IS EXERCISE AN INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS?

Abstract

Background: The relation between Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) and exercising is rather ambiguous. The latter has often been considered both as a therapeutic means as well as a causative factor of the former. Aim of this cross-sectional case-control study was the assessment of the incidence of AIS among athletes and non-athletes in order to determine whether athletic activities play a potential role (positive or not) in the development of AIS.

Methods: A group of 2387 adolescents (1177 boys and 1210 girls) was evaluated. Their mean age was 13.4 years (range:12–15 years). All patients completed a detailed questionnaire concerning personal, somatometric and secondary sex characteristics, type, duration and character of daily performed physical activities and existing cases of AIS among their relatives. The patients were classified into 2 groups according to their answers; ‘athletes’ and ‘non-athletes’. The 2 groups were statistically comparable as far as age, height, weight, onset of menstruation and prevalent extremity were concerned. All children underwent physical examination by 3 orthopaedic surgeons that were unaware of their level of athletic activities. Children considered, by all examiners, to be suspicious of suffering from scoliosis underwent further radiographic evaluation.

Results: One hundred and seventy seven children (66 boys and 111 girls) were considered as suspicious; in 99 cases (athletes: 48, non-athletes:51) AIS was radiographically confirmed. No statistically significant difference was found between athletes and non-athletes adolescents (p=0.927), athletes and non-athletes boys (p=0.888) and athletes and non-athletes girls (p=0.804), as far as the prevalence of AIS was concerned. There was also no statistically significant difference between male athletes and non-athletes (p=0.899) and female athletes and non-athletes (p=0.311) as far as the mean value of the Cobb angle of the main scoliotic curve was concerned.

Conclusions: This study’s results show that systematic exercising is not positively or negatively associated with a higher or lower incidence of AIS. Furthermore, actively participating in sports activities doesn’t seem to correlate with the degree of the main scoliotic curve either.