Invariance of head-pelvis alignment and compensatory mechanisms for asymptomatic adults older than 49 years

Abstract

CAM-HA and OD-HA appeared quasi-invariant even in asymptomatic elderly. Some subjects exhibited alteration of spine alignment, compensated at the pelvis and cervical regions.

Cervical Spine Hyperextension and Altered Posturo-Respiratory Coupling in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

“…However, the upper cervical hyperextension and anterior projection of the head are potentially problematic for the maintenance of balance (35). We have already established that, in OSAS patients, the head-pelvis alignment remains close to the vertical, with a normal OD-HA angle (36), however the compensation to maintain this alignment seems different to that observe in the elderly (29). Indeed, we did not observed in our patients any pelvic compensation (29).…”

“…We have already established that, in OSAS patients, the head-pelvis alignment remains close to the vertical, with a normal OD-HA angle (36), however the compensation to maintain this alignment seems different to that observe in the elderly (29). Indeed, we did not observed in our patients any pelvic compensation (29). Conversely we observed a compensatory thoracic hyperkyphosis (24,29).…”

“…The data from both groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney test for discontinuous data and by Fisher's exact test for qualitative variables. Postural alignment was also compared to corridors of normality previously published (29).…”

“…In the context of the pathological posturo-respiratory interaction which is central to the hypothesis of our study, we would expect to detect alterations of spinal alignment which may interfere with the maintenance of vertical balance (29,35), an increase in postural dysfunction of ventilatory origin, and/or reduced effectiveness in the mechanisms that counter this disturbance (31). In order to explore this, we studied posturorespiratory coupling in a group of OSAS patients and matched controls (27), using stabilometric recordings and non-invasive monitoring of ventilation using a motion capture system.…”

“…We hypothesized that it may be the result of a pathological interaction between postural and ventilatory functions. Twelve patients with OSAS (4 women, age 53 years [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63] (median [quartiles]), apnea hypopnea index 31/h [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]) were compared with 12 healthy matched controls. Low dose biplanar X-rays (EOS ® system) were acquired and personalized three-dimensional models of the spine and pelvis were reconstructed.…”