Researchers in Barcelona studied the impact of adolescent scoliosis on exercise capacity and lung function by observing muscle weakness in their group of patients.
They found that, “lower limb muscle function is the main contributor to exercise intolerance. There appeared to be no connection between spinal deformity and lung function, muscle function or exercise capacity.
We conclude that AIS patients show generalised muscle dysfunction which contributes to the reduction in their exercise capacity, even in the absence of severe ventilatory impairment.”
Therefore, when treating patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, it is important to treat these muscle weaknesses so that patients with scoliosis not only improve their spinal curvatures, but also improve their breathing function, which will impact their long-term health much more than the spinal curvature itself. According the the North American Scoliosis Initiative, these goals are of primary importance.
