Therapeutic Effect of Schroth Method on Plantar Pressure and Related Muscle Imbalance in Children and Adolescent With Idiopathic Scoliosis.

There was no control group. Every child received the same exercises, so nothing here shows the curve change came from the Schroth method rather than from growth or the passage of time. Sixty-two of the 83 children enrolled were lost to follow-up, mostly because they did not keep up the home training, so the 21 analysed are likely to be the ones who did best. Only 13 children had plantar pressure data, and the study is small, so a real effect could easily be missed. All the children had mild to moderate curves (average 16.5°) and nearly all had lumbar curves, so this says nothing about severe curves, thoracic curves, or children wearing a brace. The biggest single change reported, 22.67°, is not a curve correction. In 2 children the curve changed sides, and their before and after angles were added together to produce that number. Follow-up stopped at 6 months, so there is no information on whether any change persists after the exercises stop. The muscle fatigue measure did not change; the authors suggest 6 months may simply be too short for that to show.

The authors state they have no financial or nonfinancial disclosures to make in relation to this project. No funding source is reported in the text provided.

Do not read this as proof that Schroth exercises straighten a spinal curve. There was no comparison group and no randomisation, so growth or ordinary change over 6 months could explain the average result, and 15 of the 21 children's curves did not change at all. Do not quote the 22.67° figure as a typical correction either: it comes from 2 children whose curve switched sides, so their before and after angles were added together.