Schroth Method offers alternative to scoliosis surgery

The Schroth Method is also suitable for adults with scoliosis who want to correct their posture. 

At a glance, twin sisters Alvika Saniya and Alvira Saniya, 15, look similar to other teenage girls who love K-Pop bands and play with their phones. However, in the past two years, both have battled scoliosis, a medical condition in which a person’s spine is curved to the right or left. 

Their mother Pretty Meliana told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that she first noticed the abnormal curvature of their spines when the twins hit puberty. Since 2017, she had taken Alvika and Alvira to doctors and they received several treatments, such as physiotherapy and wore a Boston brace, a back brace for scoliosis. 

“In the beginning, Alvika’s spine curve was 48.5 degrees, while Alvira was 45 degrees. Now, it’s below 40 degrees,” she said. However, the doctor recently mentioned that her daughters might need to undergo surgery if there was no further improvement, which led her to bring the twins to the Spine Clinic Family Holistic in West Jakarta, the only place in Indonesia that offers the Schroth Method, a customized exercise to return the curved spine to a more natural position.

“Money is not the issue, but I’m scared of [the surgery],” said Pretty.  

Founded in 1921 by German-born physiotherapist Katharina Schroth, it is a nonsurgical option for scoliosis, featuring 3D treatment designed to correct the curvature of the spine, vertebral rotation and lordosis (a healthy inward curve of the lower back). 

Dr Budi Sugiarto Widjaja studied the Schroth Method in Germany. (JP/Jessicha Valentina)

In Indonesia, the method was introduced by Dr Budi Sugiarto Widjaja in 2015, who studied the treatment in Germany. 

During the Schroth Best Practice seminar at the clinic on Feb. 23, Budi said scoliosis usually appeared during puberty, between ages 10 and 14, and 80 percent of the cases were idiopathic, meaning the causes were unknown.

Budi stressed the importance of early detection, saying that it was best to do the treatment during puberty, especially if the patient also used The Gensingen Brace by Dr Weiss® , a scoliosis brace made from polythene, which is designed for specific curve patterns, following the user’s posture.  

“Scoliosis is manageable,” he said. 

However, the Schroth Method is also suitable for adults with scoliosis who want to correct their posture.  

The method features various exercises, including physiology and activities daily living. 

During the treatment, the patient will learn how to correct their posture while standing, sitting, walking and even breathing.  

“The method shift the [bones], not bend it,” said Budi, adding that it targeted specific muscle based on the curvature of the spine. 

Budi said the Schroth Method was also useful for adults. “After puberty, the development of scoliosis might slow down. However, if [the patients] do not know how to maintain the right posture, it could get worse,” he said. (asw)

Source : Jakarta Post , 24 Feb 2019