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What to Expect in a Schroth Treatment Session for Scoliosis
Rose McLean
Rose McLean, PT, DPT, c/NDT, is co-owner and lead physical therapist at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, where she has dedicated over 20 years to helping children with developmental challenges achieve their movement goals. Rose's specialized focus on pediatric physical therapy, combined with her commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration, has made her a trusted resource for families navigating motor delays, neurological conditions, and complex developmental needs throughout Chicago. Rose earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University in Chicago in 2004, where she received rigorous training in both pediatric and neurological rehabilitation. She began her clinical career at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, consistently ranked among America's top pediatric medical centers, where she gained invaluable experience treating children with diverse and medically complex conditions. This foundation shaped her evidence-based, child-centered approach to therapy. Beyond her doctoral training, Rose holds certification in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), a specialized intervention approach for children with cerebral palsy, neurological impairments, and other developmental disorders. She also maintains registration with Illinois' Early Intervention Program, allowing her to provide services to infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) in both home and clinic settings. Rose's therapeutic style is distinctively playful and highly individualized. She invests time in understanding each child's personality, interests, and motivators, then designs sessions that feel like play while targeting specific developmental goals. Whether working on strength, balance, coordination, or motor planning, Rose ensures therapy remains engaging and appropriately challenging. In 2014, Rose partnered with her husband Patrick to establish Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, driven by a vision that pediatric therapy should be comprehensive, collaborative, and convenient. She wanted to eliminate the fragmentation families often experience when their child needs multiple therapies—instead offering coordinated care where physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, behavior analysts, and social workers communicate regularly about each child's progress. Rose also prioritized creating community spaces where families can connect and children can learn social skills alongside therapeutic development.
Read Less →The Schroth Method is a research-backed, proven treatment to help children, teens, and adults with scoliosis. Schroth Therapy is a hands-on, patient-driven method that aims to improve scoliosis outcomes using the patient’s own muscles and body. It is recommended by the International Society on Scoliosis Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Treatment. Furthermore, only certified Schroth therapists are able to provide this high-quality, specific method.
Goals of Schroth Teatment Session
The Schroth Method for Scoliosis aims to use your child’s own muscles to create an internal “brace” to improve quality of life, minimize, slow, or even stop progression of curve, prevent and treat respiratory dysfunction, prevent and treat spinal pain, and improve aesthetics with postural correction. Read on to see how we do this!
A Schroth physical therapy session will focus on specific muscle activation, positioning, and breathing to improve the alignment of the spine. This is completed in a variety of positions. They include lying down sitting, kneeling, and standing. Equipment that will likely be used in your Schroth physical therapy session includes a wall ladder. Along with elastic bands, bean bags, poles, and yoga straps. This equipment is used to specifically position the spine and arms. It also helps with ribs and legs for optimal muscle activation.
Hands On Sessions
Schroth physical therapy sessions are very hands on and are typically completed with either a sports bra or no shirt so that the physical therapist has full visual and tactile access to the spine and ribs. The physical therapist will guide your child through each exercise and will provide in-depth training for exercises to do at home. After that, there is an expectation of consistent exercise at home for best results.
Your child’s session will start with a postural assessment and reviewing any questions you or your child may have. Then, mobilization to the ribs and spine will be completed, followed by 2-5 scoliosis specific exercises using muscle activation and breathing techniques to improve alignment. At the end of the session, your physical therapist will ensure you and your child understand the exercises. After that, they are to be completed at home.
Questions Or Concerns?
If your child has scoliosis, or if you suspect your child has scoliosis, give us a call at 773-687-9241 or email info@cptwc.com to schedule an assessment with our ISST-Schroth Method certified physical therapist! After that, check out our Physical Therapy and Schroth Therapy pages for more resources!
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