This study aimed to examine spinal pain commonness in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Moreover, this was explored associations between pain intensity and pain-related disability with scoliosis site, severity, and spinal bracing.  The link between spinal pain and AIS remains unclear and causal. Spinal asymmetry has been recognised as a back pain risk factor, which is a known cause of care-seeking in adolescents.

Participants were enrolled in an outpatient tertiary-care scoliosis clinic. Pain-related disability and pain intensity were evaluated by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the Brief Pain Inventory questionnaire. Scoliosis severity determination was performed using Cobb angles. Associations were explored using multiple linear regressions and reported with unstandardized beta coefficients (β) adjusted for age and sex.

For evaluation enlisted 500 patients (85% female) with a mean (SD) age of 14.2 (1.8) years. Of thoracic and lumbar Cobb angle means (SD) were 24.54 (9.77) and 24.13 (12.40), respectively. Spinal pain prevalence was found to be 68% [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 64.5-72.4] with a mean magnitude of 1.63 (SD, 1.89). The spinal pain magnitude was positively related to scoliosis severeness in the main thoracic (P = 0.003), and lumbar (P = 0.001) zones and the mean (SD) disability score was 1.73 (2.98). Disability was positively related to scoliosis severeness in the proximal thoracic (P = 0.035), lumbar (P = 0.000) and main thoracic (P = 0.000) zones. Spinal bracing was related to lower spinal pain intensity in the thoracic (P = 0.000) and lumbar regions (P = 0.009). Bracing was also related to a lower disability for all spinal areas.

Spinal pain is a common condition among patients with AIS, and more significant spinal deformity was related to higher pain severity. Evaluated assessments should inform clinical decision-making when caring for patients with AIS.