Test-retest, inter- and intra-rater reliability of the flexicurve for evaluation of the spine in children.

Introduction: The early evaluation of the spine in children is desirable because it is at this stage of development that the greatest changes in the body structures occur.

Objective: To determine the test-retest, intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Flexicurve instrument for the evaluation of spinal curvatures in children.

Method: Forty children ranging from 5 to 15 years of age were evaluated by two independent evaluators using the Flexicurve to model the spine.

[Risk factors associated with structural postural changes in the spinal column of children and adolescents].

Objective:: To investigate the association between behavioral risk factors, specifically postural habits, with the presence of structural changes in the spinal column of children and adolescents.

Methods:: 59 students were evaluated through the self-reporting Back Pain and Body Posture Evaluation Instrument and spinal panoramic radiographic examination. Spine curvatures were classified based on Cobb angles, as normal or altered in the saggital plane and as normal or scoliotic in the frontal plane.

Can the adapted arcometer be used to assess the vertebral column in children?

Background: The adapted arcometer has been validated for use in adults. However, its suitability for use in children can be questioned given the structural differences present in these populations.

Objective: To verify the concurrent validity, repeatability, and intra- and inter-reproducibility of the adapted arcometer for the measurement of the angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis in children.