Free moment contribution to quiet standing in able-bodied and scoliotic girls

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis girls are known to display standing imbalance. In addition to a motor deficit problem, the axial torsion of the spine and trunk torsion could reflect an imbalance around the vertical axis. Unlike the excursion of the center of pressure (COP), the forces and moments were rarely addressed to characterize the quiet standing balance. Nonetheless, one dynamical parameter, called free moment (T(V)), representing the vertical torque on the feet can reflect the oscillation around the vertical axis associated to the standing imbalance. The objectives of this study were to test if the free moment variability can be utilized to characterize standing balance in a group of able-bodied and non-treated scoliotic girls and to determine if it was associated with that of the COP among each group of subjects tested. Forty-six adolescent girls with half of them presenting an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were tested during quiet standing balance. Standing balance was assessed with the subjects standing upright and bare feet on a force plate. RMS and range of COP excursions and free moment were calculated. The scoliotic group displayed higher variability in COP excursion by about 24% than the able-bodied girls. Similarly, the T(V) RMS (P = 0.00136) and range (P = 0.00197) were statistically higher by about 42% in the scoliotic group. The variability of T(V) was associated with that of the COP in both groups. In the medio-lateral direction, the significant correlations between the RMS and range of the free moment and those of the COP were about 0.7 for the able-bodied group and 0.5 for the medio-lateral COP range for the scoliotic group girls. Along the antero-posterior axis, the only statistically significant correlations were observed for the scoliotic group. The free moment variability about the COP measured during quiet standing can be suggestive of an asymmetry control of the trunk around the vertical axis during standing balance. Its variability was more pronounced in scoliotic girls and was associated with the antero-posterior COP variability reflecting both biomechanical and motor control deficits. Free moment calculation could be a supplement insight into the standing balance of scoliotic subjects.