Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33493172›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2021

Does curve pattern impact on the effects of physiotherapeutic scoliosis specific exercises on Cobb angles of participants with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A prospective clinical trial with two years follow-up.

Yunli Fan, Michael K T To, Eric H K Yeung, Jianbin Wu, Rong He, Zhuoman Xu, Ruiwen Zhang, Guangshuo Li, Kenneth M C Cheung, Jason P Y Cheung

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Radiographic and perceptual outcomes of shoulder imbalance in AIS: bracing alone versus bracing with Schroth methods.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
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  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Yunli FanDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-9936-8857
Michael K T ToDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
Eric H K YeungDepartment of Physiotherapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
Jianbin WuDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
Rong HeDepartment of Physiotherapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
Zhuoman XuDepartment of Physiotherapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
Ruiwen ZhangDepartment of Physiotherapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-5482-8899
Guangshuo LiDepartment of Physiotherapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
Kenneth M C CheungDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
Jason P Y CheungDepartment of Orthopaedics, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-7052-0875
University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCurrent clinical evidence suggests that a well-planned physiotherapeutic scoliosis specific exercise (PSSE) program is effective for scoliosis regression.

objectivesWe investigated the effect of curve patterns on Cobb angles with PSSE.

methodsThis was a non-randomized prospective clinical trial that recruited participants with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis between January and June 2017. Participants were grouped by curve pattern into major thoracic and major lumbar groups. An outpatient-based PSSE program was conducted with the following schedule of intensive exercise: ≥ 1 session of supervised PSSE per month and > 30min of home exercise 5 days/week in the first 6 months, after which exercise frequency was reduced to 1 session of supervised PSSE every three months and > 30min of home exercise 5 days/week until 2 years after study initiation. Radiographic Cobb angle progressions were identified at the 1, 1.5 and 2-year follow-ups. A mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to examine the differences in Cobb angles between groups at four testing time points. The two-tailed significance level was set to 0.05.

resultsIn total, 40 participants were recruited, including 22 with major thoracic curves (5 males and 17 females; mean age 13.5±1.8 years; Cobb angle 18-45 degrees) and 18 with major lumbar curves (7 males and 11 females; mean age 12.7±1.7 years; Cobb angle 15-48 degrees). Curve regressions, namely the reduction of Cobb angles between 7 to 10 degrees were noted in 9.1% of participants in the major thoracic group; reductions of 6 to 13 degrees were noted in 33.3% of participants in the major lumbar group at the 2-year follow-up. Repeated measurements revealed a significant time effect (F2.2,79.8 = 4.1, p = 0.02), but no group (F2.2,79.8 = 2.3, p = 0.1) or time × group (F1,37 = 0.97, p = 0.3) effects in reducing Cobb angles after 2 years of PSSE. A logistic regression analysis revealed that no correlation was observed between curve pattern and curve regression or stabilization (OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.31-1.1, p = 0.068) at the 2-year follow-up.

conclusionThis was the first study to investigate the long-term effects of PSSE in reducing Cobb angles on the basis of major curve location. No significant differences in correction were observed between major thoracic and major lumbar curves. A regression effect and no curve deterioration were noted in both groups at the 2-year follow-up.

trial registrationChiCTR1900028073.

Indexed as

Exercise TherapyAdolescentChildFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansLumbar VertebraeMaleProspective StudiesScoliosisThoracic VertebraeTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID33493172
PMCPMC7833215
OpenAlexW3125671982

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.