A physical therapist receives certification in the Schroth Method; partners with orthopedic surgeon to offer a non-surgical option

NORTHAMPTON – Christine Sharkey, a physical therapist and rehab pediatric program coordinator at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Dr. Charles Mick, an orthopedic surgeon, announce a new program at Cooley Dickinson Hospital to treat people diagnosed with scoliosis, a lateral curvature of the spine.

For the past five years, the pediatric program in Cooley Dickinson’s Rehabilitation Department has treated children and adolescents with scoliosis. The new program, now open to both adults and children demonstrates an expansion of rehabilitation services and represents an “exciting non-surgical option for the treatment of scoliosis,” says Mick, a board certified orthopedic surgeon who has practiced locally since 1994.

Mick says that offering the expanded treatment option is feasible because Sharkey recently earned certification in the Schroth Method for the treatment of scoliosis. “The pediatric program has provided me with the opportunity to follow a number of patients with scoliosis for physical therapy services,” says Sharkey. “To augment the traditional use of physical therapy techniques and exercises in the past I incorporated specifically adapted yoga techniques into the scoliosis treatment plans.”

While she has seen that adapted exercise benefits patients with scoliosis, she says that across the United States and in other countries most physicians have used physical therapy only as an adjunct to bracing and/or surgery. With this in mind, Sharkey became interested in the Schroth Method after reading the scientific research that supports the use of exercise regimes specifically designed to influence the spine’s curvature.

“Attending the Schroth training has significantly increased my knowledge about scoliosis management and given me a valuable clinical tool to help patients with this diagnosis in a much more effective manner,” adds Sharkey, who treats patients in Northampton at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

The Schroth treatment approach evolved in Germany during the 1920s. It is currently taught in Germany and Spain and is widely used in many countries around the world. Schroth Method exercises are designed to address scoliosis in all three planes of the body and are adapted to a patient’s individual curve pattern. When practiced on a regular basis, the exercise regime can help prevent curves from progressing and alleviate pain, by correcting the asymmetric posture and maintaining this posture during daily activities. With larger curves, physical therapy is combined with the application of a corrective brace.

Through the Schroth certification program, Sharkey spent time at the Asklepios Katharina Schroth Klinik in Bad Sobernheim, Germany, which primarily treats adolescents and adults with scoliosis from all over the world. Patients stay for an intensive treatment course of three to four weeks and are followed by a team of specialized physicians, physical therapists and, when appropriate, by psychologists and massage therapists.

The director of the clinic, Dr. Hans-Rudolf Weiss, is one of the leading figures in the research of scoliosis. The clinic provides training courses for physical therapists and physicians on a regular basis. In Germany alone, there are currently 1,200 Schroth certified therapists, who adapt the treatment program to scoliosis patients on an outpatient basis. Currently, there are only about a dozen Schroth practitioners using the techniques in the United States.

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