IN LINE PHYSICAL THERAPY
Providing SCHROTH Level 2 and SEAS certified
Physical Therapy for all Spinal conditions
providing the schroth method and the seas method
The SEAS (Scientific Exercise Approach to Scoliosis) Method is another evidence-based and successful physical therapy treatment approach for postural mal-alignments that was developed by the Italian Scientific Spine Institute (ISICO) in Milan, Italy. This treatment begins with the patient's understanding and perception of their own posture. SEAS is unique in that it uses a group of specific exercises isolating the weaker muscles associated with each of their curves by initiating an Active Self-Correction. This Active Self-Correction results in their best postural alignment with the reduction or elimination of their curves, which can then be incorporated anytime during their regular activities of daily living, recreational activities, school and work environments. This approach is quickly learned and easily reproduced to improve symmetry and trunk stability, decompress spinal forces, and prevent or halt curve progression. Read more on the SEAS Method below.
Schroth & SEAS Therapy for Comprehensive Spine Care in the United States
Schroth Method to Treat Spinal Disorders and Scoliosis of All Ages
“The Schroth method is a scoliosis specific back school. In the treatment programme, all possibilities for postural correction, including respiration, are used in order to enable the patients to help themselves.”
– Christa Lehnert-Schroth (1992)
In the 1920s, Katharina Schroth, born in 1894 in Dresden Germany, developed the Schroth Method to treat Scoliosis. It began when Katharina stood in her backyard as a teenager, afflicted with adolescent-onset scoliosis herself, and saw a half deflated balloon and envisioned her compressed rib cage. This inspired her to establish the orthopedic breathing technique called Rotational Angular Breathing, which opens the concavity of a scoliosis with air. Once the vertebrae have been de-rotated, elongated and restored to their best possible alignment, space is then created to inflate the concavity, or "fill the balloon up with air". She went on to successfully treat over ten thousand patients from all over the world, and in the 70s her daughter, Christa Lehnert-Schroth, further developed the method and ran the Institute in Sobernheim, Germany for many years.
This method has slowly trickled into the US, although is still relatively unknown to most Western medical practitioners.
The Schroth Method is also used to treat numerous spinal conditions in addition to scoliosis, including but not limited to Scheuermann disease, hyperkyphosis, Flat-back Syndrome and all postural mal-alignments.
The Schroth method aims to elongate, de-rotate and stabilize the spine, improving posture & reducing pain associated with spinal mal-alignments. This science-backed holistic method used to treat Scoliosis is different for each individual, as health requirements and conditions vary from patient to patient. Therefore, Schroth-Certified physical therapists will create a unique set of exercises using this approach to address your specific health conditions. These exercises can prevent Scoliosis and other spinal mal-alignments from progressing into further pain and disability, as well as lower your chance of requiring future intervention such as bracing or surgery.
Goals of the Schroth Method:
- Creating mindfulness of your posture
- Patient education and empowerment
- Correct postural alignment through increased muscular endurance and strength
- Enhance the quality of your breathing
- Improve your height by improving your postural alignment
- Reduce and eliminate asymmetrical loading
- Reduce disc pathology
- Decrease pain and disability
- Long-term spinal stability and prevention of progression
- Avoid bracing and surgery
- Participate in physical activities & live a normal active life with Scoliosis.
SEAS Method to Treat Spinal Disorders and Scoliosis of All Ages
SEAS (the Scientific Exercise Approach to Scoliosis) is a unique approach to correcting spinal mal-alignments, in it’s simplicity and implementation in everyday activities of daily living. The SEAS method begins with the patient’s understanding and perception of their own posture. Once awareness is in place, the patient learns an “active self-correction”, where they are trained by a SEAS-certified physical therapist to find the best possible alignment of the spine and trunk in all three dimensions. The SEAS method then focuses on achieving trunk and spinal stability with individual exercises while maintaining one's active self-correction, progressing exercise challenges to increase strength and endurance in all postural musculature.
The key Goal of the SEAS Methods
- Correction of spinal mal-alignments
- Restoration of a more natural spinal position
- Functional improvement
- Correct postural alignment through increased muscular endurance and strength
- Creating mindfulness of your posture
- Pain reduction and symptom management
- Reduce and eliminate asymmetrical loading
- Long-term spinal stability and prevention of progression
- Patient education and empowerment
Both Schroth & SEAS Therapy are used to treat Scoliosis and spinal disorders of all ages.
Ready to discuss the next treatment steps to treat Scoliosis, hyperkyphosis, Scheuermann disease, and other Postural mal-alignments? Schedule your appointment today.
Follow me on:
You Tube (Please copy and paste the link below to be able to watch video "playlist" in the correct order)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06s4Ro10Os4&list=PLt61f7Io_kKyvkhuCvZ5J65mQCkewRu6n
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sharon.inlinept?igsh=aGlnYjE4NHJoZXA2&utm_source=qr
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/people/In-Line-Physical-Therapy-Schroth/100088484501897/?mibextid=dGKdO6
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-hallahan-9a3aa331/
Tiktok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@sharon.inlinept?_t=8jsbavNzMWg&_r=1
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/InlineSchroth
Hear Dr Feldman speak on Schroth Physical Therapy....
https://www.facebook.com/paleyinstitute/videos/10153792407019422/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsA-0PCdQNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqV32HFemms
Click on the links below to read informative articles about the effectiveness of the Schroth method.
(Links will open in a new tab).
Click here to read the latest research supporting the Schroth method
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3847831/
Effect of conservative management on the prevalence of surgery in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14713587/
Influence of an in-patient exercise program on scoliotic curve
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1308886/
The efficacy of Schroth s 3-dimensional exercise therapy in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Turkey
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16155663/
Great scoliosis informational resources:
Scoliosis Journal
www.scoliosisjournal.com
Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation
www.settingscoliosisstraight.org
info@ssshsg.org
Curvy Girls
www.curvygirlsscoliosis.com
Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)
www.srs.org
Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT)
www.sosort.mobi
Excellent Symposium on Spine and Non-invasive Scoliosis Treatment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcoN8Vk9Q4M
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Your Path to
Healing Starts Now!
Every journey starts with a first step. If pain is preventing you from doing the things you like or need to do; it is time to act.
before and after x-rays
Shriners Hospital X-Ray Comparison after six months of Schroth PT at In Line Physical Therapy
(Left) MARCH 2023 = 33.9° (Right) AUGUST 2023 = 24.8° (slide arrows from right to left)
before and after
BEFORE and AFTER Schroth Physical Therapy
before and after using the schroth method
SCHROTH BEFORE AND AFTER
LEFT: Photo taken before 3-D correction RIGHT: Photo taken after 3-D correction with Expansion Breathing (slide arrows from right to left)
before and after using the seas method (scientific exercise approach to scoliosis)
SEAS BEFORE AND AFTER
LEFT: Photo taken at the start of the PT session, (after 12 months of consistent Schroth Physiotherapy Scoliosis Specific Exercises) RIGHT: Photo taken after just 30 minutes of the PT session, after learning and practicing the SEAS Method of neuromuscular spine training (slide arrows from right to left)
Gravity changes the forces that come through our spine, as our posture changes.
As we bend forward overtime, with or without back pain, or with an exaggerated curve, such as with scoliosis or hyperkyphosis, or with disc degeneration and osteoarthritis, we invite an asymmetrical load bearing through our vertebrae.
The result is the soft tissues inbetween the vertebrae become pushed out laterally and/or posteriorly into the open space, and into highly sensitive soft tissue structures along the outside, resulting in strain, pain and disability.
What can we do?
We can apply Katharina Schroth’s Principle of Elongation.
Elongation, simply put is becoming tall.
It is pulling your head out of your should girdle.
It is elongating your neck.
It is taking the turtle head out of the shell.
It is imagining the back of your head being pulled up by a rope into the sky.
This is decompressing your spine.
It is creating a space between your vertebrae.
It is offering the intervertebral disc somewhere to go, to centralize, and to move away from highly neural structures.
It is allowing that vertebral level and adjacent vertebral segments to be nourished.
It is allowing the painful stimuli to be calmed.
Be the winner of your back pain, fight against gravity with Spinal Elongation.
BREATHING
When our body adjusts to asymmetries caused by excessive curves and malalignments, an altered breathing pattern is created which can feed further into spine curvature and vertebral rotation. The muscles along the vertebra and ribs closest to the breathing apparatus become imbalanced on opposing sides. Schroth Expansion Breathing or RAB teaches the patient to learn to change their breathing pattern by shortening the overstretched muscles on the outside of the curve (the convex side) of the spine and lengthening the muscles on the inside of the curve (the concave side), slowing the curve progression. Through deflexion, de-rotation, and elongation of the spine and rib cage, the body can return to a more ‘normal’ physiological position.
Inhalation naturally accompanies the expansion of your rib cage and can support your collapsed regions. As you increase your total air volume in your thorax in all directions, you are expanding the muscles between your ribs (intercostals) and in between your vertebra (your intervertebral musculature) as well as expanding your breathing apparatus (diaphragm), allowing for an opening and a reshaping of ribs that have adapted to vertebral rotation.
Read "HOW TO PERFORM EXPANSION BREATHING"
This is followed by the ‘exhalation’ phase, during which the patient isometrically contracts these respiratory muscles (your diaphragm and these deepest core muscles) by slowing the breath, eccentrically strengthening and stabilizing the associated muscles on both sides of the curve in this new position of trunk opening and spinal symmetry.
Practice by lying on your back, if possible, where your curve decreases by approximately 10 degrees. Or practice anytime while sitting at the edge of a chair, or in standing. Begin by tilting your pelvis forward and leaning slightly forward at your trunk.
In all positions, elongate upwards, like someone is pulling your head out of your shoulder girdle. Lift your belly button upwards. As you inhale and open your rib cage, hold your hands on your ribs or place a belt around your ribs to feel the outward pressure against it as you inhale and expand. Breath normal.
Next, slow your breathing down and sense the gentle rise and fall of your ribs as you inhale and exhale. Begin to take longer inhalations. As you inhale, there is a natural amount of extra expansion that occurs.
As you exhale, feel how your ribs can lower gently without fully shutting down/collapsing, feel how they can lower centrally as you elongate.
Practice as you slowly breath in and out.
During self-elongation, we address the three planes of motion of each vertebra: 1) Sagittal Plane - restoring the best cervical and lumbar lordosis, assuring a normal thoracic kyphosis, 2) Transverse Plane – resulting in a de-rotation of the vertebra and 3) Frontal Plane – reducing of the cobb angle or side bending by being drawn upward with self-elongation. Imagine pulling on both ends of the letter “S “and the result is a reduction of the curves. When performed with your own muscles, this is self-elongation, like a turtle head coming out of its shell.
Inhalation increases self-elongation and can open the concavities (the inside of your curve), straightening your curves. Notice as you inhale, you naturally increase your height and expand your chest. This is creating forces within your body to open space in your chest cavity for increased air into compressed lungs, to increase your height, and to prepare for your spinal corrections.
Read "HOW TO PERFORM SELF-ELONGATION'
*Sense a release of the outer muscles as you gently elongate upward and expand through your waist region and slowly up into your ribcage.
*As you elongate up through your lumbar spine, feel your lower back expand outwards.
*Feel how your ribs expand wide as they elevate toward your head and make this oval shape bigger.
*You are reshaping your ribs that have adapted to the rotation of your vertebra.
*When we inhale, our diaphragm descends and opens, it expands in all directions like an umbrella.
*Think of an umbrella opening under your rib cage- all the panels open, front, sides and back. *Think of allowing more space between each vertebra.
*Breath slowly, even hold your hands over ribs to feel this expansion and elongation.
*Feel yourself growing taller, longer, lengthening, a widening in your body.
*Inhalation promotes symmetrical rib cage expansion.
*Close your eyes to improve your ability to learn and feel this self-elongation.
*Sense a gentle tractioning of the ribs going wide, away from the spine at the back.
*When you elongate, you are expanding in 3 dimensions: caudal to cranial (pelvis to head), resulting in rotating up like a corkscrew (transverse plane), front to back (sagittal plane), side to side (frontal plane).
*Attempt to elongate for 10 seconds, increasing to 30 seconds to 1 minute daily.
*Perform laying down if possible.
why is scoliosis progressive?
the semi-hang exercise
about sharon
SEAS Certified Physical Therapist
Owner of In Line Physical Therapy, LLC
Sharon graduated from Colorado State University in 1989 with a degree in Foreign language and Art, and a minor in Neurobiology. She then went on to study Physical Therapy at the University of Connecticut and graduated in 1993.
She has worked in a variety of out-patient orthopedic settings, including Saint Raphaels Hospital in New Haven, volunteering through Project Concern International at St. Judes in the West Indies, and at The Steadman Clinic in Vail Valley Medical Center in Vail, Colorado, where she worked as the knee specialist with the world renown orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Steadman, treating a wide variety of high profile clientele and professional athletic teams, including the US ski team and the Denver Broncos.
Sharon also began working in pediatrics fifteen years ago and continues to practice in the Lyme-Old Lyme and Clinton Connecticut school systems, providing physical therapy to children with a diverse range of gross motor needs.
After years of frustration treating spinal disorders with traditional physical therapy and seeing little long-term success, her curiosity and ambition lead to furthering her education and becoming certified in the Schroth method and the SEAS (Scientific Exercise Approach to Scoliosis) method to treat spinal conditions and mal-alignments.
In October 2022, she opened her private practice, In Line Physical Therapy.
Sharon feels passionate about spreading the word of these amazing approaches and their incredible success in pain reduction, slowing, halting and stabilizing curve progression, improving respiratory function, posture, aesthetics, and quality of life.
Sharon brings over 30 years of working with people suffering from back pain due to a wide variety of spinal conditions to In Line Physical Therapy. Her vast experience and genuine compassion for comprehensive care has resulted in a uniquely personal one-on-one concierge physical therapy treatment with ongoing and seamless communication to ensure thorough, efficient and effective treatments.
She works in person from her studio as well as virtually on Zoom.
Sharon regularly lectures on topics of scoliosis, kyphosis, postural mal-alignments, and all spine related topics at conferences and to community groups.
Sharon is passionate about her family, spine health, childhood development and education, skiing, cycling, hiking, being a dog owner, and all things in nature. Sharon is fluent in French and communicates in Spanish and Patois.
IN LINE PHYSICAL THERAPY
testimonials
Sharon Hallahan is not only a superb teacher, she’s an inspiring mentor as well. Because she’s so good at explaining and demonstrating why Schroth PT can be effective, she has given me a new lease on life. I’m far more motivated to follow this program than I’ve been in many years of physical therapy. For me, it’s only been a couple of months, but I see progress already and am optimistic that it can only go up from here.
Judith Colton, Hamden, CTjudith.colton@yale.edu I can highly recommend physical therapy with Sharon Hallahan. She is very well trained and passionate about the care of patients with scoliosis and the use of the Schroth method of PT. I developed back pain related to scoliosis at age 62. I was treated with a Milwaukee brace at age 14, but was not taught to do scoliosis specific exercises, and eventually my curvature worsened and back pain developed. I am working now on retraining my back muscles to support a straighter spine, and it is helping my pain. Anyone with scoliosis should be taught the Schroth scoliosis specific exercises and I highly recommend Sharon Hallahan at In Line Physical Therapy.
Katie I feel lucky to have found Sharon and the Schroth method to manage my pain from severe scoliosis. Sharon is a compassionate and energetic teacher who is passionate about the practice and committed to my well being. I love meeting her enthusiasm and encouragement every time I see her. It’s helpful to have her visual aids and handouts so I can easily replicate the exercises at home with success and continue practicing and educating myself about my spinal condition. You will love working with her and feeling the power to heal and relieve pain with her guidance.
Rosemarie, Old Lyme CT As a 62-year-old woman with scoliosis, I am most fortunate to have found Sharon Hallahan of In Line Physical Therapy. My scoliosis was first diagnosed during childhood and I wore a Milwaukee Brace to correct and stabilize my curve. Fast forward to the present, instinctively, I knew I needed to seek options to help support my naturally progressing curve and discomfort.
I researched and read about the Schroth method of physical therapy for Scoliosis. I learned this evidence-based method has been utilized throughout the developed world for over 100 years in avoidance of surgery!
Sharon is an extraordinary Physical Therapist and Schroth Specialist. Adding to her considerable knowledge and expertise is her intense passion, contagious enthusiasm and devout belief in the Schroth Method – all of which dramatically enhance her effectiveness. Unquestionably, Sharon is an outstanding asset to bringing forth the knowledge of this method and helping those with Scoliosis. Also, not surprisingly, she is a wonderful, caring, sensitive human being as well!
I began my sessions with Sharon in September 2023 and within a three-week period showed a measurable improvement in the rotation of my spine. She educated me on specific postural adjustments when I sit, stand and walk. Deep breathing exercises that are also a key part of Schroth I found to be very calming. With Sharon’s precise coaching, I am now beginning retain the postural adjustments with less conscious effort and look forward to learning the additional exercises.
I’m so grateful to have found Sharon and the Schroth Method. I am optimistic this can be a long-term solution and benefit to me.
Catherine FrancucciARTIST Sharon Hallahan -PT extraordinaire and devoted outdoor enthusiast.
I grew to know Sharon professionally when she skillfully ushered me to a full successful recovery from rotator cuff surgery. Sharon's patience and sense of humor are a supplement to her skill and knowledge of physical therapy. One of the things I love best about Sharon is that she continues to be curious about how she can improve her knowledge and skill.
Candace Fuchs As parents of a 12 year old daughter diagnosed with Idiopathic Juvenile Scoliosis at the age of 5, we have gone to all lengths to understand and access interventions that slowed progression and reduced the likelihood of surgery. This was no easy feat and it meant accessing care out of state and being an advocate for her scoliosis care. Orthopedics, orthotists and back braces have been a part of our life for a long time now. As Lillian has grown we’ve had set backs with her curve progression from growth, she’s experienced rotation and hip unevenness.
During this last year Sharon has joined our fight and provided Schroth Physical Therapy on a weekly basis. Sharon is full of so much knowledge, she is so kind and has supported Lillian with this additional intervention. Sharon sends information home, reaches out in between sessions, is a cheerleader and advocate. Sharon beautifully corresponds with Lillian’s providers and has become an integral part of our team. By empowering Lillian with education and understanding specific to her body and her scoliosis, Lillian has an increased sense of body awareness, body position and the ability to integrate her Schroth physical therapy into everyday life and practice.
While the nighttime Providence brace is intended to help stop further progression, Sharon’s expertise and skilled guidance, as well as Lilian’s commitment to the Schroth practice has proven itself; our most recent check-up showed approximately 8 degrees of REDUCTION in her curve and all of that is during a prime period of growth! We are absolute believers in Schroth Physical Therapy!
Emily ReynoldsMom, Healthcare professional I have suffered with off and on back pain since my teens. I have scoliosis and a leg length difference along with other contributing factors. I am now 70 and over the years I have worked with numerous Physical Therapists and groups, tried prescriptions and OTC meds, attended specialized gyms, tried braces, have custom orthotics and a lift in my shoes and yet the pain persists. I also have had cortisone shots, nerve blocks and tried TENS units...to no avail. Walking 1/4 mile or bending and standing in place all bring on my back / hip / SI joint pain.
Then my doctor recommended Sharon Hallahan and In Line Physical Therapy. I am still in the early learning stages of the Schroth method for my scoliosis but soon after I started practicing, I was seeing steady improvement in my pain level. I had several days when I walked a mile pain free!
Then unfortunately, I hurt my knee and shoulder and needed to focus on getting mobility and strength back in those joints. Sharon has helped me identify ways I can continue with modified Schroth while also protecting and healing my knee and shoulder.
Sharon listens carefully to your problems, reviews your individual issues with you, and discusses solutions. She is upbeat, positive and addresses your needs holistically...she is extremely knowledgeable and is able to design a routine specifically for your individual needs. I learn more in a one hour session with her than I’ve learned in all my years at traditional PT clinics. Sharon is unique not only for her treatment of scoliosis and certification in the Schroth method but also for her ability to creatively and successfully develop approaches to suit any / all your physical therapy needs.
Pamela Kelley 5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have scoliosis and have had severe back pain for years because of it. I have had years of physical therapy and cortisone injections which have provided some short lived temporary help. My doctor recommended Sharon Hallahan at In line physical therapy as she specializes in the Schroth method of physical therapy for scoliosis. I am so happy to have found her. She has finally explained to me what has been the cause of all of my back pain issues. She is working with me on exercises which specifically address the issues of pain that come from the pressure that my curved spine puts on my discs and nerves. She has given me specific exercises that i can do at home to help decompress my spine and it has really started to help. I see her every few weeks so she can help me make sure i am doing these exercises correctly. I am so grateful to have found her. I know it will take time to undo all the bad habits that i have developed over the years but i am confident that this method will help me improve and i highly recommend Sharon for anyone dealing with problems from scoliosis.
Nadine Gorrell I have been going to In Line PT for several months to alleviate pain caused by scoliosis. Sharon is extremely knowledgeable about the Schroth method and is also blessed with kindness and patience. She has an excellent setup with all the Schroth equipment. She also showed me how to adapt things at home so I can do the exercises without incurring the expense of buying special equipment. When I pulled a muscle she showed me how to adapt my exercises to allow it to heal while maintaining what I had already gained. She is truly a gem.
Judy I have been working with Sharon Hallahan for a few months. She is professional, impressively trained and she herself is skilled.
Who would have thought that there would be hope for us “scoliacs” to have a positive impact on our backs?!
She knows the anatomy, implements a vertebrae-by-vertebrae strategy and shows you how to practice.
My focus in our next lesson will be to learn and correct the rotation of my spine.
I can’t recommend Sharon Hallahan highly enough to work in the Schroth Method on your scoliosis, and I am sure anything else.
John Corwin MD Guilford, CT.
John Corwin MD I am so happy that we found Sharon Hallahan and her speciality to treat scoliosis! My adult daughter has acquired scoliosis as an after-effect of a major stroke 24 years ago. We live near a major medical center and school, and our doctors were not able to refer us to any PT with this Schroth speciality in our area. It appeared that we would have to go out of state. We found Sharon and instantly felt we were in the right place (and not far from home). We felt Sharon's warmth and compassion as soon as we met her, and her skills and passion inspired us. She has taken time and made explanations and has instructed us on the exercises with a contagious enthusiasm. She has planned a specific program for my daughter and modified it as needed. The program is not difficult and seems to actually provide a perceived physical change felt by my daughter. She enjoys doing the exercises and I have joined her, and benefit from the experience as well. I am thrilled that my daughter can attain pain relief and hopefully avoid surgery.
I highly recommend In Line PT and Sharon Hallahan for specialized PT for scoliosis!
Missy Sharon truly saved my life. I had been suffering for months with searing, practically electrifying, jolting left leg pain stemming from my hip. Unpredictable - day and night discomfort. Conventional medicine’s solution was a Medrol Dosepak (yes it decreased the inflammation and the pain subsided - TEMPORARILY) as well as Prednisone weeks later as the pain crept right back. Finally I was recommended for a course of physical therapy. I was fortunate to find Sharon, as I could not get into the PT clinic I was referred to for 3 1/2 weeks. I just didn’t think I could endure almost an entire month more of debilitating pain. As luck would have it, a colleague of Sharon’s and a friend of mine told me to see Sharon. From our very first encounter I started to get relief. She spent a full two hours with me at our first meeting - intake information as well as exercises. Her knowledge of how our bodies function is nothing short of extraordinary. She diagnosed issues with me that have never been addressed before by any physician. She explains everything in layman’s terms - quite helpful!!!!! Sharon sends updates to our regimens after our appointments including terrific visual aids. The most amazing reality is that I have been pain free since working with her. Seriously, Sharon is a treasure and we are so very fortunate that we don’t have to travel far to work with her. If you are in need of a physical therapist, see Sharon. Your body will thank you.
Ellen Madere
Madison, CT.
Ellen Madereellengetsitdone.com Sharon is awesome. And in just a few short short sessions, she taught me breathing techniques and various exercises to help relieve the pain from my severe scoliosis. She is kind, thoughtful and personable and I highly recommend her!
Bev Floyd I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 13 and spent 4 years in an awful Milwaukee brace, only able to remove it for showering and sports. I played a lot of sports and took a lot of showers!! The brace did its job back then and halted my curve enough to avoid surgery.
However – sadly – curves progress with age and I had carried a twin pregnancy. In November 2022, I saw a world-renowned scoliosis doctor who recommended spine surgery from T3 to S1 to keep my significant scoliosis curves from progressing. He said that surgery would probably bring down my chronic low back pain which ranged from 2-5 on a 10 point scale. But a 9-hour intense surgery and losing that flexibility and the huge range of things that could go wrong, including going through it just to have a different kind of pain – scared the you know what out of me!
I had heard about the Schroth method of physical therapy, but the last time I looked for it – I only found therapists in NYC. So, when I found out Sharon Hallahan was certified and opening her practice – 2 miles from my home no less!! – I was ecstatic.
I have had a few foundational sessions with Sharon to learn the basics of a set of Schroth exercises tailored to my curvature. She taught me about the basics of scoliosis and my curvature, rotations, etc. She gave me exercises to do each day to build on our sessions, along with recommendations for home setup. The deep breathing that is a key part of Schroth I found calming, and a motivator to be as present in other areas of my life in a new way. I have a lot of work and studying to do on the Schroth method but am SO very thankful I have Sharon and her friendly patience to teach and support me.
I see Schroth as a life-long addition to my life, with the surgery option hopefully to be closed. If you have any kind of back pain, but especially scoliosis, I urge you to work with Sharon. We are SO very lucky to have someone of her knowledge and abilities here on the shoreline of Connecticut.
Dana EvansWeb Designer and Co-owner When I first started working with Sharon at In line Physical Therapy, I was in significant pain due to a recent diagnosis of adult scoliosis. Sharon was extremely knowledgeable about adult scoliosis and helped me to understand what was happening with my lower back. As she showed me different stretches and exercises to do, she made sure I understood how to do them and why they would help. She also provided handouts so that I would do them correctly each day. I highly recommend Sharon for anyone who is looking for a knowledgeable and patient physical therapist.
Pam Ingersolcontact
- 3 Littlefield Lane, Old Lyme, Connecticut, United States
- +1-860-501-2272
- sharon@inlinept.com
- by appointment only
www.inlinept.com
