Scoliosis Surgery Soon? Try Lower Trunk Rotation to Reduce Post-Op Spasms 👦🏼| Severe CP PT #16

🔄 Lower Trunk Rotation Before Scoliosis Surgery | Meet Jack 💙 Pediatric Physical Therapy 👋🏼 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a retired pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. 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 now had scoliosis surgery with excellent correction. His mother reports he is about 3–4 inches taller afterward. This video was filmed before surgery. 🧠 Why this matters before surgery With scoliosis, muscles often become shortened and tight on one side of the trunk while rotation develops through the spine and rib cage. After surgery, those tissues are suddenly placed on stretch as the spine is corrected. 🎯 What we are working on In this video, Jack is lying on his back while we work on lower trunk rotation. Because of the rotational component of his scoliosis, his legs naturally rest windswept toward one side. I gently guide his knees toward the opposite direction while stabilizing the shoulder. Before fully stretching into end range, I often use small oscillations first to help reduce guarding and encourage the muscles to relax. I discuss two different approaches: • Traditional stretching into the restricted direction • Total Motion Release (TMR), where you first move into the easier direction before returning to the restricted side What surprised me during filming was how dramatic the change was after briefly using the TMR approach. Jack gained significantly more rotation afterward, even in a short amount of time. 💡 Sometimes helping the body relax first allows better movement than pushing directly into resistance. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 0:22 Why stretching matters before scoliosis surgery 0:58 Lower trunk rotation setup 1:37 Oscillations before end range stretching 2:12 Traditional stretching vs. Total Motion Release (TMR) 3:05 Testing the range afterward 3:14 Dramatic improvement in mobility 3:34 Why short-term stretching may still help before surgery 3:51 Closing thoughts 🎯 Key topics 🔄 Lower trunk rotation 🦴 Scoliosis mobility work 🫁 Rib cage and trunk positioning 👐 Tone management 🔄 Total Motion Release (TMR) 🏥 Pre-surgical preparation 🌍 Who this video is for 👨🏽‍👩🏼‍👧 Families of children with cerebral palsy 👩🏾‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️ Therapists working with GMFCS IV–V 👩🏽‍🏫 Caregivers supporting children with severe physical involvement 🧑🏾‍🦽 Children preparing for scoliosis surgery ⚠️ Important note This video is for educational purposes only. Please speak with your child’s physician or therapist before making medical 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 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjM8cf4VN1tDJr3WVctwiPSI My email: amysturkey@gmail.com I cannot provide treatment recommendations without evaluating your child. 🌍 Captions I review and correct all captions for accuracy. CC → Settings → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate 👉🏽 Subscribe for daily videos and tap the 🔔