Physical fitness and pulmonary function in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis: a comparative study with healthy peers.
Yildiz A, Camli O, Basaran Z, Osmanoglu B, Civelek EY, Pur B et al. · Irish journal of medical science · 2026
Background: This study examined whether adolescents with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) show functional limitations beyond musculoskeletal alignment by comparing physical fitness and pulmonary function with healthy peers.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, adolescents aged 10-18 years with mild to moderate AIS were matched by age and sex to controls. A total of 48 individuals with AIS and 32 healthy peers were included. Physical fitness was assessed using selected Eurofit tests. Respiratory function was evaluated with spirometric parameters. Due to non-normal distributions, rank-based ANCOVA was applied with sex as a covariate.
Results: VO₂max, estimated from the shuttle run, was significantly lower in the AIS group (p
Conclusions: Adolescents with AIS show impaired aerobic capacity and reduced muscle strength, while flexibility is preserved. Balance and pulmonary function remain unaffected in mild to moderate cases, underscoring the need for multidimensional fitness assessments and further research on scoliosis severity and connective tissue factors.