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Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deviation in the axis of the spine. The treatment of three-dimensional scoliosis was developed by Katharina Schroth and further developed by her daughter Christa Lehnert-Schroth and her grandson, Dr. Weiß. He has shaped modern conservative scoliosis treatment by using the "Schroth Best Practice®", a programme which integrates daily activities into the training programme and which can be learnt in a relatively short time. Apart from that, he also developed the "Gensingen Brace", a brace produced without using any plaster cast. It features CAD technology (use of a data base for the brace application), lightweight design and three-dimensional correction.

Scoliosis is altogether a rare condition (curves of over 20º are found in only 0.3 - 0.5 % of the population). Hence treating scoliosis needs to be put into expert hands. We can offer you high-quality and comprehensive care at our location in Zell.

1. Orthopedics and Osteopathy
Mr. Esser (medical doctor) is not only an orthopedic specialist but is also a medical osteopath. On the one hand, he has extensive experience in the conservative therapy of scoliosis. On the other hand, he is particularly interested in so-called de-tethering. This involves using neuro mobilization techniques for the treatment of spinal deformities. The mobility and function of the nerve structures (spinal cord with spinal fluid, spinal meninges and spinal nerves) are improved with these techniques. Especially suitable for application in the field of osteopathy are BMT (Balanced Ligamentous Tension) and biodynamic osteopathy (Osteopathy in the Biodynamic Field).

2. Network
Our scoliosis network offers competent and coordinated diagnostics and therapy. The clinics located in Zell-Barl are situated just a few minutes away from each other:

Apart from this there is a radiology department in Zell-Barl (MVZ Mittelmosel). A former colleague of Dr. Weiß is employed here (familiar with the specialized X-ray positioning techniques which reduce the radiation exposure during spine radiographs).



3. Brace / GBW
No plaster cast / Digital / Consistent quality
The GBW (Gensingen Brace by Dr Weiß®) which we apply is manufactured using CAD technology. It is necessary to collect data from the surface measurement of the trunk which can be done without using X-rays. Furthermore, a plaster cast (wrapping the upper body in plaster bandages) is no longer necessary. This makes the production of the brace not only more pleasant (no skin contact) but it is actually much more precise. The collected digital data are then compared to a data base. On the basis of this data comparison all necessary corrections to the brace can be recorded digitally and defined appropriately. With the aid of special software the best possible three-dimensional correction of the spinal deformity can be determined. Thus consistent high quality in the brace application can be achieved. Above all, the brace is characterized by its lightweight design.

"The success rate ... is exceeding 90%. . GBW offers a real advantage for those patients with curves beyond the historical surgical threshold, who wish to avoid surgery. .Preliminary and end-results as achieved with the GBW are significantly better than the results as achieved with the Boston brace." (First end-result of a prospective cohort with AIS treated with a CAD Chêneau style brace, Weiss et al., J Phys Ther Sci. 2019 Dec; 31(12): 983-991. link).

Thanks to digital measuring and CAD technology the GBW can be manufactured quickly and can be fitted as early as 2 days after taking measurements.

Whether a brace is actually necessary can only be assessed after a complete examination. A number of factors contribute to the assessment: age, cause of scoliosis (idiopathic?), expected growth rate, curvature pattern of the spine, and deviation of the spine in all three sections (not only the so-called Cobb Angle as determined by the X-ray image).



Similarly, the question of how long the brace should be necessary cannot be answered definitively in advance. There are also other factors which play a role in the assessment. In addition, individual factors (such as mobility of the spine) and brace-related factors are of importance. One of these factors is the quality of the bespoke brace fitting (the brace has to fit all 3 levels of the curve pattern), the accuracy of the fitting and also the length of wearing time (in the main growth spurt 23 hours a day is recommended).

The widespread opinion that a brace is constricting DOES NOT APPLY to the GBW. Correction is only possible if the so-called voids (pockets of space) are built into the brace. In order to turn the spine to the direction of the spaces certain pelottes ("pressure pads") are required.

We expressly point out that we cannot give any promise of complete healing or guarantees for success. Success depends on many factors some of which have been partly outlined above.




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PLEASE NOTE

Making appointments
If you wish to arrange an appointment please contact us by e-mail (info@orthes.de).

Our consultation hours for scoliosis are on Monday morning in Wittlich and on Tuesday afternoon in Zell.

Zell:+49 6542 96 98 42
Wittlich:+49 6571 95 24 549
Brace fitting
when your journey is long

If a brace application has become necessary and your journey to us is very long, we can offer you a stay of several days including brace fitting and brace control. We can offer you an appointment for Monday morning in our office in Wittlich - which is located in Hotel Lindenhof. The complete measuring process will then take place in the hotel. The brace fitting takes place on Wednesday, whereby the brace should be worn overnight until Thursday. On Thursday another brace check is made and an X-ray wearing the brace is then performed.

Preliminary findings
If you are in possession of documentation from any previous treatment (e.g. from Dr. Weiß), please be so kind as to forward this to us.

X-rays
If X-rays are necessary for progress monitoring, these will not be taken in our practice but will only and exclusively be performed at a local radiology department. We can be of assistance to you in making appointments for the radiology department.

Book recommendation

We recommend the books of Dr. Weiss:
I Have Scolosis and Schroth Therapy.

I Have Scoliosis
ISBN-10: 3659495417
ISBN-13: 978-3659495410

Schroth Therapy
ISBN-10: 3659667951
ISBN-13: 978-3659667954