Is Core Stability Exercise Effective in Correcting Idiopathic Scoliosis in Adolescents? A Systematic Review

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common type of scoliosis and the most complex deformity of the spine and trunk with significant complications. In this systematic review, the effectiveness of core stability exercises (CSE) in improving this disorder is discussed.

This review was carried out using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist. Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, Cobb angles, and core stability exercise were our search terms in PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. The search was limited to articles published in Persian and English between 2005 and 2022. Researches on AIS carried out in adolescents aged 10-18 were studied. In one of the groups, only CSE was done and the size of Cobb's angle (an indicator of the severity of scoliosis) was used as one of the dependent variables. The PEDro scale was used to evaluate the quality of articles in terms of risk of bias.

In initial search, 268 articles were found. After removing irrelevant articles and those that did not met the study’s inclusion criteria and also qualitative evaluation of the remaining articles, seven articles with an average PEDro score of 6.2 (moderate quality), including 297 participants, were selected. A statistically significant decrease was reported in the Cobb angle in all articles, but only in four articles this decrease was clinically significant (greater than 5˚).

CSE are safe, easy and accessible that can be effective in improving AIS, but there is not sufficient evidence to support this hypothesis. Further high-quality studies are required to draw a definite conclusion and making clinical decisions.