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- Talk
- 15/09/2021
- Canada
Long Term Effects of Schroth Scoliosis Specific Exercises: A Matched Controlled Study
Description
In this presentation, Teresa Li, a third-year orthodontic resident at the University of Alberta, discusses her research project titled "Long-term Effects of Stress Scoliosis-Specific Exercises." She introduces the issue of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), a common condition characterized by a three-dimensional deformity of the spine, which can lead to severe health and psychosocial problems.
Teresa emphasizes the limitations of current treatment options such as bracing and surgery, which can be associated with various complications and longer recovery times. Instead, she highlights scoliosis-specific exercises developed by Katharina Schroth in 1921, which target postural correction and aim to reduce curve magnitude, pain, and improve self-image among adolescents with scoliosis.
By setting forth the background of her study, Teresa acknowledges the encouraging findings from previous meta-analyses which suggested that scoliosis-specific exercises could potentially reduce the need for surgical intervention. However, she notes that these studies often relied on small sample sizes and had high risks of bias. Hence, her team designed a robust, multi-center randomized controlled trial to investigate the long-term effectiveness of a six-month Schroth exercise program on Cobb angle progression in adolescents.
Teresa explains the study design, including enrollment criteria for the participants and the structured intervention consisting of initial sessions with certified instructors followed by regular home exercises. Preliminary results show no significant difference in progression to surgery compared to the standard care group; however, the exercise group did display statistically significant short-term reductions in Cobb angle.
Concluding her presentation, Teresa notes the ongoing nature of the research and plans for incorporating more data points and a larger patient cohort. She acknowledges the need to revisit the matching criteria due to discrepancies in bracing history between groups. The presentation wraps up with thanks to her research team and funding sources supporting the study.