A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare the Effect of Schroth Exercises to Standard Care on Curve Characteristics, Posture, and Quality Of Life in Adolescents With Idiopathic Scoliosis

This multicentre study will be a two parallel arms assessor- and statistician-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing a six-months Schroth exercise intervention added to standard of care (experimental group) to standard of care alone (control group). Combined with standard care, the Schroth intervention group will receive five individual training sessions, followed by weekly group classes and daily home exercises for 6 months. After the first six months, the experimental group will be advised to continue the unsupervised home programme until the discharge from the scoliosis clinic, while the control group will be offered the Schroth treatment for six months. The primary aim is to compare the effect of a 6 month 'Schroth exercise program combined with standard-of-care' to 'standard-of-care alone' on scoliosis curve severity measured using the Cobb angle. Secondary aims include: 1. To determine the effect of Schroth exercises at 6 months on secondary outcomes including quality-of-life, spinal appearance, objective posture and spinal muscle endurance measurements. 2. To determine the efficacy of 6 months of Schroth therapy offered to control participants after completing 6 months in the standard-of care group (using subjects as their own controls) and 3. To determine if the effects of the 6 months supervised Schroth exercise program can be maintained after supervised therapy is terminated. At Hopital Ste-Justine, the effect of Global Postural Re-education will also be examined because Global Postural Re-education exercises were offered routinely to patients at that institution prior to the trial.