Brief Summary
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional spinal deformity that may progress during adolescence and lead to postural asymmetry, spinal rotation, pelvic imbalance, reduced spinal mobility, and decreased quality of life.
This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a 16-week structured physiotherapeutic corrective exercise program compared with standard physiotherapy care in adolescents with mild to moderate AIS (Cobb angle 10°-40°).
Participants aged 10-18 years will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group using stratified block randomization based on age and baseline Cobb angle. The study will be conducted under the responsibility of the University of Prishtina- Faculty of Medicine and the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, with academic collaboration from Alma Mater Europaea.
The experimental group will receive a structured physiotherapeutic corrective exercise program including core stabilization, stretching, spinal self-correction, and pelvic correction exercises. The control group will receive standard physiotherapy exercises used in routine clinical practice.
Both groups will undergo supervised physiotherapy sessions three times per week for 16 weeks, with additional prescribed home exercises.
Primary outcomes include individual spinal alignment parameters assessed using the DIERS Formetric 3D/4D system, including lateral deviation angle and vertebral rotation. Secondary outcomes include additional postural alignment parameters, spinal mobility measured using an inclinometer, and health-related quality of life assessed using the Scoliosis Research Society-22 Revised (SRS-22r) questionnaire.
Assessments will be performed at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks. Each outcome parameter will be analyzed separately to evaluate changes over time and differences between groups.
The study will provide evidence on whether a structured corrective physiotherapy program offers superior outcomes compared with standard physiotherapy care in adolescents with AIS.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Outcome assessors will be blinded to group allocation. Due to the nature of the intervention, participants and care providers cannot be blinded.
Participants will receive a 16-week structured physiotherapeutic corrective exercise program including core stabilization, stretching, spine autocorrection, and pelvic stabilization and correction exercises. Supervised sessions will be conducted three times per week, with additional home exercises performed two days per week.
Participants will receive a standard physiotherapy exercise program consisting of conventional strengthening, stretching, postural correction, and flexibility exercises. Supervised sessions will be conducted three times per week, with additional home exercises performed two days per week.
Pristina, Kosovo 10000, Kosovo
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