Rutgers Student Tries Schroth Method, Improves Posture

Young woman empowered to improve posture and alignment of spine

After Athena Mitilsky returned to her hometown following her sophomore year as a Spanish major at Rutgers University, she spent the summer as many other 20-year-old college students do: working, exercising, spending time with friends, and preparing for her next semester. In Athena's case, though, she also concentrated on specific posture exercises about 20 minutes each day. The reason? She has scoliosis.

Although some of the signs of scoliosis were present at a younger age, Athena admitted she never treated her scoliosis as seriously as she should have. Despite the fact that her mother had scoliosis, and that scoliosis ran in the family, it wasn't until visiting a chiropractor that Athena discovered she too had scoliosis.

"They photographed my back, and it was clear that one shoulder was very much higher than the other one. But at that point, it wasn't bothering me that much," said Athena, noting that one of her shoulder blades juts out farther than the other.

Over the years, she's had physical challenges, like a stiff neck, and a sore back. Braces and surgery didn't appeal to Athena because she didn't feel much pain. But last summer her back began to randomly give out. The pain became worse with movement, and also when Athena was lying down. "It became a problem, and we had to figure out what to do about it," said Athena. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak."

Up to that point, Athena had been active in sports, and she believes that was one reason the scoliosis hadn't bothered her much. "I've always been fairly athletic, playing soccer and other activities, so my spine didn't have as much of a bad impact on me as it could have," she said. But as the pain increased, her boyfriend urged her to get treatment. Athena's mother also researched "scoliosis alternative methods" online, and that's where they learned about the Schroth method. Though treatment was offered at clinics in Spain, Germany, and Israel, they also discovered that the Schroth treatment was offered at Saint Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

The Schroth method involves the patient working with a wide ladder surrounded by mirrors and incorporates exercise, breathing, and posture instruction. This helps the individual understand his or her spinal curve and how to correct their posture.

Last fall, she experienced an intensive two week rehabilitation session utilizing the Schroth methods of scoliosis rehabilitation. "It helped me understand my back for the first time," said Athena. "The staff at Saint Michael's was able to explain scoliosis, and to the best of their ability, teach me about why my back is...the way it is. They also explained why we were doing each exercise to most benefit my back."

In comparing her former physical therapy rehabilitation with the Schroth method, Athena explained that she received much more specific information with the Schroth method. "As a comparison, in physical therapy, I was told to 'lift my arm.' With the Schroth method, I was told to 'lift my arm in this manner so that I will fill out this area.' They explained the concavities and the lumps."

Athena worked on the Schroth exercises four hours a day for two weeks straight. Now, her "homework" is to do 20 minutes of exercise a day, based on what she learned at Saint Michael's Hospital.

"With scoliosis, there's a difference between being told to sit up straight and to actually know what you're doing when you sit up straight," said Athena. "My idea of good posture changed dramatically, and you can actually see my spine changing. That's empowering for me. I guess I've been a little bit more willing to work for it too, because I know what I can do."