Erika Maude - Scoliosis SOS
From the age of 11, Erika Maude has been living with scoliosis, the twisting curvature of the spine that in extreme cases can lead to severe disfigurement, discomfort and disability.
Her own experiences of conventional treatment in the UK – two years in a back brace for 23 hours a day and the prospect of complex spinal surgery – and the success of alternative responses to the condition in Spain, drove Erika to explore the feasibility of opening a non-invasive treatment centre in Martlesham, Suffolk.
Family and friends clubbed together, but with expensive medical kit to buy and health professionals to hire it was still going to take a considerable lump sum to get things rolling. Investment from a consortium of business angels was offered, but only in exchange for a 75% stake in the company.
“I didn’t want to give so much away,” says Erika. “It would have caused a conflict of interest – investors expectations of a good return as opposed to our emphasis on a quality service, small class numbers and good outcomes. This wasn’t only about making lots of money, so we said no.”
Business principles that place a genuine focus on improving community well-being appeal to Foundation East however. So, in May 2006, having rigorously examined the proposal, Foundation East, fully satisfied that this was a viable prospect, made a loan of £50,000 to Scoliosis SOS.
“The clinic is the first of its kind,” says Erika, “bringing together and building on the best non-surgical treatments from around the world. Without the Foundation East money we simply wouldn’t have been able to buy the sophisticated equipment we use to measure reductions in curvature.”
Benefits of the four-week programme - which centres on exercise, posture and breathing technique - vary among individuals and range from quality of life to cosmetic improvements. For younger patients the main objective is a flexible and pain free back, avoiding major spinal surgery. Older patients tend to seek support in making changes to their pain management regime and here the centre already boasts some dramatic success stories.
“One lady came in on crutches and taking lots of tablets,” says Erika, “but walked out unaided and using far less medication. Another was addicted to her NHS painkillers and it was only once she had come to see us that she gained enough confidence to be able to decide she didn’t need them. Her hospital doctors had been happy to write prescriptions but wouldn’t offer her a consultation.”
Scoliosis SOS, Erika believes, provides patients a service the NHS cannot currently offer – a place to spend time learning about what goes on inside their back and how to do something about it. They also meet others who, like them, have been living with the condition and are determined to start taking control.
People with scoliosis have been coming to Martlesham from as far away as New Zealand and the US, almost without exception meeting treatment fees from their own funds. Erika paid off her loan after little more than 12 months.
“So far only two patients have come from the NHS,” says Erika. “It will be a long slow process but we hope to win more of the surgeons and commissioners over.”