The Angle of Trunk Rotation in School Children: A Study from an Idiopathic Scoliosis Screening. Prevalence and Optimal Age Screening Value

(1) Background: Idiopathic scoliosis is a deformity of the growing spine. It affects 2-3% of adolescents; yet its cause is still unknown. At the early stage of idiopathic scoliosis (IS), the signs are not very noticeable. That is why the primarily school-based screening for scoliosis is so important. (2) Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of 6850 respondents. Participants were elementary school students in the metropolitan area of Poland. The suspicion of IS was based on detection of three-dimensional deformity of the spine using scoliometer. (3) Results: Respondents were divided into two groups: Angle of trunk rotation (ATR) = 0-3((o) under bar) and ATR > 3((o) under bar). Presented research using a referral criterion of 5((o) under bar) ATR showed that in the group of participants who had ATR > 3((o) under bar) the largest percentage of 5 degree values was recorded at the second and third measurement level of the spine (30.5%, 31.1%, respectively). Analyzing the differences between the two groups of girls (ATR = 0-3((o) under bar), ATR > 3((o) under bar)), statistically significant differences were recorded between 9 and 11 years of age (p = 0.0388). Girls with ATR > 3o at all measuring levels are significantly slimmer than girls with ATR 0-3((o) under bar); (4) Conclusions: Age; sex, and risk of developing angle of trunk rotation are very closely associated. The main thoracic (level 2) and thoraco-lumbar (level 3) level of measuring of the spine appears to be the most differentiating in the diagnosis of scoliosis. Girls with a lower degree of trunk deformity (4-6((o) under bar) trunk rotation), which can present mild scoliosis and those with a higher degree (7o trunk rotation) have lower body mass than girls within the norm.