Outcome of in-patient rehabilitation in patients with M. Scheuermann evaluated by surface topography

For the follow-up of patients with sagittal spinal deformities and postural disorders, we do not have well validated measuring systems at our disposal. All clinical measuring parameters are liable to a high margin of error. With a growing number of patients suffering from postural disorders and kyphoses, we have to look for other possibilities to monitor changes of the back, as well as in the short term, without the support of X-rays. As the measuring of the surface with the Formetric system showed a high measurement reliability in previous studies, we used this system to demonstrate the rehabilitation results of our patients with Scheuermann's disease. An intervention study (pre-/post-design) was undertaken including the following material.: 62 female patients with Scheuermann's disease and an average age of 19 years old and 74 male patients with Scheuermann's disease and an average age of 20 years old were measured with the Formetric system before an in-patient rehabilitation of four to six weeks. For this study, we evaluated the maximal kyphotic angle as shown by the system. In the case of female patients, the maximal kyphotic angle decreased highly significantly from sixty two to nearly fifty four degrees. In the case of the male patients, it decreased from sixty to nearly fifty five degrees at the end. It showed that the surface measuring system with the Formetric System is a reliable instrument for the follow-up of sagittal postural disorders and kyphoses for the present study, especially in the case of Scheuermann's disease. In praxis, the use of this measurement is very easy, we obtain the measurement results very quickly, so that the evaluation of data is not very time consuming. After the in patient treatment, the kyphotic angle decreased highly significantly. The changes range far above the margin of error, thus the following conclusions are justified. Firstly, the Formetric System is the appropriated instrument for the follow-up of postural disorder and kyphoses. Secondly, the in-patient rehabilitation with an intensive treatment program may result in a correction of also structural kyphoses with sure signs of Scheuermann's disease. Thus we recommend an in-patient rehabilitation in adolescent age in case of Scheuermann kyphoses with large curvatures and in case of Scheuermann kyphoses in adults suffering from pain.