Ballet dancer’s dramatic recovery

A TEENAGE
ballerina from Dublin 15 has spoken about her dramatic recovery from a serious
spinal condition that could have shattered her dancing dreams.

Amy Quinton, who
lives in Tyrrelstown, believed she was given a life sentence of pain and
discomfort when she was diagnosed with Scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the
spine that can lead to diminishing lung capacity, put pressure on the heart and
severely restrict physical activities.

After endless
X-rays and appointments with various specialists the then 16-year-old was told
that she would need major spinal fusion surgery as soon as possible.

This would have
involved having metal rods fitted down her back, which would have effectively
ended the talented youngster’s ambitions of becoming a dancing teacher.

Amy, now 19, and
her family were distraught with the diagnosis, and conflicting advice from
physiotherapists compounded their frustrations. In their efforts to avoid
surgery and save Amy’s dancing future they were pushed from pillar to post and
eventually told that if she didn’t agree to go under the knife she’d struggle
to walk in years to come, let alone dance.

The situation left
Amy devastated and she struggled to come to terms with her condition.

? she
said.

“I felt like
everyone was staring at my back all the time and I lost nearly all of my
self-confidence.

“I love dancing,
it is something I use to express myself. So when I was told that I needed to
have major surgery which would dramatically reduce my flexibility, I was left
in pieces.

?

Scoliosis causes
the spine to excessively curve sideways and the condition affects more than
four per cent of the population. Left untreated it can lead to fatal heart and
lung problems.

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

Although Amy, like
many with Scoliosis, was not in any pain she was aware that her condition was
progressing quickly and was desperate to avoid losing her flexibility.

She was losing
hope but just before she turned 18, in a last, desperate attempt to save her
daughter from surgery, Amy’s mother, Janet, decided to start searching for an
alternative treatment.

It was at this
point that she came across an organisation in the UK called Scoliosis SOS.
Founded and run by Erika Maude, who has the condition herself, Scoliosis SOS
opened five years ago and has brought relief to hundreds of sufferers using a
unique method called ScolioGold.

ScolioGold is a
combination of internationally renowned non-surgical treatments, which have
been practiced separately in Europe for several decades.

After attending an
initial consultation the UK clinic, Amy and her mother were convinced that they
were making the right decision. Although the teenager was alarmed to hear what
was going on in her back she also felt confident she was in the right place.

She spent four
weeks surrounded by other young women in the same position as her and by the
end of the course had achieved remarkable results.

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

Amy has now returned
home and has been able to return to ballet, something she thought would be
completely impossible.

? she said.

“I did not
understand how exercises would make such a big difference to my back. Having
had the treatment I believe in it 100 per cent.

“The difference in
my posture is obvious. I was overwhelmed by my final photographs and I am
relieved that I am no longer at risk from surgery.

?