Katarzyna Walicka-CupryÅ›
University of Rzeszow, Poland
Title: Shape of sagittal plane spinal curvatures in prematurely born children at the start of school education
Biography
Biography: Katarzyna Walicka-CupryÅ›
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Uterine cavity is an ideal place for proper fetal development, therefore reduced duration of growth in this perfect environment leads to certain developmental disparities between preterm and full-term children. Most characteristically, children born prematurely present with poor muscle tone, and greater muscle tone in extensors than in flexors, contrary to normal physiological tonus observed in children born full-term. These factors may promote altered body posture, in particular, linked with the vertebral column, and they may contribute to incorrect development of anteroposterior spinal curvatures at a later time. Purpose of the study is assessment of anteroposterior spinal curvatures in children born prematurely.
Materials & Methods: The study was carried out in a group of 101 children, aged 6-7 years, with mean age of 6.63. The group of preterm children consisted of 50 subjects: 26 boys (52%), and 24 girls (48%). The 51 controls: 22 boys (41%) and 29 girls (59%), were randomly selected from a group of 200 full-term children, and matched for age and sex with the children in the study group. Criteria for inclusion in the study: guardians’ and children’s consent for participation in the study, lack of neurologic and orthopaedic disorders affecting body posture. The study group was birth before gestational age of 32 weeks; the control group was birth after 37 weeks of gestation. Basic anthropometric measurements were performed to assess body mass and height. Spinal curvatures were examined with mechanical inclinometer, in accordance with the method developed by Walicka-CupryÅ› and Drużbicki (Figure 1). Validity of the observed relationships was verified with adequate statistical tests: Student’s t-test/Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson’s chi-squared test.
Results: The findings show no statistically significant differences in the inclination of the sacral bone, in thoracolumbar transition, and in the size of lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis. Considerably smaller angles were observed in the inclination of the upper (p=0.001) and central (p=0.000) part of the thoracic spine in the preterm children.
Conclusions: Preterm birth does not affect the shape of anteroposterior spinal curvatures and does not correlate with the frequency of defects in the sagittal plane. However the factor is related to significantly smaller inclination of the upper and central part of the thoracic spine in comparison to full-term children.