What if the key to understanding scoliosis progression lies not just in the spine's curve, but in the metabolic health of the muscles that support it? Join us for a special presentation by Ms. Wai-ying Chan, the recipient of the prestigious SOSORT 2025 Best Paper Award. A dedicated physiotherapist and PhD candidate, Ms. Chan will unveil her groundbreaking research that challenges our traditional view of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). In this award-winning study, Winnie and her team used advanced near-infrared spectroscopy to observe muscle function in real-time. They discovered a critical "metabolic asymmetry"— a significant delay in oxygen recovery specifically on the concave side of the thoracic curve. This hidden imbalance was directly correlated with scoliosis severity. Ms. Winnie Wai-ying Chan PhD Candidate & Registered Physiotherapist Founder, Empower Physiotherapy Centre Ms. Wai-ying Chan is a PhD candidate at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where her research is dedicated to advancing the conservative management of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. Her doctoral work bridges critical evidence synthesis with innovative clinical investigation, providing new insights into scoliosis evaluation and treatment. Winnie’s research program began by establishing a strong evidence base through systematic reviews, analyzing the relationships between paraspinal muscle characteristics and spinal curvature, and evaluating machine learning models for predicting curve progression. Her landmark study, "Oxygen Dynamics in Paraspinal Muscles During Isometric Loading Measured Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis," received the SOSORT 2025 Best Paper Award and has been published in the European Spine Journal.