OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of a novel mechanical 3-dimensional (3D) scoliosis correction protocol and the Schroth exercise on the spinal flexibility of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). DESIGNS: Randomized controlled trial. SETTINGS: At the affiliated teaching hospital of a university. PARTICIPANTS: Forty participants with AIS (aged 14.7 +/- 2.1y, 10 males and 30 females) received 1 intervention session. Interventions: Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention group (IG) (n = 20) receiving a single 30-minute mechanical 3D scoliosis correction session and the exercise group (EG) (n = 20) receiving a single 30-minute Schroth exercise session. A newly developed scoliosis correction system that could generate spinal longitudinal traction (based on the standard mechanical spinal traction protocol for managing low back pain) and lateral forces (based on the 3-point pressure system) was applied to the participants of the IG. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Spinal flexibility and body height were evaluated before and after each intervention. RESULTS: Significant improvements in spinal flexibility were found in the forward bending and trunk rotation tests for both groups (p <= 0.028). The participants of the IG further demonstrated significantly improved spinal flexibility as assessed by the lateral bending tests and body height (p <= 0.012). The increase in body height in the IG was also significantly larger than that of the EG (p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study preliminarily demonstrated that the developed novel 30-minute mechanical 3D scoliosis correction protocol could effectively improve the side-bending spinal flexibility and body height of the participants. Such positive effects tend to be better than those generated by the Schroth best practice exercises. A long-term study with more participants should be warranted.

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