Scoliosis-specific exercises likely reduces curve severity AIS

Results from this study demonstrated superior outcomes with the addition of Schroth physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises to the standard of care vs. the standard of care alone for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Schroth 3D Scoliosis treatment performed at the Suadiye Sportomed clinic in Turkey.

by Monica Jaramillo, Healio Orthopedics Today March 8, 2017

“[Six-months] of a daily home program and weekly supervised sessions of Schroth scoliosis-specific exercises added to standard of care improved curve severity in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis compared to standard of care alone,” study researcher Eric C. Parent MD, University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, told Healio Orthopedics. “A significant difference between group[s] of 3.5° was observed.”

Parent and his colleagues performed a phase 2, assessor- and statistician-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial of 50 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Patients were randomized to either the experimental group, in which they underwent Schroth physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE) in addition to standard care, or the control group, in which they received just the standard of care.

Results from the intention-to-treat analysis showed patients treated with Schroth PSSE had a significantly smaller largest curve at 6 months compared with the control group. Investigators noted there was a -0.40° between-group difference in the square root of the sum of curves, which demonstrated that an average patient with a 51.2° curve at baseline would have a 49.3° sum of curves at 6 months if treated with the Schroth PSSE intervention and would have a 55.1° curve if treated with the standard of care alone. According to researchers, the difference between the two groups would increase with curve severity.

“Standard of care presently does not offer physiotherapy, and patients and parents do not want to sit and wait until their children’s curve progresses [to] start receiving treatment (bracing or surgery),” study investigator Sanja Schreiber PhD, University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, told Healio Orthopedics. “Research suggest that compliance with [a] brace is usually poor and exercises are well accepted, as demonstrated by our study. Offering additional treatment that might buy time to bracing or surgery seems clinically important.”

Source Healio Orthopedics Today

References

Schroth Physiotherapeutic Scoliosis-Specific Exercises Added to the Standard of Care Lead to Better Cobb Angle Outcomes in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis – an Assessor and Statistician Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial, Sanja Schreiber, Eric C. Parent, Elham Khodayari Moez, Douglas M. Hedden, Douglas L. Hill, Marc Moreau, Edmond Lou, Elise M. Watkins, and Sarah C. Southon. PLoS One. 2016; 11(12): e0168746. Published online 2016 Dec 29. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168746