Efficacy of rehabilitation physiotherapy combined with brace correction in patients with mild to moderate scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy is one of the common complications of cerebral palsy in children with cerebral palsy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the efficacy of rehabilitation combined with brace correction in patients with scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy. METHODS: A total of 52 patients with scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy were selected from our hospital from April 2019 to April 2022 and divided into the control group and experimental group according to the statistical randomization method (n= 26 in each group). Control group: mean age (14.28 ± 2.31) years; 16 males and 10 females. Experimental group: average age (14.24 ± 2.35) years; 15 males and 11 females. The control group wore scoliosis orthopedic brace, while the experimental group was treated with rehabilitation manipulation and rehabilitation training (including gymnastic training and weight training) on the basis of the control group for 1 year. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared and observed; the number of degrees of scoliosis (Cobb angle), the angle of vertebral rotation (AVR) and the distance of the parietal vertebrae from the sacral midline (AVT) were compared before and after treatment; the incidence of adverse events during treatment was observed in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, both groups showed significant improvement in the overall effectiveness of treatment, Cobb’s angle, AVR and AVT compared with those before treatment (P< 0.05). The experimental group had a significantly higher overall effective rate of treatment than the control group (P< 0.05), a significantly smaller Cobb’s angle and AVR than the control group (P< 0.05) and a significantly shorter AVT than the control group (P< 0.05). The incidence of adverse events during treatment was lower in both groups and was not significantly different (P> 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of rehabilitation physiotherapy and bracing is effective in optimizing the clinical outcome of patients with scoliosis secondary to cerebral palsy, improving their scoliosis dysfunction and providing a high level of safety in treatment.