Evaluation of respiratory functions in scoliosis patients undergoing Schroth therapy and measurement of sleep quality and psychological effects

This study aimed to examine the effects of a six-week Schroth-based physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) program influenced respiratory function, sleep quality, and psychological well-being in adolescents with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). A total of 28 participants (25 females, 3 males; mean age: Participants with an average age of 16.2 years and a standard deviation of 2.8) underwent structured PSSE intervention from a Schroth-certified physiotherapist. The study measured thoracic mobility at the axillary, xiphoid, and subcostal levels and used validated self-report instruments including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22), and EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) for objective outcomes. The study observed substantial improvements following treatment in the measurements of chest expansion at axillary and xiphoid levels, global PSQI scores, BDI levels along with scoliosis-specific and general health-related quality of life indices( p < 0.05). Results indicate that Schroth exercises lead to physical improvements while also delivering significant benefits for mental health and sleep quality. Research demonstrates the importance of comprehensive patient-centered PSSE approaches for treating early-phase AIS. This thesis contributes to the sparse Turkish research literature by demonstrating that Schroth therapy is practical and has multiple effects on non-surgical scoliosis treatment.