Role of conservative management in the reduction of Cobb angle among adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction. Physiotherapy Scoliosis Specific Exercises (PSSE) is a conservative approach for the management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AiS) designed according to the guidelines of the international Society on Scoliosis orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SoSoRT). Hence the aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of PSSE and conservative management strategies for patients with AiS. Methods. A systematic review was conducted and searches were carried out on a virtual database. The primary outcome measure analysed in this paper was Cobb angle and angle of trunk rotation, while the secondary outcome included functional capacity. A total of twelve studies were included in the review, which was analysed to determine the effects of conservative management of spinal scoliosis among adolescent aged children. Results. The study was conducted on patients who had developed idiopathic scoliosis and had a Cobb angle of greater than 10°. The significance of the conservative management protocol was estimated based on the reduction of Cobb angle by > 5° post-intervention. Conclusions. This review concluded that therapeutic exercises alone have added to the noninvasive standard of care in reducing magnitude of Cobb angle among AiS patients. The studies reviewed in this paper provide significant evidence that a minimum of sixteen weeks of the exercise-based protocol has been able to produce a statistically and clinically significant result in Cobb angle reduction by almost 5° to 8°.