A 14-year-old from Lango in Lancashire has been able to return to her first love, tennis, after receiving physiotherapy for her scoliosis.

Stephanie Wood has been unable to play for the past few years, after she was diagnosed with the spinal condition. It prompts the spine to grow in a curve, rather than in a straight line.

Although doctors told Ms Wood she'd require invasive surgery to fix the curvature of her spine, her family was not convinced and decided to research alternatives.

One such alternative, according to the Lancashire Telegraph, was a specialist treatment utilised by those with physiotherapy jobs. Named the Katharina Schroth method, the therapy helps the spine to adapt using relaxing and strengthening exercises.

Health experts have suggested that this "dramatically reduces the possibility of progression in scoliosis patients", and according to Schrothmethod.com, the technique helps "avoid spinal fusion surgery."

For Ms Wood, it certainly appears to have worked. She claimed: "After completing the therapy, my life completely changed. My back looks a million times better and I feel stronger."

The teenager also confirmed she has been able to return to competing on the tennis circuit, which will no doubt have helped lift her mood, too.