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Analysis of coordination between thoracic and pelvic kinematic movements during gait in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis

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Abstract

Purpose

In this research, we investigated the coordination pattern and consistency of coordination between the thorax and pelvis during gait in patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods

Across the study, 69 adolescent girls (controls: 30, patients: 39) participated. All participants were asked to walk 10 m barefoot at a self-selected speed. The walking speed, stride length, and range of motion of the pelvic and thoracic angles were collected using a three-dimensional optical motion analysis system, and the thorax–pelvis coordination was quantified using a vector coding technique. The frequency of four different patterns of coordination (in-phase, anti-phase, pelvis only, and thorax only) and the consistency of coordination including direction and magnitude during the gait cycle of the two groups were investigated. Independent-sample t tests were performed to examine differences between the two groups with regard to coordination patterns and consistency.

Results

The patients with idiopathic scoliosis showed significantly higher in-phase and relatively lower anti-phase in the transverse plane compared to controls. Additionally, the pelvis only in the transverse, frontal, and sagittal planes was significantly lower in patients. The consistency of coordination in patients was significantly lower than in controls in direction and magnitude on the transverse and frontal planes.

Conclusion

From viewpoint of the thorax–pelvis coordination, patients with IS had less gait stability in the trunk than controls.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (No. NRF-2013R1A1A2009495).

Conflict of interest

None.

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Bio-Mechatronic Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Natural Sciences Campus, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 440-746, Korea

      Hyun-Joon Park, Taeyong Sim, Hyeran Koo & Joung Hwan Mun

    2. Department of Orthopedics, Scoliosis Research Institute, Korea University Medical College, Guro Hospital, 148 Gurodong-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul, 152-703, Korea

      Seung-Woo Suh & Jae Hyuk Yang

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    1. Hyun-Joon Park
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    Correspondence to Joung Hwan Mun.

    Additional information

    H.-J. Park, T. Sim and S.-W. Suh contributed equally.

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    Park, HJ., Sim, T., Suh, SW. et al. Analysis of coordination between thoracic and pelvic kinematic movements during gait in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Eur Spine J 25, 385–393 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-3931-0

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-3931-0

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