Quality of Life of Children and Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis Treated Conservatively with DoboMed Method

Abstract

Introduction The purpose of this study was to determine the Quality of Life of children and adolescents with IS (idiopathic scoliosis) treated conservatively with DoboMed method. Material and Methods We examined group of 63 patients (54 girls) with mean age (14,7 years) – 32 were treated with a DoboMed method only and 31 were treated both with DoboMed method and with Cheneau brace. Mean patients' Cobb angle was 24,2° and mean apical vertebral rotation (AVR) was 11,4°. We also analyzed the patients' BMI (body mass index) z-score, the age of the diagnosis, the deformity location and the duration of brace application. Two questionnaires were used: BSSQ-Deformity and BSSQ-Brace, patients were examined twice at the beginning and at the end of hospitalization. Results At the beginning of hospitalization, the median value of BSSQ-Deformity was 18 and for BSSQ-Brace 9,5. Statistically significant correlations between BSSQ-Deformity results and patient's age, BMI z-score and numer of hospitalizations in the Department were observed. In the group of patients treated with a DoboMed method and a brace, we observed the higher level of stress associated with application of the brace (median=9,5) than the level of stress associated with a deformity (median=16) ( p = 0,0001). This group presented also a higher level of stress evaluated with BSSQ-Deformity than group treated only with DoboMed (median=19) ( p = 0,041). Conclusion Children and adolescents with a scoliosis treated with a DoboMed method presented a low or moderate level of stress associated with the deformity. Higher observed the level of stress was significantly correlated with an older age of patients, a higher BMI z-score value and more hospitalizations in the Department. There was no correlation between the patients' quality of life and the duration of a brace aplication. Group of patients treated with both: the physiotherapy and brace presented the higher level of stress associated with deformity. The level of stress associated with the brace usage (BSSQ-brace) is higher than a stress associated with deformity (BSSQ-deformity) in a group treated with the Chenau brace.