Conservative treatment of a scoliosis patient after two heart surgeries in early childhood - A case report.
Hans-Rudolf Weiss, Manuel Lay, Tamisha Best-Gittens and 2 others
PMID 34917835WHAT IT FOUND
In a girl with severe thoracic scoliosis after two heart surgeries, brace plus Schroth exercises were associated with no progression during growth and improved appearance.
This is a case report, and the two treatments cannot be separated.
Key findings
01The main thoracic curve did not progress during the most vulnerable growth phase, with change within ±5°.
02ATR was 22 at the start, 15 at 6 weeks, and 14 at 60 weeks.
03The patient received Schroth Best Practice exercises and a Gensingen brace together, so neither treatment's separate contribution can be identified.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This is a case report, so it describes what happened to a patient and does not show that the treatment works. The patient received Schroth exercises and brace treatment together, so the contribution of either treatment cannot be separated. The initial X-ray did not show the upper thoracic spine, so the 65° Cobb measurement may have been affected by a technical error. No pain, quality-of-life, extensive muscle, or functional testing was reported, and some tests were omitted because of time limits. The patient was not fully grown, so the final outcome is not known. There was no comparison group, so natural progression or other factors cannot be ruled out.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that bracing or Schroth exercises will prevent progression in other children with post-cardiac surgery scoliosis. This is a case report without a comparison group, the two treatments were given together, and the patient was not fully grown.