Postural assessment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate postural changes in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) by means of the Software for Postural Assessment (SPA). Thirty individuals were divided into 2 groups: 15 patients with COPD and 15 healthy elderly people (control group). The groups underwent spirometry and photographed for postural assessment. The images were scanned and subsequently evaluated ten postural changes with SPA [lateral head tilting (LHT), shoulder asymmetry (SA1), anterior pelvic asymmetry (APA), lateral trunk tilting (LTT), scapular asymmetry (SA2), posterior pelvic asymmetry (PPA), head protrusion (HP), shoulder protrusion (SP), anterior pelvic tilting (ABT), and thoracic kyphosis (TK)]. These postural changes, obtained in the control group, were compared with the normal range for young adults, proposed in a previous study. For the comparison of postural changes between the control and COPD groups was used Mann-Whitney test in the control group, and young adults, the unpaired Students's t-test. The level of statistical significance was 5%. Among the ten postural changes, the control group had seven (LHT, APA, SA2, PPA, HP, SP, ABT) outside the normal range for young adults, with significantly higher angular values. When compared to healthy elderly, patients with COPD showed a significant increase in the angle of three postural changes (ABT, PPA, and TK). Patients with COPD have three postural changes that are probably related to the disease.