Josette Bettany-Saltikov

By Josette Bettany-Saltikov, Tim Cook, Manuel Rigo, Jean Claude De Mauroy, Michele Romano, Stefano Negrini, Jacek Durmala, Ana del Campo, Christine Colliard, Andrejz M'hango and Marianna Bialek

Part of the book: Physical Therapy Perspectives in the 21st Century

By Josette Bettany‐Saltikov, Gokulakannan Kandasamy, Dariusz Czaprowski and Lukasz Stolinski

Abnormalities of posture are a common cause of pain and disability. Objective measurement systems for postural evaluation are not widely accessible in the UK especially on the National Health Service. Within physiotherapy practice one of the most common methods of assessing posture and/or back shape is by visual observation which is prone to error and lacks objectivity. The study has sought to produce normative values for back shape and posture indices in young asymptomatic adults. A convenience sample of 100 Teesside University (TU) students were recruited. This study used a 3‐D Digitizer. Data was analyzed using SPSS. The acromion and the inferior scapular angle in the dorsal frontal plane differed between the right and left shoulders of the back in females. The distance between the inferior angle of the scapula and the apical thoracic vertebrae also differed. No other statistically significant differences were found in distances between key landmarks. Overall young adults are very symmetrical. Frontal plane angles showed that overall healthy young adults have relatively straight spines. The left inferior angle of the scapula in females was found to be rotated anteriorly in comparison to the right shoulder. Results will provide a normative database for clinicians who routinely assess back posture.

Part of the book: Innovations in Spinal Deformities and Postural Disorders

By Gok Kandasamy, Josette Bettany-Saltikov and Paul van Schaik

The clinical assessment of spinal deformities often involves the assessment of posture and back shape together with the associated mobility of the spine, pelvis and rib cage. Currently, there is a wide range of posture and back shape assessment tools available for clinical use. The choice varies from conventional approach to advanced structured light methods. The advanced methods like ultrasound, 3D radiography and inertial sensors are not easily accessible to most clinicians, as they are either expensive, require specialist training or are complex and/or difficult to use. Thus, simple conventional methods like eyeballing, photography and the plumb line are still used within clinical practice today. The primary aim of this article is to give an overview of different tactile and non-tactile measurement systems that have been developed for the measurement of posture and whole-body analysis.

Part of the book: Spinal Deformities in Adolescents, Adults and Older Adults

By Adam Park, Josette Bettany-Saltikov and Jonathan Ling

This chapter details a mixed-methods investigation of the experiences and effectiveness of a soft brace for adults with degenerative scoliosis. Study 1 explored patients’ experiences of living with scoliosis, together with the pain and quality of life they experienced as a result of scoliosis. The secondary aims of the qualitative aspect of the study were to explore patient perceptions of wearing the soft brace together with the overall functionality and practicalities of the brace design. We found the main experiences of living with scoliosis in people over 50 were one of constant pain and limited activity. The interviews also identified the benefits of wearing the brace along with design issues associated with the comfort and practicalities of wearing the brace. Study 2 investigated the quantitative effects the brace had on adults with degenerative scoliosis. The quantitative questionnaire results were compared with those from the control group who did not receive the brace. Overall, we found that patients in interviews reported improvements in their quality of life, although these improvements were not reflected in the quantitative results. Implications of our findings for the treatment of adults with scoliosis by bracing, and directions for future work are discussed.

Part of the book: Spinal Deformities in Adolescents, Adults and Older Adults