A TALENTED ballerina who was told her dream of being a professional dancer would be over unless she underwent risky surgery has made a suprising recovery without going uner the knife.

Kerry Rhodes, 20, of Chelmsford Road, Woodford Green was diagnosed with Scoliosis, or curvature of the spine when she was 15 but continued to dance without problems.

But she broke down at a traning session earlier this year, suffering sudden, extreme back pain.

Her doctor told her the condition had worsened and she would need surgery to correct the problem, which would leave her dance career hanging in the balance.

Miss Rhodes said: "The pain I experienced was horrendous, I had never felt anything like it.

"It got so bad that I had to stop and lie down. Finding out that you may have to give up a massive part of your life is devastating.

"It's why you see so many sports people trying to make comebacks from career threatening injuries, because the idea of stopping doing what you love is horrible, and that is exactly what I was faced with.

"My future was most definitely hanging in the balance. Ballet was my dream career but there was a strong possibility that due to my condition it was never going to materialise."

However, Miss Rhodes was adamant she did not want surgery due to the risks and began to look for alternative methods of treatment.

And she discovered the Scoliosis SOS clinic, which offers to treat the condition using specialised exercise and physiotherapy, and now says she has made progress against the odds.

Miss Rhodes, who attends a dance academy in Greenwich, added: "I could not believe that in four weeks I had come so far.

"To be told that the only way to deal with a spinal condition is surgery, yet in London there is a clinic that can provide these results, it is just bizarre.

"My life now is excellent, I can continue to dance, I am no longer worried about my condition progressing and having to undertake surgery.

"I can now live the life of a normal young woman, I could not of wished for a better outcome."

Miss Rhodes hopes one day to turn professional now she no longer has to worry about her Scoliosis.

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