Introduction: A quantitative dynamic assessment of the spine and the back is essential for both conservative and surgical management of patients with AIS. Whilst there are several procedures described in the literature for radiological examination of patients, there is a clear paucity of information on non-invasive methodology. Optoelectronic movement analysis systems have been shown useful in previous studies examining marker placement procedures for gait analysis in scoliotic patients. This paper provides a database of “normal” ranges of movement (ROM) using one such procedure.
Materials and Methods: 20 adults providing full informed consent participated in this study. Ethical approval was granted from University Ethics Committee. Three-dimensional kinematic data was captured using a passive marker based motion analysis system (Vicon, OMG, UK). As described previously, the marker set consisted of 12 markers creating four segments in the back. Each subject performed 3 right and left lateral flexion, a full transverse plane rotation starting from a normal standing posture and a set of walking trials on a self selected speed. Angular and temporal kinematic parameters were estimated.
Results and conclusion: The findings highlight the usefulness of this marker set for spine and back movement analysis. Given the ease of choosing the landmarks, this marker set will prove useful for novice examiners. Results indicate little intra subject variability in angular measurements and provide baseline measurements for future research. Further studies with patients are warranted to validate these findings.
Significance: The ROM identified in this study are applicable to initial screenings and surgical evaluations of scoliosis.