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Spiral Spine

Scoliosis Care and Pilates Studio, Brentwood Tennessee

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I AM A PRACTITIONER WITH SCOLIOSIS CLIENTS

How to help your clients own their scoliosis

Scoliosis is confusing. Let’s be honest—it just is! The problem is, you don’t have time for confusion; you have a scoliosis client and they need help now. You need to properly assess their body, create an engaging lesson plan, and figure out if that lesson actually helped. How do I know? Because I have scoliosis, and so do most of my clients. I’ve devoted my professional career to studying Pilates, scoliosis, and the benefits of movement. I can help you simplify this whole process, starting with the checklist below.

1. READ these helpful blogs

"The Role of the Teacher"
This blog post outlines some broad goals for you.

"How to Perform a Scoliosis Physical Assessment"
It's imperative that you know how to quickly analyze a scoliotic body, and this skill takes time to perfect. This post will teach you how to analyze the body in front of you.

2. Use a Scoliometer

A scoliometer helps measure vertebral rotation. It is useful to track regular measurements before and after exercise. A decrease in rotation is correlated with movement that is good for your client's body and helps untwist their spiral spine. Learn how to use the scoliometer app and then start using it with your scoli clients. Spiral Spine has developed its own scoliometer for you to use. Download it below.

Download For iPhone | Download for Android

Once you have a scoliometer it will be important to keep a log of your client's measurements. The scoliometer tracking chart will help you do that easily, and it also has a place for your notes. Things that are beneficial to note in this column are activities that have affected your client that week (illness, long car rides, lots of lifting, etc.), exercises that were beneficial, or tight muscles you noticed. You’ll begin to see patterns as to what helps your client’s body unwind the most and what winds it up.

The "Scoliometer Tracking" blog post will help you understand the importance of regular scoliometer use.

scoliometer on phone
Scoliometer reading tracking chart

3. READ Analyzing Scoliosis & I Have Scoliosis; Now What?

Analyzing Scoliosis was written for you, and will teach you many of my own techniques for working with scoli clients.

I Have Scoliosis; Now What? is written for those with scoliosis. It is a one-stop guide to all things scoliosis, both emotional and physical, from the client perspective. It's important that you familiarize yourself with what your client is going through in order to provide them with the best level of care possible.

Analyzing Scoliosis | I Have Scoliosis; Now What

 

Scoliosis book for Pilates teachers

4. WATCH & LEARN

These videos will teach you how to put the techniques mentioned above into a Pilates lesson and how to create that first scoliosis lesson.

Untwisting Scoli: Maya | Analyzing Scoliosis | Initial Scoliosis Lesson | Scoliosis & Fusion Choreography

If you work with special populations, I recommend these other videos:
Scoliosis Spinal Fusion: How to work with clients who have had scoliosis spinal fusion surgery
Scoliosis with Kids: How to work with kids with scoliosis, including the emotional side
Scoliosis Leg Length: How to determine if a leg length discrepancy is causing scoliosis and how to safely work out someone

If you need other ideas on home & studio workouts for your clients, I suggest the Scoliosis Series of videos I created for Balanced Body.

5. PRACTICE

These techniques aren’t learned overnight. Find someone you can practice teach them to. If you need more help, many of my staff and I are available for virtual private instruction.

Virtual lessons

6. ATTEND Scoliosis Retreat

During this two-day retreat you'll get to learn alongside Spiral Spine's staff as they work with scoliosis clients. It is a unique opportunity to learn in a hands-on environment and see many different bodies with scoliosis.  No matter what type of movement practitioner you are, you will benefit.

You'll shadow Erin and her staff as they help scoliosis clients through the process of understanding their beautiful scoliotic bodies. You will learn in a hands-on, easy-to-understand way how to:

  • use a scoliometer and regularly track your clients' progress
  • appropriately pad a client front the front, back, and side-lying positions
  • assess muscle imbalances
  • teach research-backed strengthening and release exercises
  • assess which exercises are most beneficial for the body in front of you, allowing you to create individualized plans for clients
  • modify exercises for group classes
  • build your dream team so you can help your clients' live their best lives

Register

7. BUILD up your props collection

Props are absolutely essential when working with scoliosis clients. They are needed to help the spine relax into a more neutral position and to help increase proprioception, something those with scoliosis struggle with. In general, the more different items you have, the more likely a client will connect with one during a workout. However, there are a few key ones I use with every client.

Check out my curated list to find out which I consider the most essential items for your toolkit. Please note I receive a commission from all purchases.

best scoliosis workout props for home use

8. ASSEMBLE your dream team

This team will help keep your clients feeling their best. Ideally it includes a movement practitioner (you - but it's always good to know other types of professionals you'd trust with your clients) and a trained body worker. While movement is important, it is not the only key to living a pain-free life. A skilled body worker will help relax tight muscles your clients may not even know they have. Again, you’ll want to look for someone who works with scoliosis patients or who is open to listening to you and learning how to care for your clients' unique bodies. If you need more information on different kinds of body workers, watch video 5 in the Starting Point Series.

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Our Pilates Studio

1804 Williamson Ct., #106 & 107
Brentwood, TN 37027
615-891-7118

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Merry Christmas from the Spiral Spine staff!🎄 ( Merry Christmas from the Spiral Spine staff!🎄 (We’re missing some beauties in this picture) #spiralspine #pilates #nashvillepilates #pilatesteacher #pilatesinstructor
😌 Ahhhhhh, I feel a lot better now. I had a har 😌 Ahhhhhh, I feel a lot better now. I had a hard time sleeping in this morning because my body felt really tight. I’m sure the tightness is from working on clients (and workout out with a few) this week without adequately mobilizing afterwards. So, I woke up before the rest of my family did, took things into ny own hands, and unlocked my body. I found that I couldn’t go directly at releasing my back because it just wouldn’t budge (I tried that approach first to no avail). So, I went the sneaky route and unlocked my torso through my legs, arms, and neck—-and it worked! 🤛 Happy Saturday! #morningworkout #scoliosis #tightback #spiralspine #scoliosisexercise #scoliosiswarrior #bentbutnotbroken #scoliosisawareness
A firm rule for the rest of your life. What (unfor A firm rule for the rest of your life. What (unfortunate) rules have you been given regarding what you should, and should not do merely because you have scoliosis, not taking into consideration any secondary pathologies or pain level? #Scoliosis #SpiralSpine #ScoliosisAwareness #ScoliosisWarrior #BentButNotBroken
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Looking to take a Pilates class with Spiral Spine? We recommend downloading the MBO app. This is the preferred way to sign up for all our classes, from groups to privates, in-person to virtual. You can even register for the Scoliosis Retreat. On your phone/tablet, using the app will be a much friendlier experience than the MBO website.

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