Scoliosis and spinal fusion treatment in Bluffton, SC and beyond

“I didn’t know much about my scoliosis for most of my life, but my curvy spine seemed to serve me fairly well through decades of running, cycling, skiing and yoga (albeit with periodic intervention from hip doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors). But by age 70 I could see that scoliosis was affecting almost all my activities. I had probably been accommodating in one way or another for a long time and I had to do something about it now or be prepared for a quickly diminishing quality of life as I aged. I began looking for scolio resources online, had a couple false starts with other “experts”, and finally found Dr. Meg. She is the only person I’ve ever worked with who was able to see and understand my curves and explain them to me in a way that made sense. I was surprised at how relieved it felt to be working with someone in whom I had confidence, who wasn’t guessing, but truly understood the complexity of my spine and could explain my issues (for example, the pinching on one side, clothes not fitting correctly, and my funny swagger --a “hip glide” it turns out, and there’s something I can do about it!). Her academic and training background is extensive, and the fact that she has scoliosis herself allows her to resonate in a meaningful way with what her clients are experiencing both physically and psychologically. Dr. Meg’s one-on-one video sessions with me were essential so she could watch my movements, problem-solve, and tailor ongoing exercises for my three curves. Her library of Scolio Basics classes are important supplements and are doable, even with a busy schedule. Dr. Meg is a good listener, compassionate, and funny. At the same time, she’s no-nonsense and honest about the fact that managing my scoliosis effectively as I age will require putting in the time – it’s up to me. She’s given me the tools and confidence to do this now.”

—Therese Grant

“Two years ago I found myself out of shape. I was worried about getting injured, balance and aging. Research convinced me that a strong core is essential for all of these, especially avoiding injury . Since working with Mindful Movement I have become much stronger, feel better, have more energy and my balance when tested by my doctor, was much improved. Also, when I had an accident and injured my neck Meghan was able to provide the therapy I needed - including dry needles which was amazing! Wish I had started with Mindful Movement sooner!!”

—Pat Cox

“I “stumbled upon” Dr. Megs practice on social media. I stopped scrolling and clicked to read more as the word “scoliosis” jumped out at me. I have been struggling with low back and hip pain chronically for approx five years. I have a compressed nerve due to the advancement of my curve. I have been to every doctor and therapy known to mankind. Not ONE professional addressed my scoliosis. I wish I had found Dr. Meg sooner. I signed up for the online classes and then realized it would be so beneficial to work one-on-one. I go to the studio once a week and I am amazed at what I have learned about my body (curve) in five sessions. If you have tried everything out there and still searching for answers make an appointment. Dr. Meg explains everything ... she makes it so very comfortable to work together and did I mention her adorable dog Nikko? My experience has been nothing short of outstanding ... I highly recommend.”

—Kathy Daley

“Dr. Meg at Mindful Movement is fabulous! Finally, someone who takes my scoliosis issues seriously in all of the myriad ways scoliosis affects my life. Dr. Meg is extremely knowledgeable, has experience with scoliosis herself, and truly cares for her clients. I have tried many types of doctors, PTs, personal fitness trainers, exercise programs, you name it and I was never satisfied. I constantly was getting injured, not making much progress, dealt with a lot of pain, and felt incapable and frustrated with my inability to do certain exercises, movements, and activities. Dr. Meg tailor's your exercises specially to address your scoliosis, provides education on how your scoliosis affects you, gives advice, answers questions that come up, and helps with many of the mental aspects of scoliosis. I am no longer frustrated! I feel capable, have a toolbox of exercises that help me feel better, and hope that with work I can reach my goals. I recommend Dr. Meg to anyone who feels limited by their scoliosis, who struggles to be heard by other medical and fitness professionals, who is frustrated with not living the active life they want to, who is tired of pain from daily tasks that must be done. Dr. Meg is already making a huge difference in my life and I am very grateful to be on this health journey with her as my guru! :)”

—Blythe Broecker

“I have been dealing with chronic pain over nearly the last ten years due to undiagnosed scoliosis. I always thought it was from bad posture and consistently worked out and did yoga to “fix” the misalignment I was feeling and help with pain, and tried multiple chiropractors, but my symptoms persisted. At age 28, I decided to try physical therapy. I initially felt I was making some progress but that something was still off in my body that wasn’t being addressed. I finally went and got x-rays at another chiropractor and learned I had scoliosis. I continued to go to physical therapy and the chiropractor over several months and felt worse and worse each week - I could barely walk at this point with worsened hip alignment and was regularly crying because of how much pain I was in. I felt both my doctors didn’t understand what I was feeling when I tried to explain and they both were frustrated with me when I tried to explain my persisting pain symptoms and what exercises, etc. continued to not work for me! I was so desperate for help when I found Dr. Meg and decided to drop everything to work with her. Right away I could tell that she understood EVERYTHING I was feeling and more. After just the first week I started to feel a release of tension in areas that were consistently tight. After the first month, I couldn’t believe the progress I had made. Two months in, I am finally feeling like myself again. I still have more work to do and I am so thankful to have Dr. Meg guiding me on this healing journey. She is so great to work with and knows exactly what you need every step of the way. I would recommend her 10/10 times to anyone who is struggling with scoliosis and pain - there isn’t a better option for help out there!”

—Kathleen Emerson

“My last visit with my spinal surgeon was very sobering. Although the surgery he performed nine months ago was successful, and my recovery went well, his explanation of the new pain I was experiencing surprised me. He said what was happening was that my right ribs were coming to rest on top of my right hip as a result of my scoliosis. And although he could perform surgery to correct it, he did not recommend it as the pain of the ordeal would most likely not be worth it in the end. So. What to do. I felt as if I didn't try to address the creeping deterioration of my spine, my quality of life would be severely impacted and restricted. Then a friend who had scoliosis told me about Dr. Meg and her scoliopilates therapy. What did I have to lose in a free interview? Since then, three months after working with Dr. Meg once a week and doing her exercise programs five days a week, I can report I feel I have a path forward, that someone out there completely understands the issues, and that her exercises are always fresh, new, and address the entire body not just one part. She's brilliant, she's gifted, and she's fun. The exercises make a huge difference in coping with a structural issue that in addition to pain in my back has also cramped my breathing, unbeknownst to me, for years. She has taught me ways to work with my body that I've never encountered before. Her scoliopilates therapy is a liberating step in working with a chronic condition. Thank you, Dr. Meg!”

—Christy Stebbins

“I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and scoliosis over ten years ago so I have been living with the associated pain for the past ten years, In December 2018 I had surgery in Huntington, WV involving a triple fusion in S1-L5-L4 and removing the sciatic nerve pain in my left leg, I started taking Pilates lessons in the summer of 2019 which helped to strengthen my core muscles. I retired in November 2019 and in December 2019 my wife and I moved to Bluffton, SC. In the spring of 2090 I started trying to play golf again for the first time in 5 years. Severe lower back pain had returned so I was referred to a surgeon who has a office in Bluffton. CT's were taken and it showed that the S1-L5 fusion had not healed. So I had another operation in January 2021 to correct this problem. Before the 2nd operation I was taking Pilates lessons at a local Bluffton studio. Due to COVID the studio was shut down this spring about the time I was ready to resume Pilates lessons. I took an on-line 28 day lesson to tune my body to play golf since I was not doing Pilates. I started doing internet searches for Pilates and I found the Mindful Movement website which indicated that it is a Scoliosis Pilates studio. Dr Meg the owner has Scoliosis herself and earned a physical therapy degree with emphasis on treating Scoliosis. She reviewed my CT results and is creating a lesson plan for me which is based upon my spine condition. I will have one in-person lesson each month and You Tube video's for in-home daily exercises. After one week I have already felt a reduction of back pain and started understanding my spine conditions. I highly recommend Mindful Movement for treatment of Scoliosis.”

—Craig Rohrer

“If you have scoliosis, you need Dr Meg. It's that simple. I don't have words for how much she has already helped me in a relatively short time. Working with someone who is not only kind, patient and extremely knowledgable, but who also understands the nuances of scoliosis and can tailor everything to one's specific curvature is truly life changing. The pain I was experiencing from scoliosis was becoming so bad that I was unable to stand up for more than 15 minutes at a time before feeling like my whole lower back was in spasm. For years I tried everything - physios, chiropractors, pilates, yoga everything you're told helps with back pain and none of it really made any difference, in some cases, it made it worse. After only 3 months of working together (remotely, via video call, may I add), I was able to walk for 5 miles, non-stop, relatively pain free. My job can require me to be on my feet for long periods of time, so you can imagine how much of a relief it is to feel like I don't have to dread doing the parts of my job that I love the most.”

—Charley Bezer

“I have mild scoliosis, but the pain on most days is more than mild and that is what lead me to start paying more attention to my curve. I came across Meg by chance, as I was searching online for answers and I am oh so glad that I found her. I could not figure out what I was doing to cause the pain. After spending some time going over my curve and how to properly elongate, I can say that my pain has definitely decreased. I now have exercises and stretches to do when things really act up. Also I am so much more aware of how I am sitting and standing which helps to minimize discomfort. This has greatly been thanks to Meg and her knowledge of scoliosis.”

—Petra DeBrincat

“After years of being told there’s nothing to do about scoliosis in adulthood, Dr Meg has made me realize how untrue that is! I feel stronger, sleep better and have reduced pain on a daily basis. She truly understands and explains the way our whole bodies connect to our spines and how to adjust daily movements along with the exercises provided specific to your body. I highly recommend to her everyone with scoliosis!”

—Sarah Messerli

“Over the years, I've tried different ways to ease my scoliosis pain without much success. I tried standard pilates classes on a reformer, weight lifting, massage, and generic physical therapy. Sometimes it would help but often I'd end up in more pain. The instructors and therapists though well meaning, didn't have enough of an understanding of scoliosis. In retrospect, I think they were giving me exercises to do that were counterproductive. I even tried the Schroth method but I found the format of the information hard to follow and do at home by myself. Finding Dr. Meg has been the best thing I have done for my scoliosis. She formats the information in a way that's easy to understand, is customized for my curve, and evolves as I progress. When I do the exercises regularly my daily aches and pains go away and I feel so good. If I start skipping days or weeks of the exercises the pain comes back. Meghan listens very well and makes it easy for me to reach her to ask questions. It's also really important to me that she herself has scoliosis because it means that she really understands what it feels like physically and mentally, and how to explain the mechanics of scoliosis. I would highly recommend working with her to any person that has scoliosis.”

—Ashley Wie