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Spinal postural changes during the modified Matthiass test in healthy children

Interday and interrater reliability of dynamic rasterstereographic measurements

Haltungsänderungen der Wirbelsäule während des modifizierten Matthiass-Tests bei gesunden Kindern

Reliabilität von dynamischen Rasterstereogrpahischen Messungen an mehreren Tagen und durch mehrere Versuchsleiter

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Abstract

Objective

The Matthiass test serves to identify postural insufficiencies by evaluating the sagittal posture but this subjective assessment may be responsible for different reports on the prevalence of postural insufficiencies in children. Previously, rasterstereography was used to objectify this clinical test. Until now, the coupling of the Matthiass test with rasterstereography has not yet been applied to children and the reliability is unknown; therefore, the objective of our study was to provide interday and interrater reliability of rasterstereographic measurements during dynamic (modified Matthiass test) and static trials (only interday) in healthy children.

Methods

Trunk inclination, kyphotic, and lordotic angles were measured using rasterstereography during static and dynamic trials (modified Matthiass test: 90° shoulder flexion, hand-held load, 5% of body weight). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated using a two-way mixed model (absolute agreement, average measure).

Results

In this study 21 healthy children were assessed (age range 10–12 years). Dynamic rasterstereographic measurements showed fair to good interday and interrater reliability (ICC 0.46–0.70) and static measurements good to excellent interday reliability (ICC 0.63–0.91).

Conclusion

Dynamic rasterstereography during the modified Matthiass test furnishes reliable data serving to objectify spinal changes of healthy children and detect postural insufficiencies. Additional efforts are needed to investigate how the early detection of postural insufficiencies can help to prevent back pain in children, adolescents and adults.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund

Der Matthiass-Test dient der Beurteilung von Haltung und Haltungsinsuffizienz in der Sagittalebene. Seine subjektive Methodik könnte für verschiedene Angaben der Prävalenz von kindlicher Haltungsinsuffizienz verantwortlich sein. Obwohl dieser Test anhand der Rasterstereographie objektiviert wurde, kam diese verbesserte Methode nie bei Kindern zur Anwendung und Angaben zur Reliabilität fehlen. Das Ziel unserer Studie war es, die Reliabilität von rasterstereographischen Messungen an mehreren Tagen und durch mehrere Versuchsleiter während des modifizierten Matthiass-Tests bei gesunden Kindern bereitzustellen.

Methoden

Die Rumpfneigung, der Kyphose- und Lordosewinkel wurden anhand der Rasterstereographie während statischer und dynamischer Messungen (modifizierter Matthiass-Tests: Arme in Vorhalte, handgehaltenes Gewicht, 5 % des Körpergewichts) beurteilt. Die Reliabilität wurde mittels der Intraclass-Korrelation (ICC, „absolute agreement, average measure“) berechnet.

Ergebnisse

In dieser Studie wurden 21 Kinder (10–12 Jahre) beurteilt. Haltungsänderungen der Wirbelsäule während des Matthiass-Tests zeigten mittelmäßige bis gute Werte der Reliabilität an mehreren Tagen und durch mehrere Versuchsleiter (ICC 0,46–0,70) und während statischer Messungen gute bis exzellente Werte der Reliabilität an mehreren Tagen (ICCs 0,63–0,91).

Schlussfolgerung

Die dynamische Rasterstereographie liefert reliable Messdaten, die es ermöglichen Haltungsänderungen der Wirbelsäule von gesunden Kindern während des modifizierten Matthiass-Tests zu objektivieren und Haltungsinsuffizienz festzustellen. Zukünftige Studien sollten klären, wie eine frühzeitige Feststellung von Haltungsinsuffizienz dabei hilft, Rückenschmerzen bei Kindern, Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen zu verhindern.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

ICC:

Intraclass correlation coefficient

ILS:

Lumbosacral inflection point

ITL:

Thoracolumbar inflection point

ICT:

Cervicothoracic inflection point

KA:

Kyphotic angle

LA:

Lordotic angle

MT:

Modified Matthiass test

MT1:

1st second of the modified Matthiass test

MT30:

30th second of the modified Matthiass test

MTΔ:

Difference between 1st and 30th second of modified Matthiass test

PAQ-C:

Physical activity questionnaire for older children

S1:

1st static trial, arms hanging

S2:

2nd static trial, arms in 90° shoulder flexion

SEM:

Standard error of measurementt

TI:

Trunk inclination angle

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Funding

Behörde für Wissenschaft und Forschung des Landes Hamburg (PV4971). Dr. Inke Marie Albertsen

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Altona Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Bleickenallee 38, 22763, Hamburg, Germany

    Inke Marie Albertsen, Kornelia Babin & Ralf Stücker

  2. Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Institute of Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Kristina Dettmann, Jan Schröder & Karsten Hollander

  3. Department of Sport Science, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany

    Astrid Zech

  4. Department of Orthopedics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Kornelia Babin & Ralf Stücker

Authors
  1. Inke Marie Albertsen
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  2. Kristina Dettmann
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  3. Kornelia Babin
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  4. Ralf Stücker
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  5. Jan Schröder
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  6. Astrid Zech
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  7. Karsten Hollander
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Inke Marie Albertsen.

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Conflict of interest

I.M. Albertsen, K. Dettmann, K. Babin, R. Stücker, J. Schröder, A. Zech and K. Hollander declare that they have no competing interests.

All procedures involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee (protocol no. PV4971) and the 1964 Helsinki Declaration (in its current revised form). Informed consent was obtained from all participants and their parents or legal guardians.

Additional information

Inke Marie Albertsen was fully involved in the conception of the study, acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data, and drafting and revising the manuscript. Kristina Dettmann was fully involved in the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data, and drafting and revising the manuscript. Kornelia Babin was fully involved in the conception of the study, interpretation of data, and revising the manuscript. Ralf Stücker was fully involved in revising the manuscript. Jan Schröder was fully involved in interpretation of data and revising the manuscript. Astrid Zech was fully involved in the conception of the study and revising the manuscript. Karsten Hollander was fully involved in the conception of the study, analysis and interpretation of data, and drafting and revising the manuscript.

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Albertsen, I.M., Dettmann, K., Babin, K. et al. Spinal postural changes during the modified Matthiass test in healthy children. Orthopäde 47, 567–573 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00132-018-3558-z

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