Evaluation of segmental postural characteristics during quiet standing in control and Idiopathic Scoliosis patients

The complex skeletal deformations that accompany Idioapthic Scoliosis pose a challenge to the clinician to non-invasively discriminate Idiopathic Scoliosis patients from children with no pathology. Therefore, the focus of this study is to non-invasively evaluate the position and amplitude of displacement of the pelvis, shoulders and thorax during quiet standing of Idiopathic Scoliosis patients and control subjects.

The quiet standing posture of 18 healthy adolescent females and 22 Idiopathic Scoliosis subjects was evaluated using an Optotrak 3020 position sensor over a period of 120 s, with 4 repeat trials. Outcome measures included the mean position, root mean square amplitude and range over the duration of 120 s trials for both linear and angular measures of the pelvis, thorax and shoulders. Appropriate sample times were chosen and evaluated for stability over the 120 s period, and between trial reliability was evaluated.

There was a significant difference between groups for the mean position of the shoulder blade rotation in reference to the base of support and to the pelvis. The Idiopathic Scoliosis patients had a significantly larger root mean square amplitude of anterior-posterior displacement of the T1 and S1 spinous processes in reference to the base of support. There was no difference between the sample durations to estimate the mean position of the body segments, however the root mean square increased significantly.

This study demonstrates that postural abnormalities are evident during quiet standing in Idiopathic Scoliosis patients.