WHEN young Charlie Sprat was told he had a severe spinal condition, his dream of becoming a professional footballer looked in serious doubt.

The Darlington youngster was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine affecting three or four in every 1,000 children.

Doctors told Charlie he would need an operation to preserve his mobility, after the condition left him in excruciating pain.

However, a simple exercise programme meant the eight-year-old was able to avoid surgery and get back to doing what he loves best – playing football.

Charlie had always been very fit and active, until his mother started to notice that his shoulder blade was protruding on one side.

He had also started getting tired far quicker than normal and was complaining of aches and pains in his back.

PE teachers had noticed his lack of energy and were worried that something was seriously wrong.

Panicked, Charlie’s mother Leah took him to see their GP, who gave them the devastating diagnosis.

The doctor believed that his condition was particularly severe and the family were told that they would be referred to see an orthopaedic surgeon.

Charlie’s mum, Leah said: “Seeing Charlie look so worried when the doctors were saying things he just did not understand was heart-breaking.

"He had to have examinations and X-rays left, right and centre.

"I tried to explain to him what was going on, but it was really hard to use language he would understand without really scaring him."

Facing the prospect of agreeing to risky major surgery for Charlie, his mother searched online for alternative treatments and discovered Scoliosis SOS.

Founded and run by Erika Maude, who has the condition herself, the clinic opened nine years ago and has brought relief to hundreds of sufferers.

Located in London, it is the only clinic in the world to offer treatment following the ScolioGold method, which is the combination of internationally renowned non-surgical treatments.

Charlie’s mother decided that this treatment could not do any harm booked him onto a four-week treatment course.

The family say they have been overwhelmed with the results.

Leah added: “I am just so happy with what Charlie has achieved and I am so proud of him. He is so young and to take all of this in his stride is amazing. He tells everyone he meets that he has special exercises to help his naughty spine and he just smiled all the way through the course. For our family, an exercise programme was definitely the right decision."