THE EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM THREE-DIMENSIONAL SCHROTH EXERCISES IN ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

D. Aktan¹, Y. Erdoganoglu²

¹AlphaMed Orthotics and Prosthetics Center, Istanbul, Turkey, ²Antalya Bilim University, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Antalya, Turkey

Background: One of the most common conservative treatment methods for scoliosis is exercise. Especially in low-grade curves, it has been shown that exercises can slow or stop the progression of the curve. The Schroth method is a well-established form of exercise therapy that can be done in short-term camps.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how a short-term Schroth exercise camp affects pain intensity, trunk rotation angle, postural recovery, trunk muscle endurance, flexibility, dynamic balance, body image, perception of cosmetic deformity, and health-related quality of life in individuals with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS).

Methods: A single-group pretest-posttest design was conducted.Forty-five individuals between the ages of 10 and 18 years who were diagnosed with AIS were included in the study. 82.6% (n=38) of those accepted to participate in the study were female, whereas 17.4% (n=8) were male. The mean age of all individuals was 16.13±2.87 years. Analyses resulted in a mean Risser grade of 3.2±1.67. The results of the study's Cobb angle evaluations of the AIS participants revealed that their cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions, respectively, were 5.98°±7.49°, 24.33°±15.55°, and 26.05°±12.33°. The study included n=6 people with primary thoracic curvature and n=40 people with primary lumbar curvature.Angle of trunk rotation (ATR) with scoliometer, postural symmetry changes with Anterior Trunk Symmetry Index and Posterior Trunk Symmetry Index, trunk muscle endurance with straight plank and side plank durations, dynamic balance with Y Balance Test, cosmetic deformity perceptions with the Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale, and health-related quality of life with Scoliosis Research Society 22-item questionnaire. The participants engaged in a short-term Schroth exercise camp involving 4.5 hours of corrective exercises per day for 7 days. Above mentioned assessments were done on the first and last day of the exercise camp.

Results: After the Schroth exercise camp, participants showed decreased ATR, improved postural symmetry ratio, and greater trunk muscle endurance and dynamic balance scores. There were also improvements in cosmetic deformity perception and health-related quality of life (p< 0.05).

Conclusions: As a result, it was seen that the short-term Schroth camp in AIS could be used in individual therapies in physiotherapy and rehabilitation applications applied in this patient group, in terms of both clinical applicability and positive results obtained from individuals.

Implications: This preliminary study suggests that a short-term Schroth exercise camp could have a beneficial effect on adolescents with AIS. Although the results of this study should be considered preliminary, the initial findings seem to be promising and repeatable, especially for participants who do not have access to scoliosis-specific exercises and therapists in their city.

Funding acknowledgements: No funding sources were reported for this study.

Keywords:
Spine
Scoliosis
Exercise

Topics:
Musculoskeletal: spine
Orthopaedics

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Uskudar University

Committee: The Uskudar University Non-Interventional Ethics Committee

Ethics number: decision number: 61351342/2020-283, dated 27.05.2020