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Spinal curvature and characteristics of postural change in pregnant women
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 08/02/2012
Okanishi N et al. – 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. The data provide a basis for investigating the effects of spinal curvature and postural changes on symptoms during pregnancy.
Methods- 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.
- 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.