Impact of Idiopathic Scoliosis on Balance and Footprint Symmetry in Adolescents

Impact of Idiopathic Scoliosis on Balance and Footprint Symmetry in Adolescents

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most prevalent form of scoliosis that affects children after the age of 10 years and is considered a critical developmental stage of the musculoskeletal system of the child. AIS causes deviations in the CNS, leading to asymmetry of motor activity and, consequently, an incorrect position of the spine. The progressive deformation of the spine leads to increased asymmetry in body functions. This elevated asymmetry is understood by the nervous system as a norm, which causes children to cease to sense the correct body position that may affect both static and dynamic balance and the foot pressure symmetry of the child, which was not investigated in such cases in any previous studies till now.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Asymptomatic children and adolescents ages 10 to 18 years
• confirmed through X-rays; we focused on patients in growing age.
• adolescent idiopathic scoliosis that has a Cobb angle of 10° to 50°

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neuromuscular etiology (e.g., cerebral palsy, myelomeningocele, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries)
• Early-onset idiopathic etiology (infantile [ages 0 to 3 years] or juvenile [ages 4 to 9 years])
• Congenital etiology (e.g., hemivertebrae, failure of segmentation) Mesenchymal/syndromic etiology (e.g., Marfan syndrome, mucopolysaccharidosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, inflammatory diseases, postoperative)