Short-duration electrostimulation in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis

Background. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the possibility of shortening the arduous and controversial 9-hour period of lateral electrical surface stimulation (LESS) used in the conservative therapy of idiopathic scoliosis (IS). Material an methods. During a 12-year study, 180 children with a mean age of 12.5 years (range 4-15) were subjected to 2-year therapeutic cycles, with LESS sessions shortened to 2 hours daily. Results. The study revealed that the new method gives positive effects similar to the traditional method based on 9-hour sessions. Short-duration LESS was effective in improving the scoliosis angle by 2 degrees on the average after two years of treatment. Especially good results were obtained with an initial scoliosis angle less than 25 degrees . In 76% of the patients, an improvement of 4 degrees measured by the Cobb method was achieved. Short-duration LESS had none of the side-effects that typically accompany the traditional method. Conclusion. Short-duration LESS applied simultaneously with corrective physical exercises is especially effective in the initial period of scoliosis development.