Sabrina Donzelli

Purpose Understanding idiopathic scoliosis (IS) natural history during growth is essential for shared decision-making between patients and physicians. We developed a retrospective model with the largest available sample in the literature and we aimed to investigate if using three peri-pubertal growth periods provides better prediction than a unique...

Background: The Sforzesco brace is a very rigid push-up brace effective in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). We recently developed a new Sforzesco brace based on modularity (the Modular Italian brace—MI brace) that could allow standardization, facilitating global expertise diffusion, increased modifiability and adaptability, and cost savings d...

Rehabilitation providers and policymakers need valid evidence to make informed decisions about the healthcare needs of the population. Whenever possible, these decisions should be informed by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, there are circumstances when evidence needs to be generated rapidly, or when RCTs are not ethical or feasible. T...

Purpose A main concern of patients with back problems is pain and its impact on function and quality of life. These are subjective phenomena, and should be probed during the clinical consultation so that the physician can ascertain the extent of the problem. This study evaluated the agreement between clinicians’ and patients’ independent ratings of...

Purpose The study aims to assess if the angle of trunk rotation (ATR) in combination with other readily measurable clinical parameters allows for effective non-invasive scoliosis screening. Methods We analysed 10,813 patients (4–18 years old) who underwent clinical and radiological evaluation for scoliosis in a tertiary clinic specialised in spina...

Patients with scoliosis have a high prevalence of back pain (BP). It is possible that scoliosis patients present with specific features when experiencing back or leg pain pathology. The aim of this systematic review is to report the signs, symptoms and associated features of BP in patients with scoliosis compared to adults without scoliosis during...

Idiopathic scoliosis is common in adulthood and can impact patients’ physical and psychological health. The Scoliosis Research Society-22 Questionnaire (SRS-22) has been designed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in idiopathic scoliosis, and it is the most used disease-specific outcome tool from adolescence to adulthood. More recentl...

Background: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and its treatments can severely impact health-related quality of life. The Italian Spine Youth Quality of Life (ISYQOL) questionnaire, initially developed in Italian and tested on Italian people, was created to measure quality of life in young persons with spine changes. ISYQOL was created using the Rasc...

Purpose Treatment selection for idiopathic scoliosis is informed by the risk of curve progression. Previous models predicting curve progression lacked validation, did not include the full growth/severity spectrum or included treated patients. The objective was to develop and validate models to predict future curve angles using clinical data collect...

Background: We need good outcome predictors to maximize the treatment efficiency of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The in-brace correction has shown an important predictive effect on brace failure, while the influence of other variables is still debated. We aimed to identify new outcome predictors from a big prospective database of A...

Background: In clinics and the literature, there are doubts about the indications and contraindications of sports to support rehabilitation treatment for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (IS). Aim: The aim of the study is to assess sports activities' effect and frequency in a large population of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (IS)....

Objective: To Identify evidence-based rehabilitation interventions for persons with non-specific low back pain (LBP) with and without radiculopathy and to develop recommendations from high-quality clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to inform the World Health Organization's (WHO) Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation (PIR). Data source: We...

It is unclear which patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can assess non-operative care for scoliosis. Most existing tools aim to assess the effects of surgery. This scoping review aimed to inventory the PROMs used to assess non-operative scoliosis treatment by population and languages. We searched Medline (OVID) as per COSMIN guidelines. Studi...

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity of the spine and trunk [...]

Purpose Some teenagers with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) display compromised lung function. However, the evidence regarding the relations between pulmonary impairments and various spinal deformity parameters in these patients remains unclear, which affects clinical management. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the...

There is a common agreement that bracing is appropriate for curves between 20 and 40° for the Cobb angle during growth, but for larger curves, the experts' opinions are not consistent. We designed this systematic review to report the updated evidence about the effectiveness of bracing in scoliosis patients with curves ≥40° and a residual growth per...

Purpose The association between idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and sports activities remains vague. We aimed to analyse their effect on full-time braced adolescents with IS. Methods We retrospectively recruited all the consecutive patients of a tertiary referral Institute of age ≥ 10 (adolescents), with a juvenile (JIS) or adolescent (AIS) IS diagnosis...

This study aimed to assess the reliability of a qualitative scoring system based on the movement analysis of the spine in different populations and after usual care rehabilitative intervention. If proven true, the results could further future research development in quantitative indexes, leading to a possible subclassification of chronic low back p...

Background Context Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) can significantly alter the quality of life of adolescents. Some of the available questionnaires in French measuring the quality of life in this population show weak psychometric properties. The newly developed Italian Spine Youth Quality of Life (ISYQOL) questionnaire promises better properties. Purpos...

We introduced pelvis semi-rigid material (ethylene vinyl acetate) (Free-Pelvis) to improve the comfort and adaptability of very rigid braces (VRBs) for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), but this can also negatively impact the corrective forces on the trunk. Study Design: This was a matched retrospective cohort study. The inclusion criter...

Background: The Roussouly classification, based on the functional parameter sacral slope (SS), describes the normal sagittal balance in adults and has proved useful for surgery. Reference values in children should be defined, since they are an important treatment target of conservative treatment. Moreover, during growth, there are few correlations...

Purpose In-brace radiograph of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has been shown to reflect brace efficacy and the possibility of achieving curve correction. Conversely, the first out-of-brace radiograph could demonstrate the patient’s ability to maintain the correction. We aimed to determine which of the two radiographs is the best predic...

Purpose Studies have shown that bracing is an effective treatment for patients with idiopathic scoliosis. According to the current classification, almost all braces fall in the thoracolumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) category. Consequently, the generalization of scientific results is either impossible or misleading. This study aims to produce a classifi...

This review presents the state of the art according to the current evidence on nonoperative treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, focusing on bracing. The definition of braces for the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and a short history are provided. The analysis includes biomechanics, types, existing classifications, indicatio...

PurposeIn conservative early onset scoliosis treatment, interest in bracing is growing because repeated general anaesthesia (required by casting) has been questioned for possible brain damages. We aimed to check the results in the medium term of bracing, comparing idiopathic (IIS) to secondary (SIS) infantile scoliosis.Methods We performed a retros...

Combining evidence-based medicine and shared decision making, current guidelines support an evidence-based personalised approach (EBPA) for idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents (AIS). EBPA is considered important for adolescents' compliance, which is particularly difficult in AIS. Benchmarking to existing Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) as parad...

Purpose Adult scoliosis is sometimes associated with back pain and severe curves can progress over time. Despite scoliosis has been estimated to affect up to 68% of the population over 60, there is scant literature about conservative treatment for adult scoliosis. Recently, we tested a new brace designed to alleviate pain for adult patients with ch...

The development of high-quality research is desired in all healthcare fields. Experimental and nonexperimental designs are used to investigate the effect or association of an intervention and clinical or surrogate outcome. The aims of these methods are to improve knowledge and to develop new strategies to manage a disease or condition. Randomized c...

Objective To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of telemedicine as a substitute of outpatient services in emergency situations like by the sudden surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Design Observational cohort study with historical control. Setting Tertiary referral outpatient Institute. Participants Consecutive services provided...

Study design: Comparative effectiveness study OBJECTIVE.: To evaluate factors leading to higher percentage of brace failures in a cohort of North American patients with AIS relative to their peers in Italy. Summary of background data: Studies of bracing in USA have shown worse outcomes than studies from European centers, possibly due to sample c...

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity of the spine and the trunk; it associates a spinal pathologic curve on the frontal plane, a rotation in the horizontal plane, and a disturbance of the normal curves on the sagittal plane. Idiopathic scoliosis is the most common form (85% to 90%). Adult spinal deformity is defined when scoliosis is diagnose...

Background: Aesthetics is recognized as a main outcome in idiopathic scoliosis (IS) treatment, but to date, there is no criterion standard for physicians' evaluation. Trunk Aesthetic Clinical Evaluation (TRACE) is a simple 12-point ordinal scale to quantify symmetry as a proxy of aesthetics. TRACE is already diffused worldwide and has been used in...

Background: Plumb line distances (PDs) are widely used in conservative clinical practice to evaluate the sagittal shape of the spine. Objective: The objective was to assess the normative values of PDs in a large, healthy population in an age range representative of the adolescent population with spinal deformities, and to correlate it with x-ray...

Background Several reports in the literature have suggested a causative association between oral occlusion and spinal deformity such as scoliosis and Scheuermann’s disease or kyphosis. Based on these findings, a growing number of adolescents with spinal deformity receive orthodontic treatment, supposing a beneficial effect on the spine. Objective...

The correct expression of circadian rhythmicity, together with a good sleep behavior, are key factors for the body homeostasis. Rest-activity circadian rhythms (RARs †) are involved in the control of the sleep-wake cycle and altered RARs could lead to a compromised health status. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the existence of RAR and to study...

Objective To compare the validity of the Italian Spine Youth Quality of Life (ISYQOL) questionnaire with that of the Scoliosis Research Society 22 (SRS22) questionnaire, the criterion standard for health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measurement in adolescents with spinal deformities. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Outpatient clinic. Su...

Unfortunately, the affiliation of the author Negrini S has been incorrectly published in the original version. The complete correct affiliation of this author should read as follows.

Unfortunately, first name and family name in the author group were incorrectly swapped and published. The complete correct names of the author group are given below.

Purpose This study aims to propose and validate a new unified “Risser+” grade that combines the North American (NA) and European (EU) variants of the classic Risser score. The “Risser+ ” grade can effectively combine the North American and European Risser Classifications for skeletal maturity with adequate intra-rater/inter-rater reliability and ag...

Background In respect to the prescribed regimen and the regular daily pattern, investigate how short-term results are affected by wear time adherence in terms of hours per day. Methods This is a case-control study. The setting is outpatient clinic. There were 168 subjects, all of whom met the inclusion criteria: adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and...

Background: In some studies, an association has been reported between laterality of the curve in scoliotic adolescents and hand dominance; however, additional studies have to be performed to confirm these findings. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence between trunk asymmetry and side dominance in hand, foot and vi...

Background: In an ideal experimental setting, 2 randomized controlled trials recently showed the efficacy of physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSEs) for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Now large observational studies are needed to check the generalizability of these results to everyday clinical life. Objective: To exp...

Introduction/Background End of growth RCTs showed the efficacy of bracing and physiotherapic scoliosis specific exercises (PSSE). Current guidelines propose PCA according to the step-by-step theory: invasivity increases with treatment intensity, from observation to PSSE to soft, rigid and very rigid bracing. This requires to set individualised outc...

Introduction/Background Current GUIDELINES propose PCA, but there are no large studies to check final results, and predict which patients will respond better. A personalised conservative approach (PCA) to adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is based on different treatment protocols according to risk groups (11–20, 21–30, 31–40, 41–45). The...

Introduction/Background Back pain prevalence ranges from 7 to 58% of subjects aged between 13 and 15, equally distributed in males and females. Back pain is thought to be associated with spinal deformities but no studies investigated the prevalence of back pain in different spinal deformities like, spondylolisthesis, Scheuermann disease, hyperkypho...

Background: Adult scoliosis is sometimes associated with back pain. Recently, the Peak™Scoliosis Brace was designed to alleviate pain in adult patients with scoliosis. Objectives: To test the efficacy of the Peak Scoliosis Brace in reducing pain in adult scoliosis patients. Study design: Prospective experimental cohort study. Methods: A tota...

Background The International Scientific Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) produced its first guidelines in 2005 and renewed them in 2011. Recently published high-quality clinical trials on the effect of conservative treatment approaches (braces and exercises) for idiopathic scoliosis prompted us to update the la...

BackgroundA temperature monitor is used to objectively measure brace wear time in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The reliability of this device have been demonstrated, and some specialists introduced the use of a compliance monitor as a standard of care in everyday clinical practice, as we did since 2010 with the Thermobrace (TB). The attitude to...

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the association between trunk sagittal posture and nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP) by evaluating plumb-line distances in subjects recruited in an everyday clinical setting. Methods Of the 1364 subjects recruited, 63.1% were female (mean age ± SD: 56.2 ± 16.8 years). Subjects were categorized...

Objective: To provide a meta-analysis of current literature concerning the natural history of idiopathic scoliosis during growth. Design: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases was conducted up to November 2016. Eligible works were prospective or retrospective studies that enrolled patients with infantile (IIS), juvenile...

Background The literature did not show clearly if a correlation between trunk and facial asymmetry exists. The aim of this study was to verify the association between trunk and facial asymmetries, and trunk and facial sagittal configuration in adolescents. Methods This is a cross-sectional screening study. It was carried out in a small town in Nor...

PurposeOverweight was found to be a negative predictor of brace effectiveness for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), with a threefold higher risk of progression than in normal weight patients. The aim of this study is to investigate overweight, as a predictor of brace results in AIS patients. Methods Design: retrospective cohort study. Populati...

Background Context Spinal deformities are commonly associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Several questionnaires (eg, Scoliosis Research Society-24 [SRS-24] and Scoliosis Research Society-22 [SRS-22]) have been developed to evaluate HRQOL in these conditions. In adults as well as during growth, the HRQOL is considered one of t...

Background: A temperature monitor is used to objectively measure brace wear time in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The reliability of this device have been demonstrated, and some specialists introduced the use of a compliance monitor as a standard of care in everyday clinical practice, as we did since 2010 with the Thermobrace (TB). The attitude...

Purpose: The eosinophilic granuloma is a unifocal or multifocal Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by an expanding proliferation of Langerhans cells in bones. Skeletal LCH is a rare condition, and vertebral regeneration in cases of vertebral body collapse is even rarer. We report the case of a girl with spontaneous complete healing. Meth...

Table of contents S1 Criteria for exercises selection in subjects with low back pain Alessandro Aina S2 Recent advances in pathophysiology and treatment of myofascial trigger points Marco Barbero S3 Rehabilitation of scapular dyskinesia Barbara Cagnie S4 Musculoskeletal rehabilitation in subjects affected by neurological disorders Elena Castelli S5...

Background Scoliosis is a three dimensional deformity, and brace correction should be 3D too. There is a lack of knowledge of the effect of braces, particularly in the sagittal and transverse plane. The aim of this study is to analyse the Sforzesco Brace correction, through all the parameters provided by Eos 3D imaging system. Method Design: This i...

Background Despite its importance in affecting adult pain, and disability, there is a lack of universal criteria for the diagnosis and evaluation of thoraco-lumbar Junctional Kyphosis (JK) and a gold standard measurement and diagnostic system does not exist.This study aims to verify the sensibility and specificity of clinical, and Formetric surface...

Purpose Tennis is widely practiced by adolescents in many countries. Many spinal deformity experts consider this activity, together with other asymmetrical sports, as risk factors for scoliosis development even though scientific data are missing. The aim of the present study was to verify the prevalence of spinal deformities and LBP in adolescent c...

O1 The functional properties of paraspinal muscles in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS): A systematic review of the literature Eric Parent, Alan Richter O2 The importance of the lateral profile in the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis Angelo Gabriele Aulisa, Vincenzo Guzzanti, Paolo Pizzetti, Andrea Poscia, Lorenzo Aulisa O3 Radiological...

Background: SEAS is the acronym for "Scientific Exercise Approach to Scoliosis", a name related to the continuous changes of the approach based on results published in the literature. Rehabilitation program: SEAS is an individualized exercise program adapted to all situations of conservative treatment of scoliosis: stand-alone in low-medium degr...

Scoliosis is a complex three dimensional (3D) deformity: the current lack of a 3D classification could hide something fundamental for scoliosis prognosis and treatment. A clear picture of the actually existing 3D classifications lacks. The aim of this systematic review was to identify all the 3D classification systems proposed until now in the lite...

Scoliosis fusion surgery is generally considered the only means to stop the progression of adult idiopathic scoliosis (ADIS), but for patients refusing surgery there is lack of evidence in favour of conservative treatment. The aim of the present study was to verify the possible effectiveness of scoliosis-specific exercises when facing ADIS progress...

Data comparing different braces for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are scant. The SRS criteria represent some guidelines for comparing results from different studies, but controlled studies are much more reliable. Recently, super-rigid braces have been introduced in clinical practice with the aim of replacing Risser and EDF casts. The aim of...

The aim of this study was to describe the association between scoliosis and sagittal balance parameters in Parkinson disease patients. This is a cross-sectional study. Fifty percent of the cohort presented a scoliosis larger than 11 degrees; 84% of the patients with scoliosis presented a thoracolumbar curve, 10% presented a thoracic one, and 6% pre...

Dear Editor, We read with interest the paper by Polak [1], showing incredible improvement of scoliosis with a manual therapy technique. Nevertheless, there are some methodological biases that greatly concern us: many details are missing, and the conclusions are far from supported by the data. First, the selection bias. Scoliosis is a three-dimens...

The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) SRS-22 Questionnaire has shown to worsen with increasing deformity in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). However, all studies have been performed on patients who have already been diagnosed and in relatively small samples. To evaluate a large sample of consecutive patients before diagnosis to develop r...