A Visual Scan Analysis Protocol for Postural Assessment at School in Young Students.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Public Health
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Spine alignment assessment is crucial for early detection of conditions like scoliosis.
• Traditional X-ray diagnosis, while accurate, involves radiation exposure and higher costs.
• There is a need for accessible, non-invasive screening methods in school settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of a non-invasive visual scan analysis (plumb line and simetograph) with X-ray for spine alignment.
• To evaluate the agreement between these two methods in identifying scoliosis in middle-school students.
• To determine the feasibility of using a non-invasive field test for scoliosis screening in schools.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 31 males and 50 females (average age 14.23 years).
• Visual scan analysis performed at school; X-ray diagnosis conducted at a hospital.
• Statistical analysis included the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Kappa agreement test for scoliosis classification (<10° vs. >10°).

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found between the visual scan analysis and X-ray methods (z = -0.577; p = 0.564).
• Almost perfect agreement was observed between the two methods (K = 0.821; p < 0.001).
• Agreement remained high when classifying scoliosis severity (K = 0.888; p < 0.001), with no statistical significance in classification differences (z = -1.000; p = 0.317).

Conclusions:

• The non-invasive visual scan analysis is a reliable alternative to X-ray for assessing spine alignment and detecting scoliosis in middle-school students.
• This field test is suitable for use by physical education teachers in schools for preliminary scoliosis screening.
• Implementing this method can help determine the prevalence of spinal misalignments and scoliosis within student populations efficiently and safely.