From Patient to Physiotherapist: Simone’s Story
Turning a difficulty into a resource, and a vulnerability into a life choice.
This is the story of Simone Priano, a former ISICO patient, who has recently graduated in Physiotherapy from the University of Novara, in north-western Italy, with a final mark of 108/110, defending a thesis focused on scoliosis and scoliosis-specific exercises for its treatment.
A topic that was anything but coincidental.
“It is often said that one should turn weaknesses into strengths. Fortunately, I have turned mine into my profession,” Simone explains. “Today I celebrate my graduation in Physiotherapy with a thesis on scoliosis. This subject is deeply personal to me because it is thanks to my experience as a former patient that I am here today. Bringing it to my final thesis was my way of honouring that journey and closing the circle.”
Simone began his therapeutic journey as an adolescent, while attending the ISICO centre in Turin and playing volleyball. He was diagnosed with scoliosis with a significant curve, requiring a demanding course of conservative treatment: 23 hours a day wearing a brace, combined with specific exercises. His treatment lasted five years, from September 2016 to June 2021.
Initially, however, his experience was not positive. Treated elsewhere, he had been told that conservative therapy would be ineffective and that surgery was the only possible option — a prospect that could have discouraged anyone. Instead, Simone encountered a different approach, based on consistent, structured work and a strong therapeutic relationship.
“He was already a serious and determined young man during his treatment,” recalls his ISICO physiotherapist, Martina Poggio. “Being able to support him later during his thesis work was an immense pleasure for me. Through therapy, we accompany young patients throughout their growth, often for many years, and inevitably form a bond with them. Seeing them again as adults — confident, aware and fulfilled — is truly special.”
The relationship did not end with the conclusion of treatment. On the contrary, it evolved into professional dialogue and scientific collaboration.
“The fact that he chose the same professional path and career means that, despite the evident challenges of therapy, he was able to go beyond them, finding motivation and support to overcome the condition. He is the second former patient whom I have met again, years later, as a colleague.”
Today, Simone is a young physiotherapist whose training combines academic study with direct personal experience — a valuable perspective that enriches both his clinical practice and his human approach to patients.
“I wish Simone a brilliant future,” his former physiotherapist concludes, “with the certainty that he will be able to pass on to other young people what he himself has experienced: that even a difficult journey can become a source of strength.”
