A six-year-old dancer who suffered crippling back pain has avoided having metal rods put in her spine – thanks to a new exercise regime.

Dominique Benson, from Hollings Road, off Whetley Lane, Bradford, was terrified of having major surgery to straighten her curved spine, but then her mum discovered a London clinic that changed everything and meant the Lilycroft Primary School pupil could put her dancing shoes back on.

Her mum Sam Benson said: “It is amazing to have my little girl back.

“She has always been so full of energy and I just watched as the life was draining out of her, it really was awful. I could not stand the idea of her having to have her spine fused and then for her to have to undergo so many operations afterwards until she had stopped growing.

“I know how passionate she is about dancing and I know how upset she would have been if I had to tell her to stop going to her classes and how terrified she would have been about going into hospital for such a major operation.

“This treatment has been a complete game-changer for our family and I am so glad that I found the clinic when I did. These exercises have changed everything.”

Dominique, who has danced since she was a tiny tot, was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of five after months of extreme pain. The condition was causing her spine to excessively curve sideways and if left untreated could have led to fatal heart and lung problems.

The diagnosis left the family in pieces, with teachers and specialists advising that Dominique might need to put her dancing on hold.

With the prospect of a series of major operations, her mother was desperate to find an alternative and finally an internet search led to the discovery of the Scoliosis SOS Clinic in Mansell, London, that claimed it could treat the condition without surgery, getting her back to full health in four weeks.

Dominique was signed up for a month-long course and learned a set of exercises to strengthen the muscles around her spine. Within weeks she was no longer getting short of breath, her bubbly personality was back and she is now back dancing properly for the first time in months.

By keeping up the exercises, the future on the dance floor is looking bright, says her proud mum.