Assessment and Management of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: From the Perspective of a Physiatrist.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most encountered spinal deformity in growing children, which may bring significant impacts on patients' physical function, appearance, and overall quality of life. A physiatrist plays a crucial role in the early diagnosis of AIS and longitudinal management through continuous care. Contemporary management for AIS is according to the skeletal maturity, the magnitude of the spinal curves, and the risk of progression. For mild curves, therapeutic exercises, particularly physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE), are employed as a conservative approach to improve postural symmetry and reduce the risk of curve progression. Bracing is required for moderate curves from 25 to 45 degrees in skeletally immature cases. Strict compliance with bracing is critical for therapeutic success. In cases that are rapidly progressive or in severe curves exceeding 40 to 45 degrees, spinal fusion surgery is considered the definitive treatment. Recent advancements in non-fusion and motion-preserving techniques provide alternative options to traditional fusion surgery. To protect maximal neurological function, intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) is currently the trend for spinal deformity correction surgery. The care for AIS patients is an individualized, multidisciplinary, patient-centered, growth-sensitive approach, aiming to optimize outcomes and minimize long-term complications. This review outlines a comprehensive rehabilitation-oriented strategy for AIS patients from the perspective of a physiatrist, encompassing clinical assessment, conservative management with observation, therapeutic exercises, bracing, and further considerations in referral to spinal surgery.