Radiographic outcomes of stick-assisted manipulation in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a retrospective study of 57 patients.

BACKGROUND

The conservative management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) typically involves protracted treatment cycles; however, conventional modalities articularly exercise therapies often suffer from poor patient compliance due to the heavy burden of prolonged parental supervision. To address these clinical challenges, we propose Stick-assisted manipulation (SAM), a novel physical intervention based on manual therapy. This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of this novel SAM approach in the treatment of AIS, offering a potential solution to overcome barriers in treatment adherence.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients with scoliosis who were treated exclusively with SAM, a manual therapy based physical intervention at our institution between January 2023 and August 2024. Treatment efficacy was assessed by comparing pre- and post-treatment radiographic and clinical parameters, including the Cobb angle, vertebral body rotation (VBR) grade, shoulder height difference (SHD), and coronal balance index (CBI).

RESULTS

After a 1-month treatment course consisting of four SAM sessions, the mean Cobb angle decreased significantly from 18.24° ± 10.16° to 13.10° ± 11.39° (P < 0.001). And the Cobb angle improved by ≥6° in 22 of 57 patients (38.60%). Significant improvements were also observed in SHD and VBR grade. No treatment-related complications or adverse events were recorded during the intervention period or throughout post-treatment follow-up.

CONCLUSION

SAM demonstrates favorable clinical and radiographic outcomes in patients with AIS, with a good safety profile. These findings suggest that SAM may represent a broadly applicable and safe conservative treatment option for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.