From therapy to dance: ISICO patients perform at AIFI

Two young ISICO patients made the recent AIFI event truly special, held on 13 September in Pavia, in the Aula Magna of ICS Maugeri.

The meeting, “Connected Bodies: the Physiotherapy of the Future between Human Relationships, Identity and Digital Innovation”, featured not only contributions from professionals and lecturers, but also the performance of Chiara and Silvia, dancers, who brought to the stage the fruits of their passion and determination.

Chiara first came to ISICO three years ago, already a professional dancer, performing for the Ukrainian Academy in Milan. “During my fitness-for-competition assessment, they noticed an anomaly in my back,” recalls Chiara. “From there, together with my parents, we looked for a specialist centre and arrived at ISICO, where I was diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, with a thoracic curve of about 40 degrees. The journey was not easy, especially at the beginning when I had to wear the brace for 23 hours a day while doing SEAS exercises daily. I had to find a balance between treatment and passion, without giving up my four hours of lessons each day.”

Chiara wore a “Sforzesco Open Pelvis” brace, designed to leave the hips completely free and allow greater mobility of the hip joints. This meant she was able to take part in her daily classes wearing the brace, using her hour of freedom for modern dance lessons, as the brace was too restrictive for this discipline.

Today, as she nears skeletal maturity, Chiara wears her brace for only 14 hours a day and has achieved a stability that allows her to look to the future with a healthy, functional back—ready to support her on stage as in life.

Silvia, on the other hand, completed her treatment some time ago but still does maintenance exercises and, of course, continues to dance!

We thank them both for this moving moment, which reminded us that, alongside innovation and professional perspectives, physiotherapy is above all about caring for people—their talents and their dreams.