Changes In Spinal Curvature Research Articles

Impact of Standing and Sitting Postures on Spinal Curvature and Muscle Mechanical Properties in Young Women: A Photogrammetric and MyotonPro Analysis.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the effect of standing and sitting positions on spinal curvatures evaluated using projection moire and muscle tone and stiffness using the MyotonPRO hand-held device in young women. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-three healthy women, aged 21 to 23 years, volunteered in the study. We used the projection moire method to examine spinal curvatures in both positions and the MyotonPRO device to measure the tone and stiffness of muscles in 3 regions. We evaluated the effects of positions (standing vs sitting), regions (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar), and side factor (right vs left) using multivariate analysis. RESULTS The sitting position significantly decreased the lumbosacral and thoracolumbar angles (P<0.001), but had no effect on the superior thoracic angle. Muscle tension and stiffness were the highest (P<0.001) in the cervical region and did not differ between positions (P>0.05) in this region. We found significantly higher muscle tone and stiffness in the thoracic and lumbar regions during sitting than during standing (P<0.001). There was symmetry in the muscle tone and the stiffness between the right and left sides of the spine. CONCLUSIONS The sitting posture decreased lumbosacral and thoracolumbar angles but increased muscle tension and stiffness in the lumbar and thoracic regions only. The symmetry of muscle tone and transverse stiffness in both positions was the normative value. This study provides insight into the adaptive physiological changes in spinal curvature and muscle mechanical properties in young women and serves as an important reference point for clinical studies of women.

Smart Shirt for Measuring Trunk Orientation

Improper cycling posture is linked to a variety of spinal musculoskeletal diseases, including structural malformation of the spine and back discomfort. This paper presents a novel smart shirt integrated tri-axial gyroscope and accelerometer that can detect postural variation in terms of spinal curvature changes. To provide accurate feedback to the wearer and improve the wearer's correct movement, the garment is able to recognize trunk body posture. The gyroscope/accelerometer was placed around the upper and mid trunk of the user to record tri-axial angular velocity data. The device can also be used to help determine the trunk bending angle and monitor body postures in order to improve optimal orientation and position. The garment enables continuous measurement in the field at high sample rates (50 Hz), and the sensor has a large measurement range (16 g, 2000°/s). As electronic components are non-washable, instead of encapsulating them, a detachable module was created. In this, magnets are embedded in the jersey, and allow the positioning and removal of the sensor. The test results show that the average trunk-bending angle was 21.5°, and 99 percent of the observed angle fell within the standard (ranging from 8° to 35°). The findings demonstrate the feasibility of employing the smart shirt sensor to estimate trunk motions in the field on a regular basis.

Vertebrae at the thoracolumbar junction: A quantitative assessment using CT scans.

The thoracolumbar junction is often associated with traumatic injuries, due to its biomechanical instability. Reasons for this instability are currently still under debate; however, contributing factors such as the rapid change in spinal curvature and facet orientation from the thoracic to lumbar transition have been implicated. Normally, the superior facet orientation in the thoracic region is angled in a coronal plane, whereas vertebrae in the lumbar region have facets angled in the sagittal plane. Distinguishing between thoracic, lumbar, and transitional vertebrae at the thoracolumbar junction based on articular facet angles, using quantitative methods on CT scans has, to the authors' knowledge, not yet been reported in the literature. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether quantitative measurements can be clinically applied and used to differentiate vertebrae at the thoracolumbar junction using CT scans and, additionally, to record possible cases of congenital defects or variations observed in the spine. A sample (n=173) of CT scans representative of the Windhoek population in Namibia was retrospectively assessed using radio-imaging software. Measurements of the angle formed by the superior facets of the vertebrae at the thoracolumbar junction (T11-L1) were recorded. Based on the results of this study, quantitative morphometry of the superior facet of vertebrae can differentiate between thoracic, lumbar,. and transitional vertebrae at the thoracolumbar junction. All individuals with identified thoracolumbar transitional vertebrae (TLTV) in this sample had at least one other congenital anomaly of the spine.

Prevalence of Neck Dysfunction in Women Using High Heeled Footwear Working in I.T. Profession

Background: Nowadays, high heels are very commonly used in all age groups. And in some of the I.T companies it is compulsory to wear high heels for min 8 hours per day. Therefore, its negative impact seen on women health. While wearing high heels it is difficult to maintain the balance and Center of Gravity. Therefore, postural changes seen in women during standing and walking there is increase lumbar lordosis to compensate that there is increase in cervical lordosis. These change in spinal curvature will result into the neck dysfunction. Objective: To find out prevalence of neck dysfunction in women using high heeled footwear working in IT profession. Methodology: An observational study was carried out using a cross sectional study design. The study was conducted in the in and around Karad, Maharashtra. Study was conducted using sample size of 95 [ n- 4pq/ L2 ] using high heeled footwear working in IT companies for period of 6 months. The inclusion criteria were age group 20-35 years using high heels regularly for more than 8 hours and height of footwear more than 5 cm. and exclusion criteria was women underwent recent spine surgery including cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine, any congenital deformity of spine. Any recent trauma to spine, musculoskeletal deformity e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis of cervical spine or osteoarthritic condition. Result: The women those are wearing high heeled footwear for more than 8 hours/day with height of footwear &gt;5cm suffering from mild to moderate neck disability and it is significantly seen in age group of 25-35 years. Conclusion: From this study, it can be concluded that the women wearing high heels footwear for more than 8 hours/day suffering from mild to moderate neck dysfunction

Changes in Skeletal System during Pregnancy

Pain localized at the pelvic girdle during and after pregnancy has been keyed out and registered as an entity since the 4th century BC by Hippocrates. Contemporary medical research since the early 20th century has attempted to clarify the spectrum of the different pathologies that this clinical syndrome represents [1]. Up till now, the pregnancy causes changes in spinal curvature and posture remains open for further studies. One of the most frequent complications of pregnancy is low back pain, with 50±70% prevalence [2]. Its incidence is higher in the third trimester of pregnancy, when the most important biomechanical and morphological changes take place. From the second trimester, abdominal morphology is altered by the increased size of the uterus and the weightiness of the fetus, with a 30% gain in abdominal mass [3]. Despite the frequent occurrence of the problem, no explicit criteria for diagnosis and therapy guidelines are available in the literature. The increased size of the abdomen has been linked to a decreased static stability and adaptive changes in spinal curvatures, which would compensate the anterior displacement of the center of gravity, to ensure postural balance [4].

Multi-stage 3D–2D registration for correction of anatomical deformation in image-guided spine surgery

A multi-stage image-based 3D–2D registration method is presented that maps annotations in a 3D image (e.g. point labels annotating individual vertebrae in preoperative CT) to an intraoperative radiograph in which the patient has undergone non-rigid anatomical deformation due to changes in patient positioning or due to the intervention itself.The proposed method (termed msLevelCheck) extends a previous rigid registration solution (LevelCheck) to provide an accurate mapping of vertebral labels in the presence of spinal deformation. The method employs a multi-stage series of rigid 3D–2D registrations performed on sets of automatically determined and increasingly localized sub-images, with the final stage achieving a rigid mapping for each label to yield a locally rigid yet globally deformable solution. The method was evaluated first in a phantom study in which a CT image of the spine was acquired followed by a series of 7 mobile radiographs with increasing degree of deformation applied. Second, the method was validated using a clinical data set of patients exhibiting strong spinal deformation during thoracolumbar spine surgery. Registration accuracy was assessed using projection distance error (PDE) and failure rate (PDE > 20 mm—i.e. label registered outside vertebra).The msLevelCheck method was able to register all vertebrae accurately for all cases of deformation in the phantom study, improving the maximum PDE of the rigid method from 22.4 mm to 3.9 mm. The clinical study demonstrated the feasibility of the approach in real patient data by accurately registering all vertebral labels in each case, eliminating all instances of failure encountered in the conventional rigid method.The multi-stage approach demonstrated accurate mapping of vertebral labels in the presence of strong spinal deformation. The msLevelCheck method maintains other advantageous aspects of the original LevelCheck method (e.g. compatibility with standard clinical workflow, large capture range, and robustness against mismatch in image content) and extends capability to cases exhibiting strong changes in spinal curvature.

Systematic Review of Postural Assessment in Individuals With Obstructive Respiratory Conditions: MEASUREMENT AND CLINICAL ASSOCIATIONS.

Changes in posture in individuals with an obstructive respiratory disease have been reported, but the extent of these deviations and their clinical significance is not well understood. This study aimed to systematically review the literature of the skeletal structural alignment in children and adults with an obstructive respiratory disease, describe the measurement techniques used, and determine the clinical relevance of any alternations. Observational cohort or cross-sectional studies of postural assessment were identified, with 2 reviewers independently assessing study quality. A total of 18 studies were included, 12 in cystic fibrosis (CF), 5 in asthma, and 1 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The overall quality assessment rating was 12.6 out of 16. Increased thoracic kyphosis or scoliosis was found in both children and adults with CF. Increased shoulder protraction and elevation were evident in asthma and COPD, although changes in spinal curvature were variable. The clinical impact of postural changes was diverse, with an inconsistent influence on lung function. A mix of methods was applied for postural assessment. Skeletal structural malalignment appears to be present in some individuals with an obstructive respiratory disease, although the extent of alterations and its clinical impact is variable. Photogrammetry is used to provide a comprehensive assessment of posture in these populations.

Posture and low back pain during pregnancy — 3D study

Back pain is a common complaint of pregnant women. The posture, curvatures of the spine and the center of gravity changes are considered as the mechanisms leading to pain. The study aimed to assess spinal curvatures and static postural characteristics with three-dimensional surface topography and search for relationships with the occurrence of back pain complaints among pregnant women. The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2014. Patients referred from University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics were examined outpatient at the Posture Study Unit of Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Sixty-five women at 4-39 weeks of pregnancy were assessed and surveyed with Oswestry Disability Index; posture was evaluated using surface topography. The study confirmed that difficulties in sitting and standing are significant in the third trimester of the pregnancy. The overall tendency for significant lumbar curvature changes in pregnant women was not confirmed. Major changes in sagittal trunk inclination in relation to the plumb line were not observed in the study group. The issue regarding how the pregnancy causes changes in spinal curvature and posture remains open for further studies. Presented method of 3D surface topography can reveal postural changes, but that requires several exams of each subject and strict follow-up of the series of cases.

Multi-objective analysis for assessing simultaneous changes in regional spinal curvatures under backpack carriage in young adults

Change in sagittal spinal curvature from the neutral upright stance is an important measure of the heaviness and correctness of backpack use. As current recommendations, with respect to spinal profile, of backpack load thresholds were based on the significant curvature change in individual spinal region only, this study investigated the most critical backpack load by assessing simultaneously the spinal curvature changes along the whole spine. A motion analysis system was used to measure the curvature changes in cervical, upper thoracic, lower thoracic and lumbar regions with backpack load at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% of body weight. A multi-objective goal programming model was adopted to determine the global critical load of maximum curvature change of the whole spine in accordance with the maximum curvature changes of the four spinal regions. Results suggested that the most critical backpack load was 13% of body weight for healthy male college students.Practitioner Summary: As current recommendations of backpack load thresholds were based on the significant curvature change in individual spinal region only, this study investigated the backpack load by considering simultaneously the spinal curvature changes along the whole spine. The recommendation, in terms of the global critical load, was 13% of body weight for healthy male college students.

Changes in the spinal curvature, degree of pain, balance ability, and gait ability according to pregnancy period in pregnant and nonpregnant women.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in pain intensity, spinal curvature, and balance and gait ability according to the pregnancy period. [Subjects] Nineteen pregnant women and fifteen nonpregnant women were recruited in this study. [Methods] The pain intensity, spinal curvature, gait, and balance of pregnant women were measured according to the pregnant period (2nd and 3rd trimester). The changes in the pregnant women were also compared with those in the nonpregnant women. [Results] The pain intensity and spinal curvature in the third trimester of pregnancy were significantly increased compared with the second trimester. Only the lumbar spine curvature in the third trimester pregnancy was significantly greater in the pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. The gait velocity and cadence in the third trimester of pregnancy showed a significant decrease compared with the second trimester. The gait speed in the second and third trimester of pregnancy showed a significant decrease in the pregnant women compared with nonpregnant women. Balance in the third trimester of pregnancy showed significant improvement compared with the second trimester. The balance of the pregnant women showed a significant decrease compare with that nonpregnant women only on unstable surfaces. [Conclusion] These research findings can be used as basic data for health promotion programs for sound daily activities in pregnant women.

The effect of spinal curvature on the photogrammetric assessment on static balance in elderly women.

BackgroundInvolutional changes to the body in elderly patients affect the shape of the spine and the activity of postural muscles. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of age-related changes in spinal curvature on postural balance in elderly women.MethodsThe study population consisted of 90 women, with a mean age of 70 ± 8.01 years. Static balance assessments were conducted on a tensometric platform, and posturographic assessments of body posture were performed using a photogrammetric method based on the Projection Moiré method.ResultsThe results obtained were analysed using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient test. We found a statistically significant correlation between body posture and the quality of the balance system response based on the corrective function of the visual system. The shape of the spinal curvature influenced postural stability, as measured by static posturography. Improvement in the quality of the balance system response depended on corrective information from the visual system and proprioceptive information from the paraspinal muscles.ConclusionsThe sensitivity of the balance system to the change of centre of pressure location was influenced by the direction of the change in rotation of the shoulder girdle and spine. Development of spinal curvature in the sagittal plane and maintenance of symmetry in the coronal and transverse planes are essential for correct balance control, which in turn is essential for the development of a properly proportioned locomotor system.

The Plurimetric Assessment Of Spinal Curvature Changes In The Sagittal Plane In Children And Youths, Measured During 10 Years’ Observation

Streszczenie Wstęp: Praca jest 10 letnią obserwacją krzywizn przednio -tylnych kręgosłupa tej samej grupy dzieci i młodzieży. Celem pracy jest wykazanie zasad i prawidłowości zmian postawy dziewcząt i chłopców w badanym okresie ich życia, oraz propozycja oceny postawy na podstawie przedstawionej metody pomiarów wartości kąta lordozy lędźwiowej i kifozy piersiowej przy pomocy prostego kątomierza, która byłyby podstawą kwalifikacji do wady postawy. Materiał i metody: Materiał stanowiła 100 osobowa grupa dzieci i młodzieży w wieku 4-16 lat, 58 dziewcząt i 42 chłopców, badanych pierwszorazowo w roku 1997, następnie ponownie po 10 latach czyli w roku 2007 (w wieku 14-26 lat). Wyniki: W II badaniu częstość występowania pleców okrągłych u dziewcząt we wszystkich grupach wiekowych zmniejszyła się, natomiast u chłopców zwiększyła się, a zmiany były znamienne statystycznie (p&lt;0,05). Wnioski: W okresie 10 lat w badanej grupie dzieci stwierdzono odmienne zmiany postawy u dziewcząt i chłopców. U dziewcząt po okresie dojrzewania stwierdzono transformacje postawy w kierunku zmniejszania kifozy piersiowej i zwiększania lordozy lędźwiowej, natomiast u chłopców obserwowano zmiany postawy w kierunku odwrotnym- powiększania się kifozy piersiowej i zmniejszania lordozy lędźwiowej. Ocena postawy dziecka z użyciem prostych przyrządów pomiarowych wydaje się być dobrą propozycją do kwalifikacji postawy w badaniach przesiewowych i monitorowania efektów leczenia wad postawy.

Changes in Regional Activity of the Psoas Major and Quadratus Lumborum With Voluntary Trunk and Hip Tasks and Different Spinal Curvatures in Sitting

Cross-sectional controlled laboratory study. To investigate the function of discrete regions of psoas major (PM) and quadratus lumborum (QL) with changes in spinal curvature and hip position. Anatomically discrete regions of PM and QL may have differential function on the lumbar spine, based on anatomical and biomechanical differences in their moment arms between fascicles within each muscle. Fine-wire electrodes were inserted with ultrasound guidance into PM fascicles arising from the transverse process (PM-t) and vertebral body (PM-v) and anterior (QL-a) and posterior (QL-p) layers of QL. Recordings were made on 9 healthy participants, who performed 7 tasks with maximal voluntary efforts and adopted 3 sitting postures that involved different spinal curvatures and hip angles. Activity of PM-t was greater during trunk extension than flexion, whereas activity of PM-v was greater during hip flexion than trunk efforts. Activity of QL-p was greater during trunk extension and lateral flexion, whereas QL-a showed greater activity during lateral flexion. During sitting tasks, PM-t was more active when sitting with a short lordosis than a flat (less extended) lumbar spine posture, whereas PM-v was similarly active in both sitting postures. Activity of PM-t was more affected by changes in position of the lumbar spine than the hip, whereas PM-v was more actively involved in the movement of the hip rather than that of the lumbar spine. Moreover, from its anatomy, PM-t has a combined potential to extend/lordose the lumbar spine and flex the hip, at least in a flexed-hip position.

Spinal curvature and characteristics of postural change in pregnant women

Pregnant women often report complaints due to physiological and postural changes. Postural changes during pregnancy may cause low back pain and pelvic girdle pain. This study aimed to compare the characteristics of postural changes in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women. Prospective case-control study. Pregnancy care center. Fifteen women at 17-34 weeks pregnancy comprised the study group, while 10 non-pregnant female volunteers comprised the control group. Standing posture was evaluated in the sagittal plane with static digital pictures. Two angles were measured by image analysis software: (1) between the trunk and pelvis; and (2) between the trunk and lower extremity. Spinal curvature was measured with Spinal Mouse® to calculate the means of sacral inclination, thoracic and lumbar curvature and inclination. The principal components were calculated until eigenvalues surpassed 1. Three distinct factors with eigenvalues of 1.00-2.49 were identified, consistent with lumbosacral spinal curvature and inclination, thoracic spine curvature, and inclination of the body. These factors accounted for 77.2% of the total variance in posture variables. Eleven pregnant women showed postural characteristics of lumbar kyphosis and sacral posterior inclination. Body inclination showed a variety of patterns compared with those in healthy women. Spinal curvature demonstrated a tendency for lumbar kyphosis in pregnant women. Pregnancy may cause changes in spinal curvature and posture, which may in turn lead to relevant symptoms. Our data provide a basis for investigating the effects of spinal curvature and postural changes on symptoms during pregnancy.

Measurement of Postural Change in Trunk Movements Using Three Sensor Modules

This paper introduces a method of using 3-D accelerometers, gyroscopes, and an autoreset algorithm for tracking the trunk movements and estimating the regional trunk postural changes in the sagittal and coronal planes. Three sensor modules of the newly designed sensing system were attached onto the back of the skin surface at the levels of T1/T2, T12, and S1. The angular measurements from the sensor modules were used to estimate the spinal curvature changes of nine healthy subjects during their trunk movements. The measurements of the sensing system were found to be highly correlated with that of a Vicon motion analysis system. The correlation coefficients were found to be greater than 0.994 for dynamic tilting measurements and greater than 0.776 for trunk postural measurements; and the RMS differences were less than 1.5deg for dynamic calibration and less than or equal to 4.5deg for the estimation of trunk postural changes. This method could be considered as a useful way of quantifying the trunk postural information. With further developments in data logging and feedback mechanism, it can become a portable posture tracking and monitoring system for training those with postural deviations even during their normal daily activities.

Association of Kyphosis and Spinal Skeletal Abnormalities with Intrathoracic Stomach: A Link Toward Understanding its Pathogenesis

Modern-day concepts about the pathogenesis of an intrathoracic stomach include crural diaphragm muscular deterioration, loss of phrenoesophageal ligament integrity, and presence of abdominothoracic pressure gradients. The role of spinal abnormalities has received little attention. Based on clinical observation, we hypothesized that kyphosis and other spinal diseases are components of the pathophysiology of an intrathoracic stomach. The study population consisted of 98 patients (men, n = 22; women, n = 76; mean age 69.4 years) undergoing operations for type III or IV hiatal hernia with an intrathoracic stomach. Twenty-four age- and gender-matched control patients without hiatal hernia undergoing pulmonary or pleural procedures were used for comparison. Chest radiographs were assessed for spinal abnormalities, including degree of kyphosis, measured from superior T4 to inferior T12 (modified Cobb method), spinal fractures, osteoporosis, and scoliosis. Statistical analyses included two-sample t-test and Fisher's exact test. Patients with intrathoracic stomach had a greater degree of kyphosis than control patients (Cobb angle, 50.2 degrees versus 39.7 degrees; p < 0.001). This difference was most pronounced in women (Cobb angle, 51.7 degrees versus 40.4 degrees; p < 0.001), although the difference in men was not significant (Cobb angle, 45.0 degrees versus 38.1 degrees; p = 0.25). Patients with an intrathoracic stomach had significantly more vertebral fractures (37 of 98 [38%] versus 3 of 24 [13%]; p < 0.05). There was no difference in prevalence of degenerative changes (51 of 98 [52%], versus 13 of 24 [54%]), osteopenia (30 of 98 [31%] versus 6 of 24 [25%]), and scoliosis (27 of 98 [28%] versus 6 of 24 [25%]). Patients with an intrathoracic stomach have a higher degree of kyphosis and more vertebral fractures than age- and gender-matched controls. These data suggest that change in spinal curvature can be important in the pathogenesis of the intrathoracic stomach, a growing problem of our aging population.

Effect of backpack load placement on posture and spinal curvature in prepubescent children

Parents, educators and researchers have expressed concern about the long term impacts of children carrying excessive loads in their backpacks on a daily basis. Although many researchers have investigated appropriate weight limits for children's packs, little research has been conducted on the design of children's backpacks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in children's trunk forward lean (TFL), cranio-vertebral angle (CVA) and spinal lordosis angle (LA) that occurred with high, medium and low load locations during standing and walking. Ten-year-old children (n = 15) completed a repeated measures designed study while carrying 15% of each child's body weight in a typical backpack with only shoulder straps. A special instrumented backpack (IBP) was designed that allowed the weight to be placed in the proper location and continuously measure changes in spinal curvature. TFL and CVA postures were captured on digital video at five intervals including: standing without a backpack prior to a 1000 m walk; standing with a backpack at the beginning and end of a 1000 m walk; and walking with a backpack at the beginning and end of a 1000 m walk. Results indicated that significant changes occurred in TFL and CVA when the backpack was loaded to 15% body weight. The low load placement in the backpack produced fewer changes in CVA from the initial standing baseline measure than the high and mid placements. When all measures were assessed collectively, there were fewer changes in LA in the low load placement. These findings indicate that future backpack designs should place loads lower on the spine in order to minimize children's postural adaptations.

Biomechanics of Volunteers Subject to Loading by a Motorized Shoulder Belt Tensioner

A biomechanical study using human volunteers. Motorized shoulder belt tensioning is a new seatbelt technology that is likely to be incorporated into future vehicles. The objective of this study was to characterize the upper torso biomechanics of 3 sizes of adult volunteers (5th percentile female, 50th percentile male, and 95th percentile male) subjected to motorized shoulder belt tensioning in the static environment. There is a lack of volunteer data concerning the biomechanics of occupants subject to motorized precrash shoulder belt tensioning. Studies of torso repositioning by the air force for ejection seats are much too aggressive to be relevant to motorized systems. Low-level motorized shoulder belt tensioning is well tolerated by vehicle occupants but optimized performance by occupant size is unknown. Nineteen male and 6 female subjects were instrumented in a fixture designed to support the occupant leaning forward and apply seatbelt tension. The subjects were 5th percentile females, 50th percentile males, and 95th percentile males. Reflective markers were placed on the subjects to monitor torso kinematics during tensioning. Changes in spinal curvature were small during shoulder belt tensioning and the angular motion of the torso originated within 4.2 cm of the pelvis-femur junction or H-point. Torso repositioning and retraction timing was found to be: 54.3 degrees in 0.78 seconds for the 5th percentile female, 57.6 degrees in 0.95 seconds for the 50th percentile male, and 42.2 degrees in 0.92 seconds for the 95th percentile male. Occupant size has a significant effect on retraction time to reposition the torso during shoulder belt tensioning. Larger vehicle occupants require more time because of a slower retraction velocity. The results are sufficiently simple that a lumped-mass model can predict tensioning kinetics.

Trunk posture monitoring with inertial sensors

Measurement of human posture and movement is an important area of research in the bioengineering and rehabilitation fields. Various attempts have been initiated for different clinical application goals, such as diagnosis of pathological posture and movements, assessment of pre- and post-treatment efficacy and comparison of different treatment protocols. Image-based methods for measurements of human posture and movements have been developed, such as the radiography, photogrammetry, optoelectric technique and video analysis. However, it is found that these methods are complicated to set up, time-consuming to operate and could only be applied in laboratory environments. This study introduced a method of using a posture monitoring system in estimating the spinal curvature changes during trunk movements on the sagittal and coronal planes and providing trunk posture monitoring during daily activities. The system consisted of three sensor modules, each with one tri-axial accelerometer and three uni-axial gyroscopes orthogonally aligned, and a digital data acquisition and feedback system. The accuracy of this system was tested with a motion analysis system (Vicon 370) in calibration with experimental setup and in trunk posture measurement with nine human subjects, and the performance of the posture monitoring system during daily activities with two human subjects was reported. The averaged root mean squared differences between the measurements of the system and motion analysis system were found to be < 1.5 degrees in dynamic calibration, and < 3.1 degrees for the sagittal plane and < or = 2.1 degrees for the coronal plane in estimation of the trunk posture change during trunk movements. The measurements of the system and the motion analysis system was highly correlated (> 0.999 for dynamic calibration and > 0.829 for estimation of spinal curvature change in domain planes of movement during flexion and lateral bending). With the sensing modules located on the upper trunk, mid-trunk and the pelvic levels, the inclination of trunk segment and the change of spinal curvature in trunk movements could be estimated. The posture information of five subjects was recorded at 30 s intervals during daily activity over a period of 3 days and 2 h a day. The preliminary results demonstrated that the subjects could improve their posture when feedback signals were provided. The posture monitoring system could be used for the purpose of posture monitoring during daily activity.

Change in Spinal Curvature after Spinal Mobilization Exercise Using a Gym Ball

本研究では，ボールを用いた脊柱可動性増大運動の介入を行うことで生じる脊柱の彎曲角の変化を検討することを目的とした。対象は，下肢・体幹に疾患の無い健常男性10名（平均21±1.1歳）とした。脊柱彎曲角の測定には脊柱計測分析器を用いた。指標は体幹傾斜角，胸椎彎曲角，腰椎彎曲角，仙骨傾斜角とした。立位での体幹屈曲時の脊柱彎曲角を介入前後で計測した。介入はリラックスしてボール上に60秒間腹這位をとることとした。介入前後の脊柱彎曲角をWilcoxonの符号付順位検定を用いて比較した（p＜0.05）。その結果，体幹傾斜角と仙骨傾斜角は介入後に有意に増大し，腰椎彎曲角は有意に減少した。これらの結果から，ボールを用いた脊柱可動性増大運動は，脊柱の彎曲角，主に仙骨傾斜角に影響を及ぼすことが示唆されていた。