To find a Schroth therapist, look for a licensed physical therapist or physiotherapist who has trained with a recognised Schroth or scoliosis-specific exercise school, then confirm that the training is current and that they work with adults. A method-neutral directory such as the Conservative Spine Care Navigator lets you filter by method, region and format. The certifying schools keep their own therapist lists, which are the most direct way to check training. Ask how they assess adults, how they work with your doctor, and what monitoring they expect you to keep. A Schroth therapist works alongside your spine specialist, not instead of one.
This page is for adults with scoliosis who want to work with a Schroth therapist and do not know where to start. Schroth is one of several physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) schools. We cover where to look, how to check training, what to ask, and what to do if nobody is near you. Our own work comes last and is labelled as ours.
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer | Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|
| Where do I look? | A method-neutral directory, the certifying schools’ own therapist lists, and a referral from your spine specialist | Practical guidance |
| What training should they have? | A licence as a physical therapist or physiotherapist where they practise, plus training from a recognised Schroth or PSSE school | Practical guidance |
| Does the word “Schroth” on a website prove training? | No. Schools run different courses and levels, so ask which school trained them and when | Practical guidance |
| Is Schroth studied in adults? | Most trials are in adolescents. Adult evidence is thinner, and reviews rate the evidence for conservative care in adults as low level | Trials mostly in teens [T2]; adult evidence [T4] |
| What if nobody is near me? | Look at other PSSE schools, ask your specialist, and ask therapists whether they offer telehealth after an in-person assessment | Practical guidance |
| Does a Schroth therapist replace my doctor? | No. Keep your monitoring with your spine specialist | Practical guidance |
How to read the evidence tiers: T1 independently replicated research, stated directly. T2 frontier research or clinical synthesis, sound but not yet unified, so one degree of hedging. T3 theoretical synthesis or our own contribution, always framed as synthesis. T4 unknown or mixed evidence. T5 an anti-pattern we recommend against. A compound claim gets a tier per part.
Where to start
A therapist can teach you curve-specific exercise. What you can also learn is how your body senses and organizes itself day to day, and the Syntropic Core Reset, a one-month course with live sessions, is the place to start. You practice noticing breath, pressure and ground contact, and build awareness of your own posture, alongside any therapist you choose.
Education, not treatment. It is meant to sit alongside your clinical care, never as a reason to skip monitoring, bracing or surgery.
Where to look
1. A method-neutral directory
The Conservative Spine Care Navigator is our free directory of conservative spine care practitioners. Nobody pays to be listed or ranked, none of the listed practitioners were trained by us, and we do not profit from them. You can filter by primary method (for example Schroth Method, BSPTS-Rigo or SEAS), by region and by format, including telehealth. Where we found it, each listing names the source of the practitioner’s training. Listings are compiled from public sources, so confirm current training with the practitioner before you book.
2. The certifying schools’ own lists
Several schools train therapists in Schroth-family methods and keep their own lists, including the Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School (BSPTS), ISST and the Schroth Best Practice Academy. SEAS, a related Italian approach, is taught through ISICO. A school’s list is the most direct way to check that someone completed its course. For how these methods compare, see Schroth vs SEAS vs BSPTS-Rigo.
3. Your spine specialist
Your orthopaedic or spine specialist may already work with a scoliosis-trained therapist, and some hospital physiotherapy departments have one. A referral also makes it easier for your therapist and your specialist to share imaging and plans.
How to check a therapist’s training
- Licence. Ask whether they are licensed as a physical therapist or physiotherapist where they practise.
- School and level. Ask which school trained them, which level they completed, and when they last took a course. Schools use different levels and renewal rules.
- Adults. Ask how often they work with adults, and with the issues adults bring, such as pain, disc and joint wear, bone density concerns or a previous fusion.
- Name versus training. Some clinics describe their work as Schroth-based without formal training from a school. The name alone does not tell you much.
SOSORT, the international society on scoliosis orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment, groups Schroth, SEAS and related schools under physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE). Its guidelines are written for scoliosis during growth, so they do not settle what adults should do (Negrini 2018) [T2].
Questions to ask before you book
- What does your first assessment include, and will you look at my X-rays?
- How do you adapt the work for an adult with my history, including pain or a previous surgery?
- How are sessions and home practice organised, and for how long?
- How will we judge whether it is helping, and what will you not promise?
- How will you keep my spine specialist informed?
For a wider set of questions to ask any practitioner, see How to Choose a Scoliosis Practitioner, and for how the pieces of care fit together, see Sequencing Your Scoliosis Care Team.
What the research says about Schroth for adults
Most randomised trials of Schroth were done in adolescents who were still growing (for example Kuru 2016) [T2]. A review of Schroth trial methods found seven eligible studies, all in adolescent scoliosis or Scheuermann’s kyphosis, and judged their methods suboptimal (Schreiber 2023) [T2]. In adults, one randomised trial of 130 people found that a programme of active self-correction, task-oriented exercise and cognitive-behavioural therapy reduced disability more than general physiotherapy, with a 4-degree curve difference the authors did not consider clinically meaningful (Monticone 2016) [T2]. That programme was not labelled Schroth. A systematic review rated the evidence for physical therapy, chiropractic care and bracing in adult scoliosis as low level (Everett 2007) [T2]. What any of this means for one adult is not known [T4].
For a closer look at the method itself, see The Schroth Method: What It Gets Right and Where It Stops.
If there is no Schroth therapist near you
- Search the Conservative Spine Care Navigator for other scoliosis-specific exercise schools, such as SEAS or BSPTS-Rigo, in your region.
- Filter by telehealth, and ask whether the therapist wants to see you in person first.
- Ask your specialist whether a local physiotherapist with scoliosis experience could work with you.
What is not known
- Which school suits adults best. We did not find trials comparing Schroth schools in adults [T4].
- How much practice adults need. Dose and duration for adults are not settled [T4].
- Whether Schroth changes the adult course of a curve. We did not find evidence that settles this either way [T4].
Where our framework fits
Schroth and the other PSSE schools have the most research behind them of any exercise approach to scoliosis, and some trials in teenagers with mild to moderate curves reported changes of a few degrees [T2]. They do careful, skilled work on the shape: the curve pattern, the breathing and the positions a person uses through the day.
Our work starts one layer underneath: posture as the body’s best guess, generated from what it senses and attends to. We see it as a question of order, not of which method is wrong. You can read how the two compare in Schroth vs Syntropic Core.
Hypothesis, not established fact. Everything in this paragraph is our hypothesis. The Neural Generation Hypothesis (NGH, Miller 2026) proposes that scoliosis is a curve the body keeps generating from its own map of itself, not just a bent bone [T3]. It is published as an open-access preprint on Zenodo, which means it has not been through journal peer review. It makes no claim that any intervention changes an established curve, it says nothing about which therapist to choose, and it is not a reason to skip monitoring, bracing or surgery. You can read it, with its evidence tiers, in our article on the Neural Generation Hypothesis.
What this means for you
- Start with a directory and the schools’ own lists, then check training directly with the therapist.
- Tell your spine specialist before you start, and keep your monitoring appointments.
- If you notice new back pain, leg numbness or weakness, or a change in how you stand or walk, tell your clinician.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a Schroth therapist near me?
Use a method-neutral directory such as the Conservative Spine Care Navigator and filter by method and region, check the certifying schools’ own therapist lists, and ask your spine specialist for a referral. Confirm current training with the therapist before you book.
What training should a Schroth therapist have?
They should be licensed as a physical therapist or physiotherapist where they practise and have completed training with a recognised Schroth or scoliosis-specific exercise school. Ask which school, which level and when they last trained.
Is BSPTS the same as Schroth?
BSPTS (the Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School) teaches a method that grew out of the Schroth tradition, so it is often grouped in the Schroth family. SEAS is a related but separate approach. All are grouped as physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE).
Can I do Schroth online?
Some therapists offer telehealth sessions, often after an in-person assessment. The Conservative Spine Care Navigator lets you filter by format, including telehealth. Ask the therapist how they would assess you remotely.
Does Schroth work for adults?
Most Schroth trials are in adolescents, and the evidence in adults is thinner. One randomised trial in adults found that a scoliosis-specific programme reduced disability more than general physiotherapy, though it was not labelled Schroth. What it means for one adult is not known.
Does Posture Dojo train or rank the practitioners in the Navigator?
No. Nobody pays to be listed or ranked, none of the listed practitioners were trained by us, and we do not profit from them.
This article is education and research, not medical advice. Sam Miller is not a doctor, physical therapist or licensed clinician, and Syntropic Core is somatic education, not treatment. If you have a diagnosed spinal condition, have had spinal surgery, are pregnant, or are the parent of a teen whose curve is being monitored, talk to your clinical team first. Nothing here is a reason to delay or decline a brace, surgery or the check-ups that track a curve.
Sources
- Negrini S, Donzelli S, Aulisa AG, et al. 2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth. Scoliosis Spinal Disord 2018;13:3. PubMed 29435499 doi:10.1186/s13013-017-0145-8 [T2]
International guideline on bracing and physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE). Written for scoliosis during growth, so it is used here only to describe PSSE, not to make claims about adults. Read at abstract level. - Kuru T, Yeldan İ, Dereli EE, et al. The efficacy of three-dimensional Schroth exercises in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a randomised controlled clinical trial. Clin Rehabil 2016;30(2):181-190. PubMed 25780260 doi:10.1177/0269215515575745 [T2]
A randomised trial of Schroth exercise in adolescents. Cited only as an example that the trials are mostly in adolescents. Read at abstract level. - Schreiber S, Whibley D, Somers EC. Schroth physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) trials: systematic review of methods and recommendations for future research. Children (Basel) 2023;10(6):954. PMC10297476 doi:10.3390/children10060954 [T2]
Found seven eligible Schroth trials, all in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis or Scheuermann’s kyphosis, and judged their methods suboptimal. The lead author declares a role as a Schroth instructor. Read at abstract level. - Monticone M, Ambrosini E, Cazzaniga D, et al. Adults with idiopathic scoliosis improve disability after motor and cognitive rehabilitation: results of a randomised controlled trial. Eur Spine J 2016;25(10):3120-3129. PubMed 27015689 doi:10.1007/s00586-016-4528-y [T2]
130 adults (mean age about 52, main curve under 35 degrees) randomised to a 20-week programme of active self-correction, task-oriented exercise and cognitive-behavioural therapy, or to general physiotherapy. Disability improved more in the first group; the 4-degree curve difference was described by the authors as not clinically meaningful. The programme was not labelled Schroth. Read at abstract level. - Everett CR, Patel RK. A systematic literature review of nonsurgical treatment in adult scoliosis. Spine 2007;32(19 Suppl):S130-S134. PubMed 17728680 doi:10.1097/BRS.0b013e318134ea88 [T2]
Systematic review that rated the evidence for physical therapy, chiropractic care and bracing in adult scoliosis as low level (Level IV) and found no conservative option supported as a preferred solution. Read at abstract level. - Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School (BSPTS). Official website and therapist listings. bspts.net Accessed 30 October 2026.
A certifying school’s own site. Listed as a place to check training, not as evidence. - ISST Schroth Method. Official website and therapist listing. isstschrothmethod.com Accessed 30 October 2026.
A certifying school’s own site. Listed as a place to check training, not as evidence. - ISICO (Italian Scientific Spine Institute), home of the SEAS approach. isico.it Accessed 30 October 2026.
Listed as a place to check SEAS training, not as evidence. - Miller S. The Neural Generation Hypothesis of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Converging Evidence from Genetics, Proprioception, and Predictive Coding. Open-access preprint on Zenodo, not journal peer-reviewed. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19342098 [T3]
Our own hypothesis, listed last and labelled as ours. It is not used as evidence for any claim above.