The choice of treatment modalities is dependent on many factors. The following description of indications is given to gain some insight into conservative scoliosis management.
Cobb angle less than 10 ⁰
- This is called a scoliotic postural disturbance or a functional scoliosis; it is not a structural.
- A scoliotic postural disturbance may disappear by itself.
- observation in 3-6 mo. intervals
- A specific physiotherapy to reduce postural imbalance is recommended
Cobb angle 10⁰ - 20⁰
- Start physiotherapy, using a deformation -specific method, for example, the Schroth Method*
Cobb angle 20⁰ - 30⁰
A combination of therapies is necessary:
- - Three-dimensional correction, using the Schroth Method*
- - In-patient, scoliosis -specific intensive rehabilitation programme
- -corrective brace-wear
Cobb angle 30⁰ - 70⁰
- Specific physiotherapy together with a brace with optimum specificity
- repeated in-patient, scoliosis -specific intensive rehabilitation program
- physiotherapy, using the Schroth Method
- appropriate educational program
Cobb angle 45⁰ or more
- surgery may be considered
- still indications for corset are existing
A more complete description of the use of certain therapeutic approaches is described in the SOSORT guidelines for conservative scoliosis care and rehabilitation.
See also Hans-Rudolf Weiss: „Best Practice” in Conservative Scoliosis Care,
Richard Pflaum Verlag, ISBN 978-3-7905-0952-6.
*This text recommends using the Schroth Method, because it is a curve-specific scoliosis treatment, which has been well researched and proven to be effective and is also available in Latvia. There are, however, other physiotherapy methods, which claim to be curve-specific, such as the Dobosiewicz method (practised in Poland) and the Negrini SEAS exercises (practiced in Italy and also available in Latvia).
