Scoliosis Surgery Coming? Try This Trunk Rotation Stretch First 👦🏼🦴 | Severe CP PT #14

📉 Preparing for Scoliosis Surgery — Trunk Rotation Stretch | Meet Jack 💙 Pediatric Physical Therapy 👋🏼 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a retired pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. I’m so glad you’re here. Please meet my wonderful co-instructor Jack 👦🏼. 🧠 Jack’s Medical & Therapy Background Jack is 13 years old and has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy (GMFCS Level V), meaning significant whole-body involvement and full assistance for mobility. Jack also has: • A seizure disorder • Cortical vision impairment • Scoliosis • Complex medical needs He wears a cochlear implant and hearing aid and receives all nutrition through a G-tube. Jack has had prior orthopedic surgeries, including femoral derotation and heel-cord lengthenings. And most importantly — he is truly delightful. ✨ 📈 A quick update on Jack Since filming, Jack has had scoliosis surgery — with excellent correction. His mother reports he is now about 3–4 inches taller, and it shows in his posture. This video was filmed before surgery as part of preparation. 🧠 Why this matters before surgery With scoliosis, especially with rotation and side bending, muscles on one side become tight and shortened. After surgery, when the spine is corrected (often 50–70%), those tissues are suddenly placed on stretch. Preparing ahead of time can help with: • Comfort after surgery • Tolerance to positioning • Ease of movement and care 🎯 What we are working on In this video, I demonstrate a trunk rotation stretch for the rotational component of Jack’s scoliosis. I: • Stabilize the hips facing forward • Guide trunk rotation using my forearm and hand placement • Use gentle oscillations to reduce tone • Work toward holding end range for 20–60 seconds Jack has a rib hump on the right, so I focus on helping him rotate toward the more limited direction. 🔄 When stretching alone isn’t enough When direct stretching wasn’t as effective, I shifted to Total Motion Release (TMR). With this approach: • Move first toward the easier side • Hold to reduce tone • Then return to the more restricted side For Jack, this made a clear difference — he rotated more easily after working the easier side first. 💡 Sometimes going “around the problem” works better than pushing directly into it. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 0:29 Why stretching matters before scoliosis surgery 1:16 Trunk rotation stretch setup 1:47 Using oscillations to reduce tone 2:36 Holding end range stretch 3:13 Trying the TMR approach 3:59 Rechecking the difficult side 4:37 Why TMR helped Jack 5:09 Subscribe & notifications 🎯 Key topics discussed 🌀 Trunk rotation for scoliosis 🦴 Rib hump and spinal rotation 👐 Hands-on stretching with tone management 🔄 Easier-side movement to improve restriction 🏥 Preparing the body before scoliosis surgery 🌍 Who this video is for This video may be helpful for: 👨🏽‍👩🏼‍👧 Families of children with cerebral palsy 👩🏾‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️ Therapists working with children at GMFCS IV–V 👩🏽‍🏫 Caregivers supporting children with limited communication 🧑🏾‍🦽 Children preparing for scoliosis surgery ⚠️ Important note This video is shared for educational purposes only. Every child is different. Please speak with your child’s physician or therapist before making medical or therapy decisions. 📚 My Children’s & Professional Physical Therapy Books “P is for Poop and Pee Accidents” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 “A is for Anxiety” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V “A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR “C is for Cerebral Palsy” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP “D is for Down Syndrome” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 “A is for Autism” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips” https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees” http://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD ✨ Watch More Videos with Jack Jack’s Playlist → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjM8cf4VN1tDJr3WVctwiPSI My email: amysturkey@gmail.com Please remember I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child that I have not personally evaluated. 🌍 Captions I review and correct all captions for accuracy. To turn captions on or change the language: CC → Settings → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate If captions cover important parts of the video, they can be turned off using the CC button. 👉🏽 Don’t forget to subscribe for daily videos and tap the 🔔 so you never miss an update!