Clinical Research Directory

Studying Melatonin and Recovery in Teens

The goal of this feasibility clinical trial is to learn if melatonin can help teens having major musculoskeletal surgery by promoting healthy sleep. Melatonin is available as a dietary supplement that may be effective in promoting longer, higher quality sleep. This study will assess the feasibility and acceptability of melatonin for teens undergoing major musculoskeletal surgery, as well as determine optimal measured outcomes (sleep, pain, health-related quality of life) at short- and long-term follow-up.

Yoga for Back Pain in Adolescent Scoliosis

The Problem: Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), the pre-eminent spinal pathology affecting over 5% of children and adolescents, presents a pronounced spinal curvature exceeding 10 degrees, with prevalence amongst female adolescents at a ratio of 3:1 compared to males. A significant portion of these patients are not immediate candidates for surgical intervention. The acute shortage of viable non-operative management strategies, which is becoming increasingly imperative given the current barriers to physical therapy access and the growing opioid crisis. The investigator's research intends to explore the addition of a structured yoga protocol to standard of care. This research will thus explore the potential for improved relief and quality-of-life improvements for AIS patients not ready for surgery. Significance: AIS is a pervasive condition which correlates with chronic and episodic lower back pain, diminished sleep quality, and depressive symptoms. This extensive comorbid association coupled with the financial pressure to patients and the healthcare system cannot be understated. Needs Statement: There is a lack of sufficient non-operative management options for AIS. Many patients face limited access and require supplementary management strategies to address the patient's conditions effectively, creating a significant unmet need for non-pharmacological pain management interventions. This need is further highlighted in the context of the escalating opioid crisis, a leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. Hypothesis: The introduction of a structured yoga protocol can serve as a non-inferior or even superior alternative to traditional standard of care i management of AIS, addressing both the physical and psychosocial aspects intertwined with the condition. IMPACT: Change in Problem Significance: This research trial aims to enhance current standard of care for patients grappling with AIS. If the trial demonstrates superiority of yoga, it will delineate a paradigm shift in the current care standards for AIS patients, fostering a move towards a more cost-effective and holistic approach. Yoga could help alleviate the burdens on the healthcare system by reducing costs and enhancing accessibility for patients. Improvement in Pediatric Orthopedics Practice: By paving the way for non-pharmacological interventions, the trial aspires to mitigate the reliance on opioids for pain management in the pediatric demographic, therefore promoting overall well-being. This project not only seeks to develop alternative pain management strategies amidst a growing opioid epidemic but also champions the cause of improving the quality of life for the pediatric population battling chronic conditions like AIS. It echoes the urgent call to innovate and expand upon the current strategies in place, steering the medical community towards a future where integrative approaches are not the exception but the norm. Ultimately, this research aspires to guide the trajectory of pediatric orthopedics towards a healthcare system that is more inclusive, accessible, and holistically oriented, thereby enhancing the quality of life for pediatric patients grappling with conditions like AIS. 2\. Objectives (include all primary and secondary objectives) Goals/Objectives: To create a randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of yoga in conjunction with standard of care treatments for AIS patients. SPECIFIC AIMS Aim 1: Evaluate the feasibility and challenges of implementing a yoga protocol for AIS patients. Methodology: Online class attendance, survey completions, and follow-up appointments. Anticipated Results: Adequate participant adherence and data reliability. Aim 2: Compare clinical outcomes between patients who receive traditional care modalities versus those who added yoga to treatment plan. Methodology: Utilize validated tools such as the SRS-22 questionnaire and monitor outcomes including depression scale, sleep quality, analgesic usage, activity levels, and Cobb angle. Anticipated Results: Significant physical and psychological improvements in the yoga group.

Scoliosis Survey to Development Treatment Decision Tool

This is a survey to help understand the influences related to the decision for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis treatment (observation vs. bracing vs. surgery). The investigator then plans to create a decision aid to help families when making a decision about the treatment choice being presented to them.

Tegileridine for Postoperative Pain After Adolescent Scoliosis Surgery

The goal of this clinical trial is to see if a new pain medicine called Tegileridine is at least as effective as morphine (the standard treatment) for pain relief after spinal surgery in teenagers with scoliosis. This type of study is called a "non-inferiority" trial. The study will also carefully compare the safety of both medicines. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is Tegileridine no worse than morphine at controlling pain in the first 24 hours after surgery? How do the side effects (like sleepiness or nausea) of Tegileridine compare to those of morphine? Researchers will compare two different doses of Tegileridine against morphine. Neither the participants nor the doctors assessing them will know which medicine is being given. Participants in this study will: Receive one of the three pain medicine options through a pump (called a PCA pump) that they can control themselves after surgery. Use the pump for up to 48 hours. Regularly rate their pain levels using a simple number scale. Have their health closely monitored by the study team during this time.

Conservative Management for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Idiopathic scoliosis is a living problem that resists correction. The underlying cause of the such disorder is unknown but directed more toward muscular disorders. However recent clinical observation showed a possible neuromuscular compromise early in those patients. The main purpose of this study is to develop a treatment procedure to correct the degree of bony curvature in patients with Idiopathic scoliosis through developing a neuromuscular corrective approach that might be a more effective conservative treatment protocol for such disorder.

Erector Spinae Plane Blockade in Pediatric Scoliosis Surgery Patients

Providing effective analgesia after spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis remains a challenge with significant practice variation existing among high volume spine surgery centers. Even in the era of multimodal analgesia, opioids are the primary analgesics used for pain control after pediatric scoliosis surgery, but have multiple known adverse effects. The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a newly described fascial plane block performed by injecting local anesthetic between the erector spinae muscle and the transverse process. Additionally, there are case reports describing the ESPB as part of a multi-modal analgesic plan in adult degenerative spine surgery as well as adult spinal deformity surgery, demonstrating effective analgesia and no clinical motor blockade. Although it is known that the inflammatory reaction plays a crucial role in the mechanism of acute pain after major surgery, the effectiveness of the current regional approach on inflammatory response is not well studied.

fNIRS-based Analysis and Evaluation of the Effect of Schroth Rehabilitation on Motor Functions in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)

This study investigates the effects of Schroth-based rehabilitation on cortical dynamics, body awareness, and quality of life in individuals with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). Using fNIRS technology, motor control processes will be monitored, and the impact of rehabilitation on brain activity will be assessed. A total of 30 participants (15 healthy and 15 with AIS), aged 8-16, will be examined, with pre- and post-rehabilitation comparisons. Measurements will include static posture, Y-Balance Test, Schroth walking, and brain activity recordings. SPM analysis will be used to assess brain signals, and quality of life and cosmetic deformity perception will be statistically evaluated. The findings will contribute to the integration of neuroimaging into rehabilitation assessment, helping to develop more effective treatment strategies.

Quality of Life (HRQoL) of AIS Patients Who Require Bracing or Surgery Using SRS-22 Questionnaire

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is an unexpected curvature of spine at teenage. AIS causes mainly unpleasant appearance, and sometime comes with pain and difficult to locate or move around. When the spinal curve, or "Cobb angle", increases with time, the investigators call it severe condition when the Cobb angle is 60 degrees or above. The severe suffering patients need to be operated to correct their spinal curve by using metallic rods and metallic screws (implants) to fix the spine. In order to avoid this surgery, the investigators use "brace", a hard fitting case, trying to control the spinal curve degree by using forces from outside. (bracing) to intervene the spinal curve progression is highly recommended for patients with particular clinical characteristics. However, bracing is not always a present experience apart from function restriction. Clinical recommendation requires the patients to brace over 20 hours everyday, which means the patients have to be "braced" around the clock. Patients' perception on being "braced" all day, apart from discomforts under bracing, self-image and mental health after bracing are also important psycho-social factors which have yet to be addressed. Based on our clinical experience, 1-2% of AIS patients, undergoing bracing or not (i.e. at observation stage), require surgical intervention due to rapid spinal progression in a short period of time. By definition, surgery will be arranged for patients with major spinal curve ≥50. The use of health-related-quality-of-life (HRQoL) questionnaires allow clinical professionals to explore many different kinds of interests on patients, including the patient's feeling on his/her medical condition and satisfaction with provided care. Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) patient outcome tool has been a well-accepted HRQoL questionnaire to look for the perception of patients with spinal problems of their status. The SRS-22 questionnaire that has been well accepted as its trustworthy on the score results and SRS-22 is good to be used in patients under different conditions across the disease. This is very important to obtain and compare the scores over time in order to look for any consistent changes. Apart from AIS patients requiring bracing, surgical cases are also very important group of patients to monitor their quality of life before and after surgery, and every follow-up visit after surgery.

Study Comparing the PathKeeper System for Pedicle Screw Positioning in Spine Surgery With Traditional Care

The goal of this is to evaluate performance of the Pathkeeper Surgical System. The main question\[s\]it aims to answer are: 1) evaluate pedicle screw position Participants will in compare Experimental arm: PathKeeper System (PKS) with control arm

Dexmedetomidine for ESPB in Pain Management After Pediatric Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery

Effect of perineurial dexmedetomidine on erector spinal plane block duration for pediatric, idiopathic scoliosis surgery.

Effects of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis result in deterioration of core muscles and respiratory system. Core muscles provide trunk stabilization as well as responsible for respiratory system. Especially tr. abdominis, rectus abdominis, external oblic and internal oblic muscle, which are core muscles, highly active during forced expiration while diaphragm muscle also active during inspiration. Thus, expiratory muscle strength training has effect not only respiratory muscle strength but also trunk stabilization. While, effects of expiratory muscle strength training in adolesecent idiopathic scoliosis is a topic that needs to be investigated, this topic has not been investigated until today. Hence, this current study aimed to investigate the effects of expiratory muscle strength training on cobb angle, respiratory muscle strength, core stabilization, functional exercise capacity and quality of life.

The Role of VitD in Rehabilitation of Idiopathic Adolescent Scoliosis

The purpose of this current prospective study is to determine the role of vitamin D in the development and restoration of spinal deformities in adolescence.

Effectiveness of Rehabilitation with Technology-Based Systems in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of technology-based exercises on treatment success in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Within the scope of the study, thirty patients with AIS will be randomly allocated to two groups. The control group will apply a program with conventional approaches consisting of a combination of structured three-dimensional scoliosis exercises, core stabilization and balance exercises. Patients in the intervention group will perform structured three-dimensional scoliosis exercises, core stabilization and balance exercises similarly to the control group. However, patients in the intervention group will perform core stabilization and balance exercises with virtual reality games for twenty-four weeks. Patients' Cobb angle, Pediatric Berg Balance Scale (balance), Posterior Trunk Asymmetry Index (POTSI) (cosmetic), Walter Reed Visual Assessment Scale (WRVAS)(cosmetic), System Usability Scale (system usability) and Physical Activity Participation Motivation Scale (PAPMS) (motivation) parameters will be assess at the beginning of treatment, third and six month.

Personalized Spine Study Group (PSSG) Registry

The primary objective of the study is a data collection initiative. The study will collect clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients implanted with patient specific rods. The secondary objective is to collect clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients with hardware as a control cohort to the patient-specific rods.

Virtual Reality's Effect on Decreasing Pain and Subsequent Opioid Use in Pediatric Patients in the Post-Operative Period Following Scoliosis Repair

The goal of this study is to determine whether introducing VR in the immediate post-operative period following scoliosis repair can reduce perceived pain and stress in pediatric patients and in turn ultimately decrease opioid use. Based on previous studies that have been performed in other fields of pediatrics showing a decrease in pain and stress with VR use, the investigators hypothesize that VR will significantly decrease patient's reported level of pain and stress immediately following the VR session, and that patients will require less opioids during their inpatient stay as a result.

Comparison of the Efficiency of Schroth Method and Virtual Reality Exercises in Individuals With AIS

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional deformity of the spine of unknown etiology, in the treatment of which physiotherapy-specific scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE), corset and surgical treatment approaches are used depending on the severity of the curvature \[8, 9\]. The Schroth method, one of the PSSE methods, has been shown to reduce the severity of the curvature, Cobb angles and the need for surgery, especially in curvatures between 10-30 degrees, slow down the progression of the curvature, increase back muscle strength and improve respiratory functions \[10-12\]. In the Schroth method, mental imagery, exteroceptive, proprioceptive stimulations and mirror control, which follow motor learning principles and include internal focus, are used to increase body awareness and facilitate the individual's self-posture corrections with postural, sensorimotor and rotational breathing exercises specific to scoliosis \[5, 10\]. In cases that require long-term treatment, such as scoliosis, the motivation and participation of the child and adolescent population in particular decreases and negatively affects the success of treatment \[1, 2\]. Additionally, it has been reported in the literature that patients have difficulty in performing Schroth exercises at home and adapting the corrected posture to daily life\[5\]. For this reason, in order to maintain the corrected posture and make it permanent, motor learning-based approaches must be used \[6\]. Virtual reality rehabilitation (VR) creates an external focus on the individual, allows for a large number of repetitions, and thus encourages motor learning. It is also known that VR increases motivation, participation and exercise performance in children and adolescents\[7\]. When the literature was examined, no studies were found regarding VR in individuals with AIS. The study will show that Schroth-based VR will be effective on spinal parameters, trunk rotation and spinal mobility parameters in cases with AIS. Our aim is to examine the effects of Schroth-based VR in comparison with Schroth exercises in cases with AIS.

The Relationship Between Body Perception and Self-Esteem Level and Quality of Life in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional, multifactorial disease that becomes more prevalent in adolescents, disrupts the three-dimensional mechanism and posture of the vertebra, causes deterioration in the person's body perception and cosmetic perception, and also causes negative effects on social life and quality of life. Although idiopathic scoliosis is more common during adolescence, its cause is not yet known. It is divided into three subheadings according to the age of onset. These are respectively; It is classified as Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis (0-3 years), Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis (4-10 years), Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (10 years and above). The most common one is Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. Its incidence in girls is 4 times higher than in boys. This study aimed to examine the effects of body image and self-esteem on quality of life in idiopathic adolescent scoliosis patients and to determine whether there is a difference between genders. Additionally, it will be examined what effect the duration of corset use has on these parameters.

Massage Therapy After Thoracic or Lumbar Surgery

The purpose of this research is to look at the effect of massage therapy on the pain, anxiety, and quality of life that pediatric patients have after undergoing spinal fusion surgery. This is a single-site, prospective, randomized, interventional study design that will involve post-thoracic and post-lumbar spinal fusion surgeries of pediatric patients from 7 to 19 years of age that present to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. These patients will be identified prior to their scheduled spinal fusion surgery and recruited to enroll in the study. The planned spinal fusion surgeries are not considered part of this research project, but rather considered standard of care and would occur whether the patient is enrolled in this project or not. Enrolled participants will be followed during their inpatient stay and through their subsequent follow-up visits at weeks 2, 6, and 12. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a massage therapy group or a group that receives the standard (normal) care for recovery after surgery. The final study involvement will occur at week 16 (post-hospital discharge) where a study team member will administer a quality of life (PedsQL) questionnaire via phone or mail with the subject. Data will be collected after study related procedures are completed.

Reliability and Validity of Hand Dynamometer Trunk Muscle Strength Measurements in Patients With AIS

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional complex deformity of the spine characterized by lateral deviation of 10 degrees or more in the frontal plane, rotation in the transverse plane and hypokyphosis in the sagittal plane. It has been reported that in the presence of scoliosis, there is a change in muscle strength of people compared to their healthy peers due to the deterioration of their postural balance. There are many studies in the literature that evaluate the muscle strength of cases diagnosed with scoliosis with objective devices. Among these objective devices, reliability studies on hand dynamometry devices, which are easy to use, portable and cheaper than other devices, have been conducted for different populations. However, no reliability study of the handheld dynamometer device in patients with AIS has been found in the literature. Therefore, the aim of our study is to study the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability and validity of the trunk flexion, extension and lateral flexion muscle strengths of the hand dynamometer device in cases with AIS, which are known to have changes in muscle strength compared to their peers as a result of the change in spinal alignment. After obtaining the demographic information of the cases that meet the inclusion criteria within the scope of the study, the isometric muscle strength of the trunk flexor, extensor and right-left lateral flexor muscles will be evaluated by two different evaluators using a Lafayette hand dynamometer. To avoid systematic error, each participant will perform the isometric handheld dynamometer protocol in a random testing order. In order to determine interobserver reliability, on the first day of the test, the same hand dynamometer protocol will be applied to each participant by two different evaluators, after a 1-hour rest to prevent fatigue. To determine intraobserver reliability and compliance, participants will be re-evaluated by the same researchers at the same protocol, place and day period, 1 week apart to prevent learning effects. This study will reveal the intraobserver and interobserver reliability and validity of the handheld dynamometer device, which can be used in the evaluation of trunk muscle strength for clinicians working with AIS.

Self-correction Evaluation in Scoliosis Patients

To date, there is no objective assessment method for the quality of the self-correction performed by patients with scoliosis. The study consists of two parts, both retrospective, and distinct on the basis of the tools used to assess self-correction. Part 1: Retrospective assessment of the radiographic variations between spontaneous position and self-correction in subjects suffering from juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Both measurements were performed in a single session. Part 2: Retrospective assessment of the variations between spontaneous and self-correcting position in subjects with juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using objective parameters deriving from non-invasive 3D ultrasound instrumentation (Scolioscan, Telefeld, Hong Kong).

Quality of Life in Parents of Adolescents With Spinal Deformities: Development of a New Questionnaire.

This study aims to develop a new instrument capable of providing an efficient measure of the quality of life of parents of conservatively treated patients with spinal deformity. The development of a questionnaire in a Rasch environment and specifically developed for parents of conservatively treated patients will ensure greater sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire.

Instrumented POsterolateral Arthrodesis for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

The study population concerns adolescent patients with idiopathic scoliosis which requires surgical management and who have a longer waiting period of 6 months. The aim of this study is to research the predictive factors of an improvement in the quality of life of adolescents who have had surgery.