[Symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis]

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Pediatric Medicine
• Radiology

Background:

• Scheuermann's disease is a spinal condition affecting adolescents.
• Early diagnosis is crucial for effective management.
• Identifying characteristic early symptoms can improve patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and describe the early and salient symptoms of Scheuermann's disease.
• To analyze the nature and frequency of scoliosis in patients with Scheuermann's disease.
• To differentiate Scheuermann's disease from other causes of hip flexion contracture.

Main Methods:

• Screening of 384 patients diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease.
• Screening of 2992 eleven-year-old children for comparison.
• Computer-aided data analysis to assess symptom frequency and correlations.

Main Results:

• Mobile thoracic kyphosis and hip joint flexion contracture are identified as key early symptoms.
• Occasional shoulder joint anteflexion contracture and left-curved functional scoliosis are also noted.
• The study analyzed scoliosis characteristics, excluding other potential causes.

Conclusions:

• Early identification of mobile thoracic kyphosis and hip flexion contracture is vital for diagnosing Scheuermann's disease.
• Functional scoliosis is a common comorbidity that requires careful evaluation.
• Computer analysis supports the findings on symptom prevalence and associations.