Radiological and Clinical Effects of Exercise Intervention Therapy on Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A...

To evaluate the radiological and clinical efficacy of exercise intervention therapy in improving Cobb angle, axial trunk rotation (ATR), axial vertebral rotation (AVR), and quality of life in adolescents with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).

Literature was retrieved from databases including CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Web of Science, and PubMed, and screened according to inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. This is a meta-analysis based on a systematic review. RevMan 5.4 software was employed to calculate pooled effect sizes for Cobb angle, ATR, AVR, and the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) quality of life questionnaire. This systematic review was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.

Ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Analysis revealed that compared with conventional interventions, exercise therapy significantly reduced Cobb angle [Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) =  -  1.80, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) (- 2.61, - 0.98), P < 0.05], significantly reduced ATR [SMD = - 1.55, 95% CI (- 2.31, - 0.80), P < 0.05], and significantly enhanced quality of life [SMD = 1.35, 95% CI(0.72,1.98), P < 0.05]. However, the pooled results for improving AVR did not show statistical significance [SMD = - 0.09, 95% CI(- 1.14, 0.96), P > 0.05].

Exercise intervention therapy significantly improves radiological parameters including Cobb angle and ATR, effectively improves physical function in AIS patients, and also significantly enhances their quality of life.