The Curvy Road – A Path Created by Scoliosis
By Karena Thek
“I think you should write about your life, your personal background,” he said.
“No,” she said.
“It would be interesting for our readers to know how you got to where you are,” he persisted.
“It would be super-boring,” she pushed back.
“Could you write it anyway?” he insisted.
“No,” she irritated.
And so it went for 3 or 4 years before she caved. Boredom to ensue.
However, there is the part where at the age of 16, she goes to Europe on a two-week ticket but sells her return ticket and doesn’t come home until her parents track her down to the French Alps 2.5 months later.
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Karena teaches Brett about elongation on the beach!! (video here)
And here we go…
If we start at the beginning, that was in Seaford, Delaware in the United States. It was a very small-town life and I spent as much time on the farms of my friends as a I did in the little local dance studio. I could have gone either way but found my way towards a dance career. That dance career happened while I was completing a degree in painting and drawing. My dance instructors used to say, “You have such an interesting approach to dance, it must be your art background.” My art instructors used to say, “You have such an interesting approach to art, it must be your dance background.” My instructors strongly encouraged me to be “interesting” and so my unintentional “out-of-the-box” approach found a welcoming home.
Fast forward a bit and I retired from dance (copious back pain) to paint full-time. That career path didn’t last because it was lonely… and very, very, very still. I felt like the still life’s that I was painting. Next, I studied Pilates, taught Pilates and opened my own studio. Loads of my clients had osteoporosis and because I couldn’t find any literature to steer them towards, in terms of safe movement for low bone density, I wrote a book: OsteoPilates. It was simply a need-based project.
The next need-based project was my own spine. I’d had back pain from the age of 10 and when I saw an orthopedic surgeon at the age of 29, he said that someday I would need back surgery. I asked him how I would know. Without looking up from his note-taking, he said, “You’ll know”. At the age of 39, I knew. I lost use 80% use of my right leg because a herniated disc had thrown itself against what appeared to be a pretty important nerve, rendering my leg fairly dysfunctional. The new surgeon, said, “Oh, you have scoliosis.” Rolling my eyes, I replied, “Doesn’t everyone?” He wrote in his chart, “Irritable.”
But it was true, I really thought (irritably) that everyone had scoliosis. I don’t think I’ve ever met a symmetrical body. However, asymmetry doesn’t mean scoliosis. Okay, my bad. So, he did the surgery, I got back the use of my leg but my scoliosis destabilized—meaning it got worse and the pain in my spine was not good.
Eighteen months after surgery, I was still fantastically struggling with back pain. A patient at the physical therapy clinic where I was a director of Pilates, came in one day bearing the Schroth Manual by Christa Lehnert-Schroth. This manual is about a 3-dimensional approach to scoliosis. I glommed onto this book like a basset hound on cheese. I combined these techniques with Pilates and started creating a “formula” for myself. It was a really interesting project and within weeks my pain was gone. So of course, I thought this was a coincidence. And decided to test this “project” out on others.
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My test began by volunteering my time with scoliosis clients for two years. I tried the techniques on their bodies. Made more mistakes then I care to admit, but their sessions were free and they were thrilled that I was interested in helping, no matter how many times we had to start over. When we found their “formula”, it worked for them too. It was astounding. Lower pain levels, increased function and increased activity for all. Really awesome, happy-making results.
So now what? I had so many notes stuck in books, boxes and bras, that eventually, for my own sake, I had to create some order. While all this was happening, I was being asked to teach Pilates seminars for the first time. That came as a result of the public television special about Pilates that I was asked to do. My friend the producer called me while I was on the couch recovering from back surgery and she said, “You must be so bored.” “Nope,” I said, “That’s the thing about pain. Not boring.” Not convinced, she had me starring in a television special 9 months later. My friend the radio show producer did the same exact thing. I’m still on the couch recovering from surgery and she said, “You must be so bored.” “Nope, still not bored.” Two months later I had my own radio show that lasted 5 years. Moral of the story, find friends who believe you.
Back to teaching my first Pilates seminars. I was teaching for Tracy Maustad in Las Vegas and I queried the class about their possible interest in a book on scoliosis. They were extremely interested and 50 copies were immediately pre-sold. I took all the notes out of my books, boxes and bras and went to Starbucks where I spent the next 6 months writing Scolio-Pilates.
Shockingly, those 50 people who pre-bought the book were very happy with it. More shockingly, more people wanted the book and also wanted to hear me talk about the book. Hence, the Scolio-Pilates journey had its beginning.
With an unusual beginning and an “out-of-the-box” approach, I am spending a lot of time on the road these days. My husband, John, follows me throughout. He’s my right hand, my heart and has the organizing skills to allow me to teach these skills so that more and more people with scoliosis are helped. In addition, the support from our Authorized Scolio-Pilates Practitioners at seminars and with clients and patients worldwide is not a value that can be measured. Because of their help, we have traveled throughout the United States, Europe and Asia teaching; we have a Scolio-Pilates program at Dayton Children’s Hospital in Ohio; Scolio-Pilates Camps at Anatomywise in North Carolina and we have three Master Scolio-Pilates Instructors beginning to also teach the work world-wide. As we grow into an internationally accepted scoliosis specific exercise form, I have to thank John and all our practitioners. “I hope you know that I absolutely can not do this without you. Thank you for your strength, your inspiration, your love and your friendship.
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P.S. The story about my first trip to Europe at 16 is true. I sold my return ticket, traveled throughout mostly France because I wanted to learn French—seemed perfectly logical to me. I eventually landed in the village of Argentiére.
In a small cabin where I was staying, and in the days long before cell phones and internet, the phone began ringing around 3am. Super annoyed and a little creeped out, I took it off the hook and went back to sleep. I put it back on again at 8am and it immediately rang again.
I answered the phone, “Allo?”
“Get your body home NOW!”
The voice sounded familiar… Should I fake that I didn’t know who it was? Or that it wasn’t me? Should I hang up? But I was tired of being alone and I was out of money and looking for a job as a nanny. So, to this day, not knowing how they found me, I said, “Hi, Mom!”
Karena Thek is a Pilates Instructor with a passion for managing pathologies in the Pilates setting as well as disseminating information for those who are ready to change. Her work has led her to author OsteoPilates, Increase Bone Density, Reduce Fracture Risk, Look and Feel Great! (2003) and Scolio-Pilates, Exercise for Scoliosis, A Pro-Active Guide (2011). In addition to her books, she has numerous webinars and free YouTube videos on the topics that she teaches. Karena is the host of a women’s health talk radio show, Alive & Well Radio on AM1220 KHTS. You can listen live from anywhere on the planet at www.hometownstation.com. She previously hosted Pilates for Healthy Bodies on PBS (2009-2011). And when she’s not teaching, writing or thinking about Pilates? You can find her on Facebook and Twitter posting pics of daily adventures with her partner John and their furry little child, Gus T. Basset Hound. Learn more at osteopilates.com