I offer conservative scoliosis treatment based on the Schroth method.
What is the Schroth Method?
The Schroth method is a form of Physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE). These exercises are based on the principles of self-elongation and specific muscle contraction based on the shape of each patient’s trunk. Prachi Bakarania studied under the Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School (BSPTS) is based of the original Schroth method. BSPTS is an intensive certification program founded from Schroth principles in addition to having a solid foundation in understanding the biomechanics of scoliosis, in order to treat every patient according to their own individualized presentation of scoliosis across their lifespan.
What to expect
At your first visit, you should expect a comprehensive evaluation, that lasts around 45 minutes. Since we treat patients 1:1, its very important that you come on time. I will likely have you fill out several outcome measures, such as the SRS-22r. The SRS-22r, is a valid and reliable outcome measure developed by the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) and measures pain, function, self image, and mental health in individuals with scoliosis. If you are also coming to evaluate the cause of your neck or back pain, I will also have you complete several other outcome measures, which can more accurately measure pain and function. Insurance companies, rely on these out come measures to determine how many visits they will make eligible for you.
The evaluation
Please come in comfortable clothing, a sports bra or tank top is best for females, as the more of your rib cage and trunk you can see, the easier it is for me to thoroughly evaluate you. Every evaluation is individualized for each patient. For example, for adolescent patients I will likely measure the trunk angle of rotation using a scoliometer, angles of kyphosis and lordosis in the sagittal plane using an inclinometer, and discuss in detail x-ray. If you have any x-ray print outs or reports, please bring them to the appointment, understanding your own anatomy and nature of your scoliosis/kyphosis will help you become an expert in your therapy. If you accept Columbia’s photo consent form, I will take pictures of you standing in front of a grid, that will more accurately measure changes to your rib cage. For an example of these grid pictures, please click on the scoliosis tab and scroll down to the adult scoliosis case study page.
Follow up appointments
I will only give you a couple exercises at the evaluation, as this allows me to see how your body will respond to therapy, and will lead me to develop your exercise plan. I also encourage you to stay in contact with me using Columbia Doctor’s patient portal, a free connection to your medical chart, which also allows you to be in contact with all your practitioners at Columbia. This is a vital tool, where we can discuss in between your sessions, any questions you have about your exercises or how to do them at home.
My goal is to make you an expert in your own therapy, so I can ensure that you will be compliant in your plan. I develop your plan of intervention with your personal situation and environment in mind. If for example, you have limited access to exercise equipment, I try to modify the exercises so that you can do them at home independently.
Its important you practice your exercises at home, so you can come with questions, as your involvement in your therapy is the key to your success. For the adolescent population, it is very important a caregiver be present for the first couple sessions and learn the exercises, as doing the exercises together ensures you are doing them correctly and leads to higher long term compliance. I also encourage videotaping and photographing of the exercises so that when you are home they can be used to recall how to do them correctly.
Intensive sessions
I am also offering intensive sessions, that is ideal for my patients who live out of state, or adolescent patients who are at the peak stage of growth. The intensive sessions have been shown to be highly effective at teaching a patient to more quickly and thoroughly become an expert in their own scoliosis/kyphosis, and make their postural corrections more automatic. Due to the intense nature of these session, my patients must be pre-screened to ensure they can tolerate 2.5-5 hours of exercise per day, for it be successful, Please go to my contact page to connect with our administrator (212) 305-4878 or email me at schrothpt@columbia.edu for any further questions.