Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common form of scoliosis. As the name suggests, etiopathogenesis is not clearly defined, so treatment is still anchored in the musculoskeletal theory and correction/prevention of high Cobb angle values. This study aimed to determine whether there is any connection between developing scoliotic curvature and a positive history of motion sickness as a symptom of a peripheral vestibular dysfunction/deficit, and if vestibular rehabilitation exercises could be integrated into the treatment plan. The study was conducted over 12 months on a selected population of 159 patients to evaluate or treat scoliotic curvatures in a private clinic. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25 and illustrated using Microsoft Office Excel/Word 2021. Patients with peripheral vestibular dysfunction had significantly higher Cobb angle values when compared to patients with a negative result in an instrumental test for peripheral vestibular dysfunction. Motion sickness was considerably more associated with peripheral vestibular dysfunction, and a positive Fukuda stepping test was associated with a positive history of motion sickness. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with higher Cobb angles is related to positive motion sickness history as part of peripheral vestibular dysfunction. Conservative treatment for scoliosis could incorporate sensory integration techniques, and a positive history of motion sickness could be an indicator of a higher risk of progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Scoliosis is a tri-dimensional lateral curvature of the spine of 10° or more, with a rotational component. The most common form of scoliosis in the population is adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). As its name states, it has no known direct cause, even if, over time some evidence for multiple linked causes has been provided There is some evidence accumulated pointing to an association between AIS and posture control, where vision and vestibular systems are both involved We analysed the links between the curvature of the spine, its evolution and possible visual and vestibular impairment on 44 children with scoliosis. A postural aetiology of scoliosis in the visually and vestibular impaired population could be implied, since all the cases that could be defined as scoliosis and not as a scoliotic attitude (Cobb > 10º) were positive for the Fukuda Stepping Test and more than 60% of the patients that had a Cobb angle value higher than 15º had a type of visual impairment (myopia).