Isostretching in the Treatment of Scoliosis: Case Report

Abstract

Current research analyzes changes caused by isostretching on the flexibility, thoracic expansion and scoliosis and lumbar curves in patients with scoliosis. Patients were evaluated by Shoeber’s Lumbar and Dorsal Test with regard to mobility; by Index-floor Test with regard to flexibility; by cirtometry with regard to thorax and lung expansion; by radiological analysis with regard to lumbar and scoliosis curves. Patients with clinically diagnosed scoliosis, aged 18 or below, attended at the physiotherapy clinic of Cesumar, Maringá PR Brazil, were selected for the experiment. Nine patients, mean age 13 years old, underwent 24 sessions according to protocol. Radiographic analysis showed decrease in Cobb’s angle in five patients and worsening conditions in four cases. With regard to lumbar curvature, there was an average decrease of 6.44º (p-value=0.0007). Shoeber Dorsal Test in flexibility showed a mean increase of 1.52 cm (p=0.00117) in mobility; 2.3 cm (p=0.00117) by the Schoeber Lumbar Test, and a decrease of 9 cm in all patients by the Index-floor Test (p-value 0.0077). Thoracic and lung expansion had an average increase of 3.5 cm, statistically significant in the infra-axilar region (p= 0.0077) and in the xiphoid appendix (p=0.0077). Results show that isostretching brings significant improvements in flexibility, thorax expansion and mainly in the decrease of scoliosis angulation and lumbar lordosis.