Snezana Petrovic found out about her scoliosis as a child living in Serbia.

“I have idiopathic scoliosis, used to be idiopathic adolescent scoliosis,” Snezana said. “Obviously I’m not an adolescent anymore, but I just want to emphasize it’s a lifelong thing.”

She wore a cast, which is similar to a brace but cannot be taken off. When learning about the 3D CAD CAM braces at the clinic, she expressed her amazement at the modern technology compared to 40 years ago.

“Braces are a passive way of support, they get you into the right position and whether you keep it depends on muscle,” Snezana said. “And that’s why the exercises are so important.”

Curve Reduction and Correction

She participated in Schroth physical therapy and watched her curve go from around 29 down to 19. She said it saved her from needing surgery.

“I loved it,” Snezana said. “I had to take the bus to the hospital and I would happily hop on the bus after school and enjoy my 2 hours of exercise.”

When Snezana moved with her family to the United States, she could not find a clinic with Schroth physical therapy. Schroth did not come to the United States until the early 2000’s, but Katarina Schroth invented it in 1921.

“I’d be happier if I lived next to Hey Clinic,” Snezana said.

She worked long hours as a professor, but tried to stay active and eat healthy. She said that time is a barrier for patients pursuing Schroth physical therapy. For Schroth to be effective its necessary to exercise every day for the body to keep the correct posture.

“I started having back problems,” she said. “All these years I kept active and was good, but then I asked my PCP [for a referral because] it could be good to brush up on exercises.”

The Benefits of Physical Therapy

Snezana found her way to the Hey Clinic. She began working with Mariah Cybator, one of Hey Clinic’s Schroth trained physical therapist.

“It was more like visiting a friend than going to therapy,” she said. “I realized how much I’d forgotten.”

Mariah gave her a program to follow. She helped her work on the nuances of her curve rotation and body position. Snezana said that when she exercised alone, she did not know her body position.

“Therapy one on one is critical,” said Snezana.

Her whole family supports her by buying different mats and props. Her daughter made her a playlist for exercising to and her husband built stall bars for her.

“It saves you a lot of money, you don’t have to do surgery or [you get] a better outcome if you do,” she said. “Schroth isn’t s a cure but it prevents the progress of [scoliosis].”

Snezana said that co-pay may be an issue for scoliosis patients, but that not going to physical therapy would be more expensive. Once a patient learns the exercises they can transition to doing them at home.

“The clinic is well organized, everyone from reception to technician to physical therapist works in a way health care should work,” she said. “It’s a terrific model.”