ball? And did you know that for every inch forward your head moves away from your body you can add 10 lbs to its weight! If you pretend that your head is a bowling ball and your spine is stick it’s resting on it, can you imagine how exhausting it would be to hold that ball up if it wasn’t balancing right on top of the stick?! No wonder we have so much neck and back pain!

Don’t be discouraged; it’s not just you! The temptation to slouch and let the head move forward is natural to ALL people. Our bodies are built in such a way that we do almost everything in front of us. We gravitate (quite literally) to where we are focused. The increasing engagement with technology in our culture makes this problem even more prevalent. More and more jobs are desk jobs. When we’re not on computers we are often on our phones or occasionally even reading books ;)

Many of you have already realized this problem and try to think about correcting your posture. That is great! I bet you catch yourself slouching again the moment you stop thinking about it though. Active posture correction is HARD WORK! That is why I think it is important to save our postural endurance for when we are active and to let our set-up help us when we are doing sitting activities. Maybe there are a few truly good multitaskers out there, but most of us tend to lose track of our posture as soon as we focus on whatever our eyes and mind are processing.

Here are my FAVORITE TIPS to let your set-up take care of your posture while you work:

Use the back of your chair: without back support you WILL slouch eventually.
Support your arms: use either the arm rests of the chair or get close enough to use the desk/table
Adjust the chair so that your hips/knees are at about 90 degrees and your arms can comfortably reach the keyboard. *you may need to add something under your feet if you are on the shorter side
Raise your monitor so that you are looking forward and not down to see it. *for tips on my favorite laptop tricks, see my post “Coffee Shop Neck Pain”
Add a back support or pillow that is comfortable, gets your head over your hips, and makes it comfortable to use the back of your chair. *you may need to try a few until you find the right one for your chair and back!

PS: there’s nothing wrong with using rolled up towels if you’re on a budget!

For more information on how to build postural endurance when you ARE active, feel free to further explore the information about Schroth Therapy on this site.

To learn about maintaining good posture while traveling with a laptop check out “Coffee Shop Neck Pain”.

]]><![CDATA[Coffee Shop Neck Pain]]>Fri, 14 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/blog/coffee-shop-neck-pain

My home is where my heart is. It is where I live life with my family. It is also a vortex of distraction! So as a business owner I have to LEAVE to get things done without constant interruptions like food prep, laundry and demands for popcorn from my toddler.

Consequently, I spend a good deal of time on my laptop in coffeeshops as I have since college. I work well mentally in this environment, but it is royally unpleasant for my posture! If you’ve read my post “Head over Heels… Or Hips”, you learned tons of amazing posture tips for your desk space that are impossible to implement if you go someplace else to work!

So how do we protect our necks, and backs from the coffee shop posture blues? Here are my favorite tools that I bring with me to set up a “traveling” office.

1. Laptop stand
*for traveling I like: Camino Stand
It can be adjusted to various heights and is folded into a very convenient size.
*if you just need a laptop for home I favor: Executive Office Solutions Stand. It's more supportive and can be raised rather than just tilted.

2. Portable keyboard and mouse
*you should not use the keys or touchpad on the laptop if you raise it (carpal tunnel syndrome is NOT your friend)

3. USB extension (for Mac users)
*If your laptop is like mine and has decided USB ports are so 2017 you’ll need an extension port for your laptop/mouse

4. Back support
*sometimes I bring my lumbar support with me, usually I just scout out a pillow or roll up my sweater
*The Original McKenzie Slimline Lumbar Support

It takes a little more planning and space to bring this stuff with me when I work outside the home, but IT IS WORTH IT! Your neck and back will thank you!

]]><![CDATA[Laminectomies: Missing The Big Picture]]>Fri, 10 May 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/blog/laminectomies-missing-the-big-picture

photo created by kjpargeter - www.freepik.com

Before I became a scoliosis specialist I worked in physical therapy orthopedics as a generalist for several years. As I became more aware of my own scoliosis I began to notice a trend in a group of people I was seeing for back pain. That trend was that nearly all of my patients who came to me after a laminectomy were also presenting with varying degrees of scoliosis.

For those of you who do not know what a laminectomy is, basically it is a minimally invasive surgery in which the back of a single vertebra is cut off to create more room in an irritated segment. The discs and nerves between the lumbar vertebrae 4 and 5, as well as between lumbar 5 and the sacrum tend to be major creators of low back pain and sciatica. The concept of the surgery makes sense. If there's too much pressure on the nerves at L5, opening up L5 should solve the problem right?

This procedure does help many people. I am NOT saying it is a bad surgery. However, I think there is often a failure to consider why there is too much pressure is on those low back segments to begin with. Especially if the issue is on one side more than the other would it not make sense to assess the individual's posture for imbalance?

Every case of scoliosis is a little bit different. Some people have a nice balance of their curves and will never progress or have pain; others are not as lucky. The size of one's curve has been proven NOT to predict pain. What CAN often predict pain is when upper body shifts to one side and is not balanced over the pelvis. Especially in lower curves there is often a dissociation between the lumbar spine and the pelvis. Guess where this typically happens? L4 and L5!

In this case, the whole spine is shifted left of midline and the low back and pelvis change directions at L4/5

This is my X-ray. I have a very small curve, but the entire spine is shifted right of midline which causes sciatica in my right leg without posture correction.

Sometimes surgery is necessary. However, my hope is that if we spend a little more time looking at the BIG PICTURE of why one side of the spine is getting irritated, that maybe we can fix the CAUSE and not just the pain generator. In cases of low back pain and scoliosis, simple things like learning how to keep the trunk centered over the pelvis and maintaining elongation of the spine can eliminate pain that otherwise would have led to a laminectomy!

Cutting off a small portion of a vertebra does not change the overall scoliotic posture. So whether you have been told you need a laminectomy or have already had one, learning how to control your posture with the Schroth Method could be a game changer! Taking pressure off is something we can learn to do for ourselves with awareness and training!

]]><![CDATA[Why Practice Did Not Make My Pirouettes Perfect]]>Thu, 11 Apr 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.scoliosistherapystlouis.com/blog/why-practice-did-not-make-my-pirouettes-perfect

I chose my first profession at age 4 like most girls. I would be a ballerina. I loved ballet. I lived to dance in any shape or form. By the time I was in high school I was dancing 3-5 times a week for several hours. I was a natural jumper. I had ballon in my leaps, aka I could get some serious air. Oh, but turns… I practiced for hours and hours. In front of the mirror, eyes open, eyes closed, barefoot, in shoes, and so on I tried. I improved with time. I could somewhat consistently do double pirouettes by college, but no one would call me a natural turner. I always assumed I was not good at them and could never be.

Now I am a physical therapist, a scoliosis specialist to be exact. I have been certified in the Schroth Method, which is a form of exercise that can improve posture in spinal deformities such as scoliosis and has the potential to reverse curvature during growth. I was diagnosed with scoliosis as an adolescent, but it was not enough to merit bracing. The common practice for curves under 20 degrees has traditionally been “wait and see”. I did not have pain and it did not bother me, so life went on. It was not until I began having numbness and tingling in my right leg as an adult that I began to realize how my scoliosis was affecting my posture.

Left Right

I have a small low curve in my thoracolumbar spine measuring roughly 17 degrees; not a big deal by severity classification. However, the way my body has responded to this curve is a big deal. Sometimes in scoliosis the body compensates by keeping the center of gravity at midline with even weight bearing in both legs. This is not the case in my spine. As seen in the image adjacent, if unchecked, my curve pulls my entire trunk to the right. With scoliosis specific exercises I have learned how to use my muscles to keep my curve from taking my center of gravity over the right, and how to remain as neutral as possible.

Now back to the pirouettes. As I learn how to hold myself in better posture I am finding balance to be so much easier! The increased control and awareness I have gained from scoliosis exercises allow me to do things I was never able to do well before. It is apparent why, when you look at the dancers pictured. The ballerina with scoliosis is fighting not only the natural difficulty of the task, but the asymmetrical pull of gravity to her right side with every rotation. It makes sense now why turns were always my nemesis. How was I to know how to keep my body weight central to prevent falling off towards my curvature without being shown!?

I love what I do now. Mild scoliosis can make a big difference, especially with athletics and even more so as we age. Scoliosis specific exercise would have made a big difference for me had I known about it in the peak of my growth and dancing career. Even now I can enjoy the benefits of my improved posture and hope to share that knowledge with individuals with curves young and old!