Jessica Ashwood’s Scoliosis Story

By Andrew Strauss

Jessica Ashwood currently holds the Australian record for both the 400m and 800m freestyle. Jessica was diagnosed in her early teens with a severe S-shaped scoliosis. She has forgone both scoliosis surgery and scoliosis bracing because both treatments would end her career.

Her S-curve creates a challenge as it affects her balance both in and out of water and weakens one of her arms. This causes Ashwood to swim crooked so she has developed a unique stroke technique to compensate for the uneven strength and position in the water.

Jessica and another female swimmer in black swimsuits dive into a pool, side by side, at the start of a race. — Jessica Ashwood (right) competing against USA’s Leah Smith (left) in 400 m freestyle at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Ashwood suffers from significant neck and back pain and must have two physiotherapy sessions a week after training to realign her spine.

You CAN be an Olympic Swimmer with a Twisted Spine

Andrew Strauss

Dr. Strauss is the director of the Hudson Valley Scoliosis Correction Center in New York. He has been actively engaged in scoliosis treatment for the past 30 years and has authored two books on the subject, Your Child Has Scoliosis and The Truth About Adult Scoliosis. He is Vice President of the CLEAR Scoliosis Institute and a lecturer for their introductory and advanced workshops. He is certified in scoliosis bracing and in the use of scoliosis specific exercises. Dr. Strauss is a graduate of the ISICO World Masters of Scoliosis.His postgraduate studies also include a Masters Degree in Acupuncture as well as training in Grostic, Pettibon, CBP, Clinical Nutrition, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Manipulation under Anesthesia, and Electrodiagnosis. His scoliosis practice has treated patients from 25 states and 32 other foreign countries.If you have questions about childhood and adult scoliosis and how it can be successfully treated without surgery subscribe to our channel!