Abstract
<jats:p>Scoliosis is a three-dimensional structural deformity of the spine characterized by lateral curvature, vertebral axial rotation, and alterations in sagittal physiological curves. Physio-logic® exercises have been reported to correct deformity in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients by reducing the degree of trunk rotation. The purpose of this preliminary study was therefore to examine the acute effect of Physio-logic® exercises on muscle tone and stiffness of trunk muscles in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Five patients diagnosed with AIS, with a mean age of 16.2 years and a mean Cobb angle of 24.8 degrees, were included in the study. Participants underwent a single session of Physio-logic® exercises targeting the improvement of sagittal physiological curvatures of the spine, applied regardless of curve type. Muscle tone and stiffness of the trapezius, erector spinae, and latissimus dorsi muscles were assessed bilaterally using the MyotonPRO device, and the angle of trunk rotation was measured with a scoliometer, both before and after the exercise session Following the exercise, decreases in muscle tone were observed in the trapezius (right: 7.23%, left: 3.75%), upper latissimus dorsi (right: 9.34%, left: 5.10%), and lower latissimus dorsi (right: 7.69%, left: 1.70%), while an increase in tone was detected in the erector spinae (right: 1.75%, left: 4.32%). Similarly, stiffness decreased in the trapezius (right: 18.38%, left: 9.20%), upper latissimus dorsi (right: 19.65%, left: 5.92%), and lower latissimus dorsi (right: 19.48%, left: 4.02%), whereas erector spinae stiffness increased bilaterally (right: 6.37%, left: 9.03%). These findings indicate that a single session of Physio-logic® exercises produces acute and differential modulation of trunk muscle tone and stiffness in AIS patients, with consistent reductions in the superficial back muscles and concurrent increases in the erector spinae. As this is a preliminary study evaluating acute efficacy, further investigations with larger samples are needed to examine the long-term changes in muscle tone and stiffness associated with Physio-logic® exercises, as well as the differential effects across distinct scoliotic curve types.</jats:p>