Longitudinal changes in musculoskeletal findings of elementary and junior high school students: a 1-year prospective study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of musculoskeletal findings in elementary and junior high school children using 1-year prospective longitudinal data from a long-term survey. Data from 1209 (97.6%) of 1239 children were analyzed. The main results were as follows: "Limitation of standing forward flexion" was particularly frequent in the 4 th grade in all children and in the 5 th grade in boys and girls going on to the next grade. "Flat foot" was particularly frequent in boys in the 1 st , 6 th , and 8 th grades going on to the next grade. In girls, the frequency of "flat foot" was particularly high in the 1 st , 4 th , and 8 th grades going on to the next grade. Findings of scoliosis appeared more often in girls than in boys. Minor findings such as "asymmetrical height of the shoulder and scapula", first appearing in the 4 th and 5 th grades, may be linked to the increase in "Rib hump" in the stage entering junior high school; it is important to pay attention to such changes in the scoliosis findings. This 1-year prospective longitudinal analysis demonstrated that the frequency of some musculoskeletal findings was high. We suggest that an extended longitudinal study will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between the appearance of musculoskeletal findings and growth and development in school children. Accordingly, further analysis of the various stages of growth and development are needed.

Effect of temporary school closure due to COVID-19 on musculoskeletal function in elementary school children

“…Five years have passed since the start of musculoskeletal examinations, and several reports on musculoskeletal functions have been published. Based on the report that many findings are related to flexibility, such as standing trunk flexion and limited range of motion of the ankle joint 8 ) , and on the results of our study 6 , 9 , 10 ) , we thought that the standing trunk flexion test, which is one of the recommended items of the checklist for musculoskeletal examination, could be an objective indicator of musculoskeletal function. Initially, we expected that there would be a difference in the results of the functional assessment of standing trunk flexion depending on the period of absence from school or relative inactivity.…”

“…All children attending a public elementary school in T-city, I prefecture, in the school years 2020 and 2019 were included in this study. This school routinely conducts an annual musculoskeletal examination in collaboration with T-city 4 , 5 , 6 ) . During the implementation of the musculoskeletal examination, the results of the standing trunk flexion test were used, as it has been measured annually in recent years along with other musculoskeletal parameters.…”

Perbedaan pengaruh Short Foot Exercise dan Towel Curl Exercise terhadap keseimbangan dinamis pada remaja Flat foot

“…Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Alsuhaymi et al (2019) terhadap 403 anak dan remaja awal pada usia 7-14 tahun di Saudi Arabia mengungkapkan bahwa 29,5% mengalami flat foot. Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Kasai et al (2020) terhadap 1.208 siswa sekolah dasar dan sekolah menengah pertama di Negara Jepang didapatkan hasil 225 siswa mengalami flat foot dengan distribusi kejadian flat foot pada siswa laki laki sebanyak 128 (21%) dan pada perempuan sebanyak 97 (16%). Sedangkan penelitian di Indonesia menunjukkan bahwa 18% dari 33 anak dan remaja Sekolah Menengah Pertama usia 9-12 tahun mengalami flat foot (Zahidah et al, 2019).…”

Four-year musculoskeletal examinations among elementary and junior high school students across a single city

“…Our institution have been using a system of musculoskeletal screening for several years before the legal revision, and the system could demonstrate the usefulness of musculoskeletal screening 1 ) . In such circumstances, with the combined efforts of health educators including teachers, school doctors, nursing teachers, and medical associations and appropriate understanding of the health education system, we implemented a unified musculoskeletal examination for all public elementary and junior high schools in T-city 2 , 3 ) . This examination is still ongoing in our institution.…”