TITLE:
Pain and Radiographic Changes in Adult Scoliosis Patients Using a Scoliosis Activity Suit: Case-Controlled 10-Year Follow-Up Results
AUTHORS:
Mark W. Morningstar
KEYWORDS:
Chiropractic, Pain, Rehabilitation, Scoliosis, Spine
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.11 No.4,
October
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: Scoliosis in adult patients is known to increase across the lifespan and
increases the chance of chronic pain in later adulthood. Non-surgical scoliosis
treatment options for adults are not widely recommended, largely due to lack of
research in this area. Pain management options for adults are focused primarily
on treating scoliosis-related pain, and not necessarily the scoliosis itself,
such as epidural injections, prescription pain medications, and general
physical therapy. Recent studies reporting non-surgical, scoliosis-specific
treatment methods in adults are encouraging, but their study designs limit
extrapolation. The current study reports the self-reported pain and
radiographic outcomes in adult patients wearing a scoliosis activity suit for
at least 10 years. A total of 22 patient charts that fulfilled the inclusion
criteria were selected for review. Cobb angle radiographic measurements and
self-rated quadruple numerical pain rating scale (QVAS) at baseline and 10-year
follow-up were used as the outcomes. Cobb angle measurements were compared at
baseline and 10 years and subdivided according to scoliosis curve pattern. At
10 years, 68% of patients had improvements in their Cobb angle > 5˚, with an
overall average of approximately 9˚. Significant differences were also observed
in the 10-year Cobb angle measurements when compared to the predicted 10-year
Cobb angles based on the established rate of linear progression in adults. A
statistically significant change was also observed in the 10-year QVAS scores.
These results suggest a potential role of the scoliosis activity suit for
improving Cobb angles in adults and reducing scoliosis-related pain.