The Effect of Exercise on Paravertebral Muscle Thickness and Quality of Life in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

January 7, 2026 updated by: Roza Jizel Dagdelen MD, Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital
The study population comprised patients with AIS who had applied to the outpatient clinic between January and June 2022. The patients were divided into two groups. Treatment group(TG) was instructed in specific scoliosis exercises, while the Control group(CG) was given exercises for the lower extremities. Each patient was included in a 12- week exercise program accompanied by a physiotherapist. The patients' quality of life, and paravertebral muscles were evaluated ultrasonographically before and after treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

70

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who had been diagnosed with AIS by means of radiographic and clinical examination of the spine were included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cases with a history of surgery to the paravertebral region
  • Metabolic bone disease
  • Neuromuscular disease
  • chromosomal anomaly
  • Serious autoimmune and endocrine disease
  • Congenital scoliosis
  • Skeletal dysplasia and serious cognitive impairment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Treatment Group
The treatment group (TG) was given exercises for the thoracic and lumbar regions for scoliosis.
Other: Exercise
Patients were expected to attend treatment under the supervision of a physiotherapist. If they missed a day, they were contacted by phone and advised to do their exercises at home. The number of days they missed did not exceed five. Each set included a 30-second rest period to prevent fatigue. A five-minute warm-up and cool-down period was allotted before and after the exercise session. The exercise program was implemented by a physiotherapist with three years of experience in scoliosis management. Before initiating the intervention, the physiotherapist underwent a structured training session, including practical demonstrations, supervised practice, and detailed exercise protocols.
Placebo Comparator: Control Group
The control group (CG) was instructed to perform gluteus maximus, hamstring, and quadriceps strengthening exercises.
Other: Exercise for Lower Extremities
The control group (CG) was instructed to perform gluteus maximus, hamstring, and quadriceps strengthening exercises.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Paravertebral Muscle Thickness in Ultrasonographic Measurements
Time Frame: 12 weeks
A standard imaging protocol was employed for the transverse imaging of the thoracic and lumbar multifidus muscles. Pre- and post-exercise measurements were performed by the same physician who was blinded to the exercise program the patient received. This evaluator was a PMR physician with 3 years of experience in the field of ultrasound. For each ultrasound image, the examiner positioned the probe over the spinous process and then moved it laterally and proceeded to image the multifidus and deep thoracic paravertebral muscles on both the convex and concave sides of the apex with the patient positioned prone. Two images were obtained for each segment on each side. The mean of the two trials was employed for the purpose of data analysis.
12 weeks
The Turkish version of the Spinal Appearance Questionnaire (Tr-SGA)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The questionnaire comprises two distinct sections: one pertaining to appearance and the other to expectations. Each section contains a series of questions presented on a 5-point Likert scale.
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Short Form-36 Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36)
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The Short Form-36 Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36) was employed for the purpose of assessing quality of life.
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

August 15, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 18, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 18, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

November 26, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 7, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 28.12.2021 / 3388

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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