Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2009 39(2): 43-52

Assessment of the influence of examination postures on postural stability by means of the DTP-3 diagnostic system

Peter D. C. Phiri¹, Jakub Krejčí², Jiří Salinger²

¹ Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation, Catholic University, Leuven

² Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University, Olomouc

Background: When examining spinal shape by means of radiographic methods, as well as non radiographic non invasive methods, standardisation of the examined person's posture is essential.

Objective: Standardizing examination posture serves to enable the mutual comparison of the results from examinations when performed using different methods. Furthermore, a suitable examination posture should reduce postural sway and thus increase the reliability of such an examination.

Methods: For the purpose of assessing the influence of fixation on reducing postural sway in a subject undergoing an examination, two examination postures with different degrees of fixation were proposed: posture D - a standing position with shoulders supported against a fixation frame and posture F - prone lying on a fixation bed. Those postures were compared with posture A - the free standing position. For the examination of spinal shape and postural stability, the DTP-3 microcomputer diagnostic system was used, which makes it possible to measure a three-dimensional position of points by applying a non invasive contact method. The examination consists of palpating and marking the skin projection of the left and right lateral parts of the acromion, bilateral posterior superior iliac spine, and the processus spinosi. The marked points are scanned by touching them with the position sensor stylus and transmitted into a computer, where they are displayed as output protocols in the form of tables and graphs. The experimental part included the measurement of 80 subjects (40 men and 40 women, aged 23.1 ± 2.5 years). Each subject was measured five times in each examination posture, and the average spinal curve was calculated, as well as the standard deviation, evaluating the postural sway of the examined subject.

Results: It results from the assessment of the effects of fixation on postural sway reduction, which increased fixation in examination postures A-D-F results to postural sway reduction, expressed by means of standard deviations in the mediolateral direction: 3.63-1.12-0.86 [mm], in the posterioanterior direction: 5.25-2.94-1.33 [mm] and in the caudocranial direction: 1.30-1.33-1.00 [mm]. It further results from the assessment that postures D and F significantly reduce postural sway towards posture A and posture F further reduces postural sway towards posture D.

Keywords: postural sway, examination posture, non-invasive diagnostics, DTP-3 microcomputer diagnostic system

Prepublished online: February 3, 2010; Published: March 1, 2009  Show citation