Abstract
Background: Physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) is recommended by SOSORT as the first step in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, a thorough summary and meta-analysis of the evidence for the effectiveness of PSSE is lacking.
Objective: To summarise the up-to-date evidence on the efficacy of PSSE in AIS compared with the other non-surgical therapies.
Data sources: The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, Embase and CNKI databases were systematically searched from 1 January 2012 to 1 November 2022.
Study selection: Controlled trials comparing the effects of PSSE and other non-surgical therapies on improving Cobb angle and quality of life in young people aged 6–18 years were included.
Data Synthesis: Three researchers independently extracted data and evaluated methodological quality. Meta-analysis was performed where possible; otherwise, descriptive syntheses were reported.
Results: Seventeen studies with a total of 930 participants (76% female) were included. Among them, ten studies were RCTs. Six studies were of excellent quality. Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. PSSE corrected the Cobb angle in patients better than other non-surgical therapies (I2 = 82%, MD = -2.82, 95%CI = -4.17 – -1.48, P < 0.01). PSSE was more effective than brace in improving patients’ pain, self-image and mental health. Patients with a Risser grade of 0 to 3 or who had never received brace therapy had better outcomes.
Conclusion: Evidence from better-quality studies suggests that PSSE was superior to general exercise and conventional therapy for correcting the Cobb angle in AIS.
Objective: To summarise the up-to-date evidence on the efficacy of PSSE in AIS compared with the other non-surgical therapies.
Data sources: The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, Embase and CNKI databases were systematically searched from 1 January 2012 to 1 November 2022.
Study selection: Controlled trials comparing the effects of PSSE and other non-surgical therapies on improving Cobb angle and quality of life in young people aged 6–18 years were included.
Data Synthesis: Three researchers independently extracted data and evaluated methodological quality. Meta-analysis was performed where possible; otherwise, descriptive syntheses were reported.
Results: Seventeen studies with a total of 930 participants (76% female) were included. Among them, ten studies were RCTs. Six studies were of excellent quality. Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. PSSE corrected the Cobb angle in patients better than other non-surgical therapies (I2 = 82%, MD = -2.82, 95%CI = -4.17 – -1.48, P < 0.01). PSSE was more effective than brace in improving patients’ pain, self-image and mental health. Patients with a Risser grade of 0 to 3 or who had never received brace therapy had better outcomes.
Conclusion: Evidence from better-quality studies suggests that PSSE was superior to general exercise and conventional therapy for correcting the Cobb angle in AIS.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 46-57 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Physiotherapy |
| Volume | 121 |
| Early online date | 24 Jul 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2023 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
User-Defined Keywords
- Adolescents
- Meta-analysis
- Physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise
- Scoliosis
