The effect and persistence of eight weeks of specific Shroth exercises on Cobb angle, flexibility of Shoulder Girdle and the quality of life of girls adolescent with idiopathic scoliosis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect and persistence of 8 weeks of Shroth exercises on Cobb's angle, scapular flexibility and quality of life of 12-15 years old girls with idiopathic scoliosis. The population was girls students aged 12-15 years of girls' schools of the first secondary school of the 2nd education district of Isfahan city. After the initial screening, 30 volunteers were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n=15). Cobb angle and symmetry of acromion process, lower angle of the scapula, external rotation of the scapula and the quality of life Were measured by photogrammetry, tape, goniometer and specific quality of life questionnaire for scoliotic adolescents respectively. All Subjects were evaluated before, after 8 weeks and two weeks after completing the training. The experimental group performed Shrouth's exercise program 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week and 50 minutes each session. The data was analyzed using mixed variance analysis and with spss software at an error level of 0.05. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in Cobb angle, symmetry of acromion process, lower angle and external rotation of the scapula and quality of life (p=0.001). there was no significant difference between the post and the follow-up test of the experimental group in any of these variables (p=0.001). Therefore, Shrouth's exercises were effective and lasting in improving adolescent girls with idiopathic scoliosis and it is recommended to use in corrective and rehabilitatve programs.