Cervical and thoracic/lumbar motion and muscle strength in surgically treated adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients

BACKGROUND: To date, only one study assessed the spinal mobility and muscle strength of patients who were treated either with fusion or brace treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the range of motion (ROM) and strength of the cervical and thoracic/lumbar spine in patients who underwent spinal fusion for the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in comparison to healthy individuals. METHODS: Patients (n= 28) who were treated surgically for AIS were included in the study. An age and gender matched control group (n= 22) was included that consisted of healthy individuals. DAVID® Lumbar/Thoracic Extension, Lumbar/Thoracic Rotation, and Cervical Extension/Lateral Flexion devices were used to measure cervical and lumbar/thoracic ROM as well as muscle strength. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between groups in all ROM measurements except thoracic/lumbar sagittal flexion ROM measurement (p= 0.198). There were significant differences between groups in terms of muscle strength, except thoracic lumbar left rotation strength (p= 0.081). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the current study demonstrated that cervical and thoracic/lumbar range of motion, as well as muscle strength, were significantly decreased in surgically treated adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients compared to healthy counterparts. However, trunk (thoracic/lumbar) flexion range of motion and trunk left rotation muscle strength were not significantly different.