Title:Observation and Early Intervention in Mild Idiopathic Scoliosis via Corrective Exercises in Growing Children
Volume: 12
Issue: 1
Author(s): Ng SY
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, observation, scoliosis specific exercises.
Abstract: Idiopathic scoliosis afflicts 2-3% of the population. For mild curvatures, observation is the
treatment of choice. Though this passive “wait and see” approach has been used for many years, the
practice is inconsistent among different countries. In Anglo-Saxon countries where scoliosis specific
exercises are not practised, observation is indicated for curvatures below 25° in growing children and
adolescents. In countries, such as France, Germany, Italy and Poland where scoliosis specific corrective
exercises are employed, only patients with no signs of maturity and with curvatures below 15° are
treated by observation. Patients with curvatures between 15 – 25° are treated by scoliosis specific exercises.
In view of the unpredictability of the progression of scoliosis curvatures in immature patients and the lack of
knowledge of long term biomechanical repercussions of mild idiopathic scoliosis on lumbar spine and lower extremities,
it is proposed that active intervention through scoliosis specific exercises rather than passive observation be employed in
the treatment of mild adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
