<b>Spine evaluation: Determination of the relationship between thoracic spinal deformity and sagittal curves by a noninvasive method</b>

• Main Authors: Dalva Minonroze Albuquerque Ferreira, Cíntia Girardi Fernandes, Marcela Regina Camargo, Célia Aparecida Stelluti Pachion, Cristina Elena Prado Teles Fregonesi, Cláudia Regina Sgobbi Faria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 2010-03-01
• Series: Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria e Desempenho Humano
• Subjects: Scoliosis; Spine; Spinal curvature; Kyphosis; Lordosis.
• Online Access: http://www.periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/rbcdh/article/view/11624/12579

The objectives of this study were to compare sagittal plane alignment between subjectswith spinal deformities and a group presenting no changes; to test the reliability of the tool used,and to determine the existence of correlations between spinal deformity and sagittal curvaturemeasures. Forty young subjects were divided into two groups: a control group (n=20) presentingno changes or spinal deformity less than 0.5 cm in the dorsal curvature and 0.7 cm in the lumbarcurvature, and an experimental group (n=20) with spinal deformities greater than those describedfor the control group. Spinal deformity and sagittal plane curvatures were measured using a waterlevel-based tool and by the Adams test. Data were collected from the two groups on two distinctoccasions. The Mann-Whitney test showed no difference between sampling times. A significantdifference between the two groups was only observed in terms of cervical curvature. Spearman’stest revealed a linear correlation between dorsal curvature and dorsal spinal deformity in thecontrol group, between dorsal and lumbar curves in the two groups, and between dorsal spinaldeformity and lumbar and sacral curves and between sacral curvature and dorsal and lumbarcurves in the experimental group. In conclusion, spinal deformity measurement is associatedwith sagittal plane curvatures. The method proposed here is reliable, simple and accessible andcan be reproduced without high costs and damage to the patient’s health.