Respiratory muscle strength in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis

Jacek Durmala¹ and Waldemar Tomalak²

¹Department of Rehabilitation, Medical University of Silesia, 40-170 Katowice, Poland

²IGiChP o/Rabka Zroj, Poland

author email corresponding author email

from 4th International Conference on Conservative Management of Spinal Deformities
Boston, MA, USA. 13–16 May 2007

Scoliosis 2007, 2(Suppl 1):S4doi:10.1186/1748-7161-2-S1-S4

The electronic version of this abstract is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.scoliosisjournal.com/content/2/S1/S4

Published:

12 October 2007

Objective

The aim of the study was to assess the respiratory muscle strength in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (IS), conservatively treated using exercises by Dobosiewicz [1].

Study design

The study group included eighty-one subjects (65 female, 16 male) aged 7 to 17 years (mean age 14.3 ± 2.3 years) with thoracic scoliosis (n = 44) and double major scoliosis (n = 37). Mean Cobb angle was 39 degrees (SD 17.8) and mean apical vertebral rotation (AVR) was 12 ± 7.1 degrees.

Methods

Vital capacity (VC) was measured using Jaeger's spirometer and values were compared to Zapletal's recommendations [2]. Maximal static respiratory pressures including maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), were measured according to W. Tomalak's recommendations for Polish children [3]. Measurements were made using a portable, digital pressure meter equipped with the Omega PX25 pressure transducer (ZETA product – model MMM2).

Results and conclusion

The maximal static respiratory pressures (percent predicted value) in children with scoliosis conservatively treated using exercises by Dobosiewicz were normal (MIP mean 119.1 ± 40.25%). For MEP, values (mean 164.9 ± 35.96%) were even higher than predicted, which may be related to age (the norm of adolescents is extrapolated) and/or the effect of rehabilitation on physical performance.

References

Dyner-Jama I, Dobosiewicz K, Niepsuj K, Niepsuj G, Jedrzejewska A, Czernicki K: Effect of asymmetric respiratory exercise therapy on respiratory system function; evaluation using spirometric examination in children with idiopathic scoliosis.
Wiad Lek 2000, 53:603-610. PubMed Abstract
Polish
Zapletal A: Lung function in children and adolescents. Methods, Reference Values. In Progress in respiration research. Edited by: Zapletal A, Samanak M, Paul T. Basel: Karger; 1987:114-218.
Tomalak W, Pogorzelski A, Prusak J: Normal values for maximal static inspiratory and expiratory pressures in healthy children.
Ped Pulmon 2002, 34:42-46. Publisher Full Text

This article is part of the supplement: 4th International Conference on Conservative Management of Spinal Deformities