Postural development in school children: a cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Background

Little information on quantitative sagittal plane postural alignment and evolution in children exists. The objectives of this study are to document the evolution of upright, static, sagittal posture in children and to identify possible critical phases of postural evolution (maturation).

Methods

A total of 1084 children (aged 4–12 years) received a sagittal postural evaluation with the Biotonix postural analysis system. Data were retrieved from the Biotonix internet database. Children were stratified and analyzed by years of age with n = 36 in the youngest age group (4 years) and n = 184 in the oldest age group (12 years). Children were analyzed in the neutral upright posture. Variables measured were sagittal translation distances in millimeters of: the knee relative to the tarsal joint, pelvis relative to the tarsal joint, shoulder relative to the tarsal joint, and head relative to the tarsal joint. A two-way factorial ANOVA was used to test for age and gender effects on posture, while polynomial trend analyses were used to test for increased postural displacements with years of age.

Results

Two-way ANOVA yielded a significant main effect of age for all 4 sagittal postural variables and gender for all variables except head translation. No age × gender interaction was found. Polynomial trend analyses showed a significant linear association between child age and all four postural variables: anterior head translation (p < 0.001), anterior shoulder translation (p < 0.001), anterior pelvic translation (p < 0.001), anterior knee translation (p < 0.001). Between the ages of 11 and 12 years, for anterior knee translation, T-test post hoc analysis revealed only one significant rough break in the continuity of the age related trend.

Conclusion

A significant linear trend for increasing sagittal plane postural translations of the head, thorax, pelvis, and knee was found as children age from 4 years to 12 years. These postural translations provide preliminary normative data for the alignment of a child's sagittal plane posture.

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Most cited references 29

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A descriptive epidemiology of screen-based media use in youth: a review and critique.

Trish Gorely, S Biddle, Andrew S J Marshall (2006)

The purpose of this systematic review was to (i) estimate the prevalence and dose of television (TV) viewing, video game playing and computer use, and (ii) assess age-related and (iii) secular trends in TV viewing among youth (< or = 18 yr). Ninety studies published in English language journals between 1949 and 2004 were included, presenting data from 539 independent samples (the unit of analysis). Results suggest contemporary youth watch on average 1.8-2.8 h of TV per day, depending on age and gender. Most (66%) are "low users" (< 2 h day(-1)) of TV but 28% watch more than 4 h day(-1). Boys and girls with access to video games spend approximately 60 and 23 min day(-1), respectively, using this technology. Computer use accounts for an additional 30 min day(-1). Age-specific data suggest TV viewing decreases during adolescence, but those considered "high users" at young ages are likely to remain high users when older. For children with access to a television set, the number of hours spent viewing does not appear to have increased over the past 50 years.

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Sagittal alignment of the spine and pelvis during growth.

John R Dimar, Randal R. Betz, Eric Berthonnaud … (2004)

Prospective study of the sagittal plane alignment of the spine and pelvis in the normal pediatric population. To document the sagittal alignment of the spine and pelvis and its change during growth in the normal pediatric population. Pelvic morphology as well as sagittal alignment of the spine and pelvis in the pediatric population are poorly defined in the literature. Five parameters were evaluated on lateral standing radiographs of 180 normal study participants 4 to 18 years of age: thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence. Statistical analysis was performed using two-tailed Student t tests and Pearson's coefficients (level of significance = 0.01). The mean thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence values were 43.0 degrees, 48.5 degrees, 41.2 degrees, 7.2 degrees and 48.4 degrees, respectively. There was no significant difference between males and females. Thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence were found to be weakly correlated with age, while sacral slope remained stable with growth. Pelvic morphology, as measured by the pelvic incidence angle, tends to increase during childhood and adolescence before stabilizing into adulthood, most likely to maintain an adequate sagittal balance in view of the physiologic and morphologic changes occurring during growth. Pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis, two position-dependent parameters, also react by increasing with age, most likely to avoid inadequate anterior displacement of the body center of gravity. Sacral slope is achieved with the standing posture and is not further significantly influenced by age. These results are important to establish baseline values for these measurements in the pediatric population, in view of the reported association between pelvic morphology and the development of various spinal disorders such as spondylolisthesis and scoliosis.

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Low back pain in schoolchildren: occurrence and characteristics.

Kath D Watson, Ann Papageorgiou, Gareth Jones … (2002)

Low back pain in adolescents is perceived to be uncommon in the clinic setting. However, previous studies have suggested that it may be an important and increasing problem in this age-group. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and important symptom characteristics of low back pain such as duration, periodicity, intensity, disability and health seeking behaviour at young ages. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted including 1446 children aged 11-14 years in the North-West of England. A self-complete questionnaire was used to assess low back pain prevalence, symptom characteristics, associated disability and health seeking behaviour. An additional self-complete questionnaire amongst parents sought to validate pain reporting. The 1-month period prevalence of low back pain was 24%. It was higher in girls than boys (29 vs. 19%; 2=14.7, P<0.001) and increased with age in both sexes (P<0.001). Of those reporting low back pain, 94% experienced some disability, with the most common reports being of difficulty carrying school bags. Despite this high rate of disability, few sought medical attention. Adolescent low back pain is common although medical attention is rarely sought. Such symptoms in childhood, particularly as they are so common, may have important consequences for chronic low back pain in adulthood.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Chiropr Osteopat

Title: Chiropractic & Osteopathy

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1746-1340

Publication date Collection: 2007

Publication date (Electronic): 4 January 2007

Volume: 15

Page: 1

Affiliations

[1 ]Département des Sciences de l'activité physique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351, boul. des Forges, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières (QC), G9A 5H7, Canada

[2 ]Département de Chiropratique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351, boul. des Forges, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières (QC), G9A 5H7, Canada

[3 ]Ruby Mountain Chiropractic Center & CBP NonProfit Inc, Elko, NV 89801, USA

Article

Publisher ID: 1746-1340-15-1

DOI: 10.1186/1746-1340-15-1

PMC ID: 1781952

PubMed ID: 17204148

SO-VID: 5754bf05-7e4c-4c35-847d-6ec15073b0a3

License:

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Postural development in school children: a cross-sectional study

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Abstract

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Most cited references 29

A descriptive epidemiology of screen-based media use in youth: a review and critique.

Sagittal alignment of the spine and pelvis during growth.

Low back pain in schoolchildren: occurrence and characteristics.

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