Case Studies

Effect of conservative management on the prevalence of surgery

Out of 106 braced cases, 97 were followed up, and six cases (5.6%) ultimately underwent spinal fusion. The worst-case analysis, which assumes that all nine cases lost to follow-up had operations, brings the uppermost number of cases that could have undergone spinal fusion to 15 (14.1%). Either percentage is significant statistically compared to the 28.1% reported surgeries from the center with the policy of non-intervention.

Source: Rigo M, Reiter Ch, Weiss HR. "Effect of conservative management on the prevalence of surgery in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis." Pediatric Rehabilitation 2003 Jul-Dec;6(3-4):209-14.


Incidence of curvature progression in idiopathic scoliosis patients

The results of this study are consistent with the possibility that a supervised program of exercise-based therapies can reduce the incidence of progression in children with IS.

Source: Weiss HR, Weiss G, Petermann F. "Incidence of curvature progression in idiopathic scoliosis patients treated with scoliosis in-patient rehabilitation (SIR): an age- and sex-matched controlled study." Pediatric Rehabilitation 2003 Jan-Mar;6(1):23-30.


An intensive program reduces the Cobb angle by about 10 percent.

These results show that a specific rehabilitation program of physiotherapy can reduce the magnitude of the curve even in severe scoliosis.

Source: Weiss HR. "Influence of an in-patient exercise program on scoliotic curve." Italian Journal of Orthopedic Traumatology, 1992;18(3):395-406.


Preliminary results and worst-case analysis

This preliminary study, begun in 1989, included 181 scoliosis patients with an average age of 12.7 years, an average Cobb angle curvature of 27 degrees, an average Risser sign of 1.4, and an average follow-up of 33 months. The results of the preliminary study were compared to natural history as known from the literature. The lack of progression of the 181 patients from the preliminary study and the 116 questionnaire patients together exceeded natural history, even if all drop-outs were considered failures.

Source: Weiss HR, Lohschmidt K, el-Obeidi N, Verres C. "Preliminary results and worst-case analysis of in patient scoliosis rehabilitation." Pediatric Rehabilitation 1997 Vol. 1(1): 35-40.


Scoliosis-related pain in adults

A significant improvement in the described pain symptoms was obtained by using the rehabilitation program, according to Schroth.

Source: Weiss HR, "Scoliosis-related pain in adults: Treatment influences," European Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 3/3 (1993): 91-94.


The effect on vital capacity and rib mobility in patients with IS. 

All 813 patients with idiopathic scoliosis who completed their first Schroth physiotherapeutic rehabilitation program had an average increase in chest expansion of more than 20% in all groups at all measuring points.

Source: Weiss HR, "The effect of an exercise program on vital capacity and rib mobility in patients with idiopathic scoliosis."


The efficacy of Schroth's 3-dimensional exercises

The average Cobb angle, which was 26.1 degrees on average before treatment, was 23.45 degrees after 6 weeks, 19.25 degrees after 6 months, and 17.85 degrees after one year (p<0.01).

Source: Otman S, Kose N, Yakut Y. "The efficacy of Schroth's 3-dimensional exercise therapy in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Turkey." Saudi Medical Journal (9/2005), vol. 26(9):1429-35.


Incidence of surgery in conservatively treated patients

The incidence of surgery in our collective was significantly lower than the incidence of surgery in the control group, which reported an incidence of 28.1%.

Source: Weiss HR, Weiss G, Schaar HJ. "Incidence of surgery in conservatively treated patients with scoliosis."Pediatric Rehabilitation 2003 Apr-Jun;6(2):111-118.


Rehabilitation of adolescent patients with scoliosis

The triad of outpatient physiotherapy, intensive inpatient rehabilitation, and bracing has proven effective in conservative scoliosis treatment in central Europe. 

Source: Weiss HR. "Rehabilitation of adolescent patients with scoliosis--what do we know? A review of the literature." Pediatric Rehabilitation 2003 Jul-Dec;6(3-4):183-94.


Physical exercises in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis.

The questionnaire responses show that, in principle, specialists in scoliosis physiotherapy agree and that several features can currently be regarded as standard features in the rehabilitation of scoliosis patients. These features include autocorrection in 3D, training in ADL, stabilizing the corrected posture, and patient education.

Source: Hans-Rudolf Weiss,Stefano Negrini,Martha C Hawes, Manuel Rigo, Tomasz Kotwicki, Theodoros B Grivas, Toru Maruyama, and members of the SOSORT, Scoliosis. 2006; 1: 6. Published online 2006 May 11.


Schroth method for treating an adult with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in an outpatient clinic.

The Cobb angle was reduced to 27.6° in the thoracic, and 19° in the lumbar, and the ATR decreased to 8° in the thoracic and 6° in the lumbar.

Source: Berdishevsky Hagi, Scoliosis. 2013; 8(Suppl 2): O10., Published online 2013 Sep..

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