Kienan is a Scoliosis Rehabilitation Provider who looks after patients in our ScoliCare Sydney North Clinic.
- What attracted you to your role at ScoliCare? or Why did you decide to work in the area of scoliosis?
The idea of becoming an expert on a niche condition was very appealing to me. Exercise physiologists are obviously well educated on the importance of exercise for a wide variety of health conditions, however the opportunity to specialise in the treatment of scoliosis, kyphosis and the spine in general was very attractive. Not only this, but working with people and helping others has been a strong passion of mine for a long period of time. The opportunity to base my career around helping people of all ages with scoliosis and kyphosis was exciting.
- What have been some of the common challenges you have seen in patients with scoliosis?
Arguably the most common challenge that I’ve had to face with my patients is their lack of understanding regarding their condition and how to treat it. There are a lot of misconceptions about the spine and what happens to it during childhood, while children are growing and even during adulthood. It isn’t fully understood by everyone and that can have a major impact on their mentality towards treatment.
- Explain how you help patients to overcome these challenges.
Education is very important. My job is not just to treat patients with scoliosis or kypohosis, but to educate them as well. Teaching them about their condition, and helping them understand why we do what we do is one of the most important parts of my role as an exercise physiologist. Not only does this improve their overall understanding, ideally it also increases their likelihood to adhere to their exercise program, continue wearing their brace if required and experience positive results.
- Why did you decide to work in the area of scoliosis?
It was an exciting opportunity to explore something that I wanted to learn more about as well. I’m always on the lookout to learn and develop new skills, so it was an obvious choice for me. While I did learn about scoliosis while studying at university, it was also very appealing to continue to learn more and use that knowledge to help others.
