Clinical Efficacy of Ultrasound-Assisted Scoliosis-Specific Exercise in Mild-Grade Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

The present protocol describes a randomized clinical trial evaluating ultrasound-assisted scoliosis-specific exercise (USSE) for adolescents with mild idiopathic scoliosis. Participants were randomly assigned using a random number method to either the control group or the treatment group (n = 10 per group). The intervention, performed three times per week for three months, aims to prevent curve progression and enhance pulmonary function by providing real-time ultrasound feedback to optimize thoracic muscle activation and breathing control during targeted therapeutic exercises. The control group received conventional functional training, whereas the treatment group additionally underwent USSE alongside home-based functional training. Outcome measures included primary structural indicators, defined as the change in main curve angle before and after treatment and the difference between groups; secondary structural indicators included respiratory function measures such as tidal volume (TV), inspiratory capacity (IC), vital capacity (VC), and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV); and ultrasound-based measures, including changes in intercostal space width. The results demonstrated that USSE effectively controls and reduces progression of mild scoliosis, improves the structure of the concave-side intercostal space, enhances diaphragmatic mobility.