Age, Sex, Body Mass Index, and Laterality in the Foot Posture of Adolescents: A Cross Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the right and left foot posture in terms of body mass index (BMI), sex, and age in adolescents aged 10 to 14. METHODS: A total of 1400 adolescents were included. For assessment, the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6) was used. Each foot was assessed and ranked as supinated, normal, or pronated by the sum of the FPI-6 criteria. Each criterion was scored on a scale of -2 to +2, with negative for supinated and positive for pronated posture. A linear mixed model with repeated measures was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Sex, BMI, and right and left foot are associated with FPI-6. The total score attributed for male sex (ß = 0.29, P = .04) and the left foot (ß = 0.73, P < .001) was higher (male right foot: mean ± standard deviation [SD], 3.09 ± 2.84, male left foot: 3.76 ± 2.80; female right foot: mean ± SD, 2.28 ± 2.61, female left foot: 3.45 ± 2.66; laterality for left foot: mean ± SD, 3.55 ± 2.71, laterality for right foot: mean ± SD, 2.82 ± 2.7). On the other hand, the correlation coefficient for the BMI was negative (ß = -0.08, P = < .001), which means that the higher the BMI the lower the score attributed to the FPI-6. CONCLUSIONS: The FPI-6 is positively related to the male sex and the left foot-that is, the predicted score is higher, so the feet tend to present with a tendency to pronation. Although BMI is associated with FPI-6, it was not possible to establish a relationship between high BMI and pronation of the feet.

Posture Alignment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Photogrammetry in Scoliosis School Screening.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the posture patterns of adolescents diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) in a scoliosis school screening (SSS). METHODS: Two-dimensional photogrammetry was used to assess the posture of 37 adolescents diagnosed with scoliosis (scoliosis group, SG) (Cobb angle ≥10°) and 76 adolescents with a false positive diagnosis (false positive group, FPG) (Cobb angle <10°, angle of trunk rotation ≥7°). In total, 2562 10- to 14-year-old adolescents were enrolled in the SSS, which was performed in public schools in the cities of Amparo, Pedreira, and Mogi Mirim in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Their posture was analyzed using Postural Analysis Software. Continuous variables were tested using Student t test, and categorical variables were tested using a χ2 test. The SG, FPG, simple curve group, and double curve group were all compared. Bivariate analysis was used to identify associations between postural deviations and scoliosis. The adopted significance level was α = .05. RESULTS: The SG (2.7 ± 1.9°) had greater shoulder obliquity than the FPG (1.9 ± 1.4°) (P = .010), and this deviation was associated with scoliosis (odds ratio [95% CI] P = 1.4 [1.1-1.8] 0.011). The SG had asymmetry between the right- and left-side lower limb frontal angle, shoulder sagittal alignment, and knee angle. The double curve group (3 ± 1.7°) presented a greater value of the vertical alignment of the torso than the simple curve group did (1.9 ± 1°; P = .032). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents diagnosed with AIS in an SSS had greater shoulder obliquity and asymmetry between the right and left sides. Shoulder obliquity was the only postural deviation associated with AIS.

Spinal postural alignment variance according to sex and age in 7- and 8-year-old children.

PURPOSE: Children's postural alignment undergoes many adjustments due to the changes in body proportions during the stages of growth. The objective of this study was to quantitatively characterize and analyze spinal postural standards in 7- and 8-year-old children to verify which of the differences found were correlated to age and sex. METHODS: Two hundred thirty public school students (Amparo, São Paulo, Brazil) aged 7 to 8 years were divided into groups according to postural alignment, which were further subdivided by sex and age, for comparison. Digital photos of upright subjects were analyzed to evaluate posture. Lumbar and thoracic curvature, pelvic inclination, head posture, and lateral spine deviation were measured using CorelDraw (Ottawa, Canada) software guidelines and bone landmarks. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance data analysis were utilized to verify differences among the groups. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. RESULTS: Mean values for the variables analyzed were calculated. For lumbar lordosis, 7-year-old boys showed 38.49 degrees +/- 15.32 degrees in comparison to all other groups (42.29 degrees +/- 7.13 degrees ). For thoracic kyphosis, the 7-year-old children presented 28.07 degrees +/- 7.73 degrees , and the 8-year-olds 30.32 degrees +/- 7.73 degrees . Pelvic inclination presented a mean value of 15.82 degrees +/- 5.46 degrees and single lateral spine deviation mean value of 3.48 degrees +/- 2.12 degrees . CONCLUSION: For the sample studied, differences based on sex and age were found for some of the body segments analyzed. The values found in this study may contribute to improved physiotherapeutic treatment when associated with other aspects of the clinical assessment and symptomatology.