Brave Caterina La Barbera’s world was turned upside down last August, when her mother Ritzy noticed a bone sticking out of her daughter’s back and discovered her spine had started to bend to the right.

Realising something was seriously wrong, her concerned mum immediately made an appointment with her local GP, who diagnosed the 13-year-old as having the dangerous and occasionally life-threatening condition called scoliosis.

The condition, which affects more than 4 per cent of the population to different degrees, can lead to fatal heart and lung problems in its most serious form if left untreated.

Despite fears over Caterina’s worsening condition, the Surbiton High School pupil was forced to wait for four months to see a specialist after Kingston Hospital said they had no record of the GP’s referral letter.

The increasingly concerned family were eventually given an appointment in the only slot available - Christmas Eve - and spent the usually joyful time of year going over the details of the 10-hour operation Caterina was told she would need to fix her spine.

Concerned at the risks involved with the surgery - which carries the possibility of paralysis - the heartbroken family decided the operation was too big a risk to take.

Mrs La Barbera said: “It was so upsetting. The specialist was very good with us, but said the only possibility of curing Caterina was to fix 12 metal bolts to her spine.

“We were told something like one in 400 people who have the operation suffer from paralysis.

“We cried on the way home - it was a really hard decision, but we decided we just didn’t want to take that risk.”

Shattered by the news, the family began researching Caterina’s condition at their Beechcroft Avenue, New Malden, home in an effort to find out what other options might be available.

Despite their commitment to their daughter’s cause, it took several months of searching before they discovered a company called Scoliosis SOS, which specialised in non-surgical treatment of the condition.

Rather than having to face a traumatic experience under the surgeon’s knife, the company’s treatment promised a cure from a series of special exercises over an intensive four week programme in the London clinic.

Mrs La Barbera said: “Until we found the SOS clinic we were devastated.

“We had to believe in it, because we had seen so many good testimonies on the website.

“We thought if there was any way to help her without surgery we had to give it a try.”

An initially cautious Mrs La Barbera stayed with her daughter for the first fortnight of the programme, which involved six hours of exercises per day, but was soon convinced the treatment was working.

She said: “The back didn’t go straight right away but you could see a difference to her spine within a week, and there was more and more symmetry to her hip bone.

“After four weeks they took a second picture of her back and you can see there’s been a huge improvement.”

Although her scoliosis has improved, Caterina’s condition has left its mark on her life, with the keen cellist unable to practise for more than half and hour a day because of pain caused by the action of her bow arm.

But compared with a 10-hour operation and a life with metal bolts fused to her spine, the future is looking far brighter.

Founded and run by scoliosis sufferer Erika Maude, the SOS clinic first began treating people with the condition almost two years ago, and last month opened its first branch in London.

More details are available at scoliosissos.com, or call 01394 389670.

• What do you think? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.