Gavin Roland

Period 1
02/06/17

Scoliosis Current Event:

Specialized Physical Therapy Helps Teens with Scoliosis Get Ahead of the Curve (Jan. 25 th 2017)

Summary- In the article, Specialized Physical Therapy Helps Teens with Scoliosis Get Ahead
of the Curve the main idea is to inform the public of the scientifically significant effects of
physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises. Based on Sanja Schreibers research, it showed
that 88 percent of patients who participated in the exercises showed significant improvements or
prevented progression in their scoliosis curves over 6 months compares to the 60 percent who
showed improvements in the group receiving only standard care. The study also showed that the
88 percent of patients being tested with extra physiotherapeutic scoliosis exercises had
improving curves beyond or remaining within 5 degrees of their baseline curve magnitude. The
control groups average was only 2.3 degrees. In the end, the difference between the exercise and
non-exercise group averages was about 3.5 degrees. Not only did the data show improvement in
the actual alignment of the spine but it also helped develop stronger muscle in the areas affected.
This was tested by having each person demonstrate muscle endurance. The tested group showed
improvements by increasing their average holding time by a little over 30 seconds after 90 days
while the control group only increased by 4.8 seconds. Overall, this article displayed the message
that the data recorded the benefits of this method of counteracting the progression of scoliosis.

Connection to Topic- The article that I summarized above ties into my question because it adds
information to the treatment aspect of scoliosis. The very new data presented in the research
above gives hope and fuel to the people fighting this disease. If significant bounds can be made
by just adding a few exercises to a daily routine, it could change a persons whole outlook on
their life. It could just as well save their life by stopping the progression of their disease. Adding
years and even decades to a young persons life. Schreiber embodies the importance of this data
best when she says, "Try Schroth and see if it helps. Not only in our study, but also in my clinical
practice, I've seen so many teens who have experienced pain improvement and feel better overall
with Schroth exercises. Also, they feel they are in control of their scoliosis, because the Schroth
method teaches them how to stand, sit, walk, and do other daily activities correctly, so that they
can keep their best posture. It's just better quality of life overall."

Personal Feedback- The article I read was very interesting to me because it directly related with
the topic I chose for my ISM project. The information provided in the article was very useful and
stimulating. I learned things that I did not expect to learn from the article. For example, I didnt
realize that scoliosis can cause the spine to bend up to 45 degrees! The author did an excellent
job of integrating a little bit of a everything in this piece, including a personal section where she
talked about how the research gave hope to patients in having a better-quality life. It wasnt the
easiest emotionally to hear about little girls as young as 11 who have been fighting this horrible
 Gavin Roland
Period 1
02/06/17
disease, but I believe that was part of the authors purpose to get people to at least become
compassionate about the topic. Overall, the article was just the right length to capture the
important data from the study while also not making the whole page about science while still
adding a way for the audience to obtain scientific evidence that the procedure was effective.

University of Albert. "Specialized Physical Therapy Helps Teens with Scoliosis

Get Ahead of the Curve." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 Jan. 2017. Web. 06 Feb.
2017.