Relação do desequilíbrio postural com incapacidade cervical em pessoas com deficiência visual

Abstract

Objective: To identify the relationship between postural imbalance and cervical disability in visually impaired individuals. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at the Association for the Visually Impaired in Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil, in the period from January 2014 to December 2014, with 26 participants of both sexes, with an average age of 31.92 years, featuring complete or partial visual impairments. The postural assessment was performed by means of photogrammetry associated with the Neck Disability Index (NDI), which identifies cervical disability. To assess the statistical significance of 5%, the Chi-square test of independence was applied. Results: In the front view, there was a 2.82cm cervical inclination to the left. In the rear view, there was left shoulder elevation of 9.15cm in relation to the right one. In the right and left views, a 2.44cm cervical flexion-extension of the head against the cervical and thoracic hyperkyphosis of 0.67cm were found. There was a difference in the scapular alignment of the right side to the left in 5.08cm. The NDI showed 33.3% of the individuals with mild disability due to pain, while 66.7% had no disability. Conclusion: The study found compensatory postural changes adopted by the visually impaired in an attempt to adjust the center of gravity. However, these postural changes do not coincide with cervical disability and pain.