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Published on: August 30, 2016
Parameters characterizing the posture of preterm children in standing and sitting position
J Drzał-Grabiec1,2, K Walicka-Cupryś1,2, K Zajkiewicz1,2
1Institute of Physiotherapy, Rzeszow University, Rzeszow, Poland.
Insights
Preterm children exhibit distinct posture differences, including reduced thoracic and lumbar curvature, compared to full-term peers. These findings suggest preterm birth may impact antigravitational mechanisms and lead to posture dysfunction by age six.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Biomechanical Analysis
- Postural Development
Background:
- Fetal posture, while variable, involves a repertoire of active, non-random positions.
- Infant posture is active and variable, largely independent of gravitational forces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate postural differences between preterm and full-term children at 6-7 years of age.
- To identify potential long-term effects of preterm birth on body posture development.
Main Methods:
- Photogrammetric analysis using the moire effect was employed.
- 101 children (50 preterm, 51 full-term) aged 6-7 participated.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in GAMMA (p<0.001) and KLL (p=0.020) parameters were observed between groups.
- Preterm children showed smaller angles of upper thoracic curvature and lumbar lordosis.
- Preterm children exhibited a smaller thoracic kyphosis angle in a sitting position.
Conclusions:
- Preterm birth is associated with altered postural development, specifically reduced thoracic and lumbar spinal curves.
- The antigravitational mechanism appears to be disturbed by preterm birth.
- Posture dysfunctions may arise in preterm children by age six.
Background:
Systematic observations of fetal posture show that, although for most of the time the fetus does not have a preferred posture, it has a certain repertoire of repeated active postures. The observed postures cannot be considered random configurations of head and limb position: the fetus and the young infant have an active, but variable posture that is relatively unrelated to the orientation of the force of gravity.
Materials And Method:
The study included 101 children, aged 6-7, including 50 preterm children, 48 boys and 53 girls (research group) and 51 full-term children; 22 boys and 53 girls (control group). The photogrammetric method with moire effect on Mora 4G CQ Elektronik was used to examine the body posture.
Results:
Significant statistical differences in GAMMA (p< 0.001) and KLL (p= 0.020) parameters in preterm children and in control group were noted. Both parameters presented higher value in the control group.
Conclusions:
The posture of preterm children is characterized by a smaller angle of upper thoracic curvature and smaller angle of lumbar lordosis. The posture of preterm children in sitting position is characterized by a smaller angle of thoracic kyphosis. Preterm birth disturbs the development of proper antigravitational mechanism and causes possible posture dysfunctions at the age of 6.
