Comparison between a state-of-the-art mechanical 3D scoliosis correction protocol and the Schroth exercise on spinal flexibility of the patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A randomized clinical trial

To compare the effects of a novel mechanical 3D scoliosis correction protocol and the Schroth exercise on spinal flexibility of the patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Randomized controlled trial. At the affiliated teaching hospital of a university. Forty participants with AIS (aged 14.7 ± 2.1 years, 10 males and 30 females) received one session of intervention. Participants were randomly allocated to the Intervention-Group (n=20) receiving a single 30-minute mechanical 3D scoliosis correction session, and the Exercise-Group (n=20) receiving a single 30-minute Schroth exercise session. A newly developed scoliosis correction system that could generate spinal longitudinal traction (based on the standard mechanical spinal traction protocol for managing low back pain) and lateral forces (based on the three-point pressure system) was applied to the participants of the Intervention-Group. Spinal flexibility and body height were evaluated before and after each intervention. Significant improvements in spinal flexibility were found in the forward bending and trunk rotation tests for both groups (p≤0.028). The participants of the Intervention-Group further demonstrated significantly improved spinal flexibility as assessed by the lateral bending tests and body height (p≤0.012). The increase of body height in the Intervention-Group was also significantly larger than that of the Exercise-Group (p