title: Neurophysiological basis of rehabilitation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Knowledge on mechanisms of neurophysiological control of trunk movement and posture could help in the development of rehabilitation programs and brace treatment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Reviewing up-to-date research on neurophysiology of movement and posture control with the aim of providing basis for new researches in the field of AIS rehabilitation and background understanding for clinicians engaged in management of AIS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We considered several neurophysiological issues relevant for AIS rehabilitation, namely, the peculiar organization of patterns of trunk muscle recruitment, the structure of the neural hardware subserving axial and arm muscle control, and the relevance of cognitive systems allowing mapping of spatial coordinates and building of body schema.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We made clear the reason why trunk control is generally carried out by means of very fast, feedforward or feedback driven patterns of muscle activation which are deeply rooted in our neural control system and very difficult to modify by training. We hypothesized that augmented sensory feedback and strength exercises could be an important stage in a rehabilitation program aimed at hindering, or possibly reversing, scoliosis progression. In this context we considered bracing not only as a corrective biomechanical device but also as a tool for continuous sensory stimulation that could help awareness of body misalignment. Future research aimed at developing strategies of trunk postural control learning is essential in the rehabilitation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, Neurorehabilitation Section, University of Verona, Italy. nicola.smania@univr.it
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smania
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picelli
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Negrini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001915:Braces; D006801:Humans; D004856:Postural Balance; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013131:Spine / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology