Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Massage Combined with Schroth Therapy in AIS

Overview

This meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials involving 549 adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis found that combining traditional Chinese massage with Schroth therapy significantly improved overall treatment outcomes, enhanced quality of life scores, and reduced spinal curvature compared to Schroth therapy alone. However, the evidence quality was rated very low, indicating a need for cautious interpretation and further high-quality research.

Background

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a progressive three-dimensional spinal deformity predominantly affecting adolescents, especially girls, during rapid growth phases. It can lead to physical deformities, psychological distress, and impaired cardiopulmonary function if severe. Conservative treatments such as physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises, including Schroth therapy, are commonly used to manage mild to moderate AIS. Traditional Chinese massage therapy has also been validated as an effective intervention, but the benefits of combining it with Schroth therapy remain uncertain.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• The combination therapy significantly improved overall treatment outcomes with a relative risk of 1.16 compared to Schroth therapy alone.
• Patients receiving combined treatment showed a substantial improvement in quality of life as measured by the Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire (SMD = 2.44).
• There was a significant reduction in the Cobb angle, indicating decreased spinal curvature (SMD = -1.23) with combined therapy.
• All outcomes were supported by very low-quality evidence, highlighting methodological limitations in the included studies.
• The meta-analysis included eight randomized controlled trials with a total of 549 adolescent patients.

Clinical Implications

Integrating traditional Chinese massage with Schroth therapy may offer enhanced clinical benefits for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, potentially improving spinal curvature and quality of life beyond Schroth therapy alone. Clinicians should consider this combined approach as a complementary conservative treatment option while recognizing the current evidence limitations. Further rigorous, high-quality trials are needed to confirm these findings and guide clinical practice.

Conclusion

Current evidence suggests that combining traditional Chinese massage with Schroth therapy may provide superior therapeutic outcomes in AIS management compared to Schroth therapy alone. Nevertheless, due to the very low quality of evidence, these results warrant cautious interpretation and further validation.

References

1. Effectiveness of Integrating Traditional Chinese Massage with Schroth Therapy for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Meta-Analytical Review