Schroth Method
How does the Schroth method work?
At the beginning of the Schroth treatment
A Schroth exercise used in the treatment
After 5 months of daily Schroth exercises
The Schroth method is a non-operative treatment for scoliosis, kyphosis and other spinal disorders. It consists of scoliosis-specific postural and breathing exercises that are different from usual physiotherapy that you might have received.
Our Schroth therapists will teach you how to actively and passively realign your posture in all three planes of the body so that you can reduce your spinal deviation as much as possible in all activities that you do, such as, sleeping, sitting, walking, reaching, bending, doing yard work, virtually anything. This self realignment is called auto-correction or self-correction, and it is a main component of the Schroth method.
In a nutshell, you will learn how your spine affects your posture, your pain, your discomfort, and body awareness, and how you can use specific postural corrections in daily activities to reduce these signs and symptoms of your condition. In addition to the education and adjusted activities of daily living, you will receive an exercise plan tailored to your specific curve type and current individual situation.
- We are pleased to offer individual and group sessions for people with scoliosis, kyphosis and other spinal disorders. We also offer intensive Schroth program for clients who are out of town.
- We offer in-person and video treatments
- If you think you or your loved one may have scoliosis or kyphosis, contact us to book free screening with Dr. Sanja Schreiber.
History of the Schroth method
Schroth method has a long tradition. It was founded in 1921 by Katharina Schroth in Meissen in the eastern part of Germany.
Katharina Schroth was born on February 22, 1894 in Dresden Germany. She had a moderate scoliosis and at the age of 16, she had received treatment with a steel brace. She observed her own body with scoliosis and concluded that there are parts that need to be expanded and parts that need to be pushed back in. So, she decided to develop an exercise treatment with a special type of breathing, that she would later call “Rotational breathing system”.
Inspired by a half-inflated rubber ball, she stood in front of the mirror trying to correct her trunk deformities by selectively inflating the concavities. She also realized that by a special type of segmental positioning, she was able to correct the curve as well. Now, the challenge was to keep that new alignment! This new alignment can be achieved by relearning new postures and changing old postural behavior.
After observing positive changes in her own posture and the body, from 1921, she started treating other people with scoliosis in her own apartment in Meissen that later expanded into a larger space. In the late 30’s and early 40’s her daughter, Christa Schroth joined her and together that continued developing the method.
Katharina Schroth and her daughter moved to Bad Sobernheim in 1981 to open their new clinic. In 1983 they established their clinic “Katharina Schroth Klinik”, which grew into a clinic with more than 150 in-patients at a time.
Katharina died in 1985 and Christa, who became a physiotherapist continued refining the method.
In 1995 the clinic was sold to the Asklepios Company, a health care provider in Germany, and the clinic was renamed to “Asklepios Katharina Schroth Klinik”. Later, that year, Christa retired. She died 20 years later in March of 2015.
Christa’s son, Hans Rudolf Weiss, joined the “Asklepios Katharina Schroth Klinik as the medical director and stayed until 2008 when he left the clinic to develop his own treatment program, known as Best Practice that is primarily focused on bracing with some supportive exercises that are different from the original Schroth method.
The further development of the Schroth method was carried out mainly by the head of the physical therapy department at the time Axel Hennes and Udo Roevenich.
The training for the German physiotherapists started in 1986, when the method began to be available as an out-patient treatment as well. Training courses in English held by the senior Schroth instructor Axel Hennes and other international Schroth instructors trained by him are available since 2008 and offered in different countries.
The Schroth Method developed into the most recognized conservative exercise-based approach for scoliosis treatment. The Asklepios Katharina-Schroth-Klinik offers an intensive in-patient therapy program for 3-5 weeks for children, adolescents and adults.
