'I felt like a hunchback and didn't want to go out': Ballerina with scoliosis can finally stand tall again thanks to back exercises
28 February 2014

• Hannah Martyn was diagnosed with curvature of the spine three years ago
• She was warned she might need surgery to place rods in her back
• In a bid to avoid this, she took an exercise programme to strengthen the muscles in her back and this was so successful she has returned to ballet

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However, Miss Martyn, from Wigan, was then referred to London-based clinic Scoliosis SOS where she was offered non-surgical treatment.

Following her treatment at the clinic she has returned to dancing five times a week.

Miss Martyn said: ‘Scoliosis just took over my life and left me distraught - I was paranoid and insecure about going out in case people were looking at my back.

‘I lost all my self-confidence. I love dancing - it’s the way I choose to express myself. So when doctors told me I needed to have a major operation I was torn to pieces.

‘I knew I wanted to be a professional dancer and it’s all I wanted to do. But the surgery would dramatically reduce my flexibility.’

Instead, she turned to a non-surgical treatment to improve her condition, and has stunned medics with her remarkable progress.

Scoliosis causes the spine to develop an S-shaped curve. The condition affects about four children in every 1,000 and if left untreated it can lead to fatal heart and lung problems in severe cases.

Current treatments for severe scoliosis centre on having a major operation, which can be risky and involves metal rods being inserted either side of the spine to straighten it.

Instead of surgery, the Scoliosis SOS clinic focuses on using a series of individually-tailored muscle exercises in order to treat the condition.

Miss Martyn said: ‘I knew there were huge risks involved with the operation and that there could be a very long recovery period.

‘But after just a few weeks of treatment the difference in my posture is obvious, I can’t believe how far I’ve come.

‘I was overwhelmed by my final photographs and I am relieved that I am no longer at risk from surgery.’

Just before Miss Martyn turned 18, in a last attempt to save her daughter from having major spinal surgery, her mother Janet decided to start searching for an alternative treatment.

It was at this point that she came across Scoliosis SOS.

A spokesman for Scoliosis SOS said: ‘Current treatment in the UK is to wait until the curve becomes so severe, that the only option left is to operate.

‘The major operation is an incredibly risky procedure which involves metal rods being inserted either side of the spine, before the spine is fused solid.

‘After endless X-rays and appointments with various specialists Hannah was told that she would need surgery as soon as possible.

‘But after just four weeks of treatment with at our clinic, Hannah had achieved some remarkable results.

‘Not only had she managed to stabilise her condition but she had made significant improvements to her posture, physical appearance and lung capacity.’

A spokesperson for Scoliosis Association UK said: ‘With respect to the treatment of scoliosis we always advise that patients follow the advice of a scoliosis specialist.

‘The scientific evidence that intensive exercise “cures” scoliosis is sparse and unreliable.

‘In mild curvatures intensive exercise can improve posture, muscle strength (thereby supporting the spine more efficiently), flexibility, and appearance, but there is no long-term evidence that it will ultimately prevent progression of a curve.

‘It is important to remember that the scoliosis is different in individuals and that some may have only very mild curvatures that will not progress.