Retrospective Analysis of FED Method Treatment Results in 11-17-Year-Old Children with Idiopathic Scoliosis.

(1) Background: Idiopathic scoliosis is a major treatment problem due to its unknown origin and its three-dimensional nature. Attempts to cure it and search for new methods of physiotherapeutic treatment that would lead to its correction are one of the key issues of modern medicine. One of them is the fixation, elongation, de-rotation method (FED), used in the conservative treatment of idiopathic scoliosis. The aim of the study was evaluation of the short-term effectiveness of the FED method in the treatment of patients with idiopathic scoliosis. (2) Methods: Each patient underwent therapy based on the guidelines of the FED method. Patients were tested with the Bunnell scoliometer and the Zebris computer system. The treatment period was three weeks, after which the examinations were repeated. (3) Results: The results appeared to be statistically significant for all tested variables. (4) Conclusions: The examinations showed that the FED method had a statistically significant effect on the improvement of all parameters of posture examination, regardless of the size of the scoliotic deformation angle and bone maturity.

Analysis of Posture Parameters in Patients with Idiopathic Scoliosis with the Use of 3D Ultrasound Diagnostics-Preliminary Results.

(1) Background: Idiopathic scoliosis occurs in 2 to 4% of children between 10 and 16 years of age. Due to the harmfulness of radiological examination, non-invasive devices, including the 3D ultrasound technology and Scolioscan apparatus, are more and more frequently used for postural diagnostics. The aim of the study was to analyze the parameters of posture in patients with idiopathic scoliosis with the use of 3D ultrasound diagnostics. (2) Methods: The study included 20 girls, aged 10 to 16 years, with double-curve idiopathic scoliosis (the value of primary curve ranged from 25-50°), types I and II according to King-Moe classification. On the basis of X-ray scan, the Cobb angle of primary and secondary curves was assessed, the skeletal maturity was evaluated with the Risser test, and the type of scoliosis was determined. The girls participated in a 3-week rehabilitation program. The examinations were performed before and after therapy. A scoliometer was used for measurements. Each of the participants underwent individual therapy. The three-plane approach to asymmetric exercises was based largely on positions that included primary curve correction with hypercorrection of the secondary curve. (3) Results: After the therapy, values of trunk rotation angles and the angle of scoliotic curvature of secondary curve were significantly lower than before the therapy, except for the value of the primary curve angle. The parameters measured by X-ray were significantly and positively related to the results obtained with the scoliometer and the scolioscan. (4) Conclusions: The application of therapy that takes into account summing parameters may prevent the deterioration of the secondary curve when treating patients with idiopathic scoliosis. The observed correlations between the parameters of the radiological examination, the scoliometer, and the scolioscan prove the possibility of their interchangeable application in the assessment of effects of the therapy. Three-dimensional ultrasound diagnostics may become an alternative to radiological examination in assessing the treatment effects of patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

Effectiveness of the FED Method in the Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis of Girls Aged 11-15 Years.

(1) Background: The unknown etiology of idiopathic scoliosis and its three-dimensional nature make the cause-and-effect therapeutic management difficult. A tendency to progression of scoliosis and the failure of many methods of conservative treatment have prompted the search for new methods that would stop and correct deformations. One of them is the FED method, used in the conservative treatment of idiopathic scolioses, in which all scoliotic curves are corrected. The aim of this study was a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of idiopathic scoliosis treatment with the FED and FITS methods. (2) Methods: The study included 60 randomly selected girls, aged 11 to 15 years, treated with the FED and FITS methods. They were diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis grade II according to Cobb and double-curve scoliosis type I and II according to King-Moe classification. The results of the therapy were assessed with the use of the Bunnell scoliometer. The examinations were performed before the start of the therapy-on the first day of the child's stay-and 3 weeks after the therapy. The angle of trunk rotation and the sum of two rotations were assessed using a scoliometer. (3) Results: The performed statistical analysis demonstrated significant changes in the examined parameters in both therapeutic groups. (4) Conclusions: 1. The obtained results indicate that the FED therapy may prove to be an effective method of treating idiopathic scoliosis; however, it requires further research in a larger group of patients; 2. both methods significantly improved trunk rotation in primary and secondary scoliosis, but after using summing parameters (SDR parameter), the FED method appeared to be statistically more effective.

Analysis of scoliosis deformation in the Zebris computer study as an assessment of the effectiveness of the FED method in the treatment of idiopathic scolioses.

Idiopathic scoliosis is one of the most difficult problems of contemporary orthopaedics and physiotherapy, and its unknown etiology hinders initiation of effective causative therapy. A tendency for progression of scoliosis, and failure of many conservative treatment methods stimulated a search for new and more effective methods which will not only stop a progress of the deformation, but actually correct it. The FED method is a relatively new, but promising method used for conservative treatment of idiopathic scoliosis. It is based on the use of a special device, which enables corrective forces to act at a level of the scoliotic curve. AIM: The aim of this study was a comparative analysis of effectiveness of idiopathic scoliosis treatment using the FED method versus FITS, during 3 weeks of observations of girls aged 11 to 15 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in 60 girls, aged from 11 to 15 years (mean 13.58 ± 1.33 years) randomly qualified which were suffered with double-curve scoliosis of the 2nd degree according to Cobb. According to the randomization, the girls were assigned to two groups based on the therapeutic strategy, the study group of patients treated with the FED method, and the control group treated with the FITS method. The therapy results were evaluated by computer examination of the posture using the Zebris CMS10 system. The degree of the spine deformity in the frontal plane was described with the total scoliotic deformation (SD) angle. RESULTS: In the conducted study, no statistically significant difference was noted between groups for any of the analyzed variables. It means that these groups did not differ statistically in terms of subjects' number, age, type of scoliosis, Cobb angle value for primary and secondary scoliosis, Risser sign, Raimondi rotation, and scoliosis type. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups for the scoliosis degree, however, after the therapy, the girls treated with the FED method were characterized by a greater improvement in this parameter versus the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Both FED and FITS methods significantly influence the improvement in the scoliotic deformation degree in the Zebris computer examination during a 3-week follow-up; however, when both treatment methods are compared, it can be concluded that the therapy by the FED method is statistically more effective. The treatment of the 2nd degree scolioses with the FED method requires further analyses supplemented with other parameters of postural examination, as well as long-term diagnostics in a larger group of patients.