Hi all ..... my oldest daughter, who is now 46 was diagnosed with scoliosis at about age 8 or 9. I knew something was wrong because one of her patellas protruded considerably farther than the other. At the time, our then Pediatrician sent us to an Orthopedic Surgeon who had a P.T. woman from Germany .... her name was Annaleise and she was a wonderful human being. Each time we went, first weekly for about a year, then every 2 weeks, and then monthly. she gave my daughter a series of exercises, adding an additional one each time we went. I sat there and wrote each on a card, and drew a stick figure showing how it should be done. She and the Orthopedic Surgeon said that if they could just get her passed the time her bone plates were growing, it would not get worse. Each time we went the P.T. "measured" her curve (it's an "S" shape) .... you all probably know how they do that. When she went through the growth spurt (she's now 5'10") she had to do them 2x a day .... AM and PM. I would sit with her to be sure she did them right. They weren't easy and they weren't fun, but by the time she was about 18 or thereabouts, her bones had formed to the point where she only had to do them once a day. God bless her ..... she was so very faithful doing them, and I think that was because she was terrified she'd need the Herrington Rods. She obviously still has scoliosis, but nothing changes any longer. She's careful though about what she wears in a tank top or bathing suit, making sure it's not as obvious as it could be. She's had 2 children and even with the pressure of the weight of the baby in her abdomen, no change. Sure, I imagine surgery would have made it straight, but no one knows it's there unless she wears something that allows it to show.
To this day, I thank God for Annaleise, and for my daughter who was so faithful in those exercises all those years.
abby