Snezana Petrovic was diagnosed with Scoliosis, a lateral curvature of the spine that can get progressively worse without treatment when she was a child living in Serbia. She participated in Schroth physical therapy, a conservative scoliosis treatment in high school, but began again in the last 6 months at the Hey Clinic.

When Snezana’s scoliosis pain became harder to manage after sustaining an injury while exercising she began to look for relief. She found that relief at Hey Clinic and started working with Mariah Cybator, a certified Schroth Physical Therapist. Mariah created a custom program for Snezana that corrected her posture and took away the pain.

“I’m thrilled to say that I’m essentially a new woman in six months. Owing it all to this lady, Dr. Hey and his terrific team. I mean it’s just been incredible. I’m 60 and I didn’t think I could improve. I came here because I would hurt myself exercising.

I think what Mariah, my incredible physical therapist, did is made this program for me that was safe. I wouldn’t hurt it myself anymore. She corrected my posture and so that took away the pain, especially some tingling and very unpleasant feelings I’d been starting to have. So now it’s all gone. I’m very energetic, my old self, so to speak. I only have to maintain it.

Schroth is great, but you have to stabilize it. It has to become your natural other self, this new posture. I’m just thinking, how can I be a good patient advocate to say that this type of care is really what everybody should have,” says Snezana.

Despite being a busy professor, Snezana learned to balance her work and exercise schedule to see a huge improvement in her quality of life.

Schroth Physical Therapy is a scoliosis specific therapy designed to strengthen and retrain the muscles of the back and core to hold the spine in improved alignment. For more detailed information on Schroth Physical Therapy and if it is right for you, visit Hey Clinic Spine Treatments.