Study of the incidence of postural kyphosis in 11-to-14-year-old adolescents from the school district of Maringá

Abstract

Two hundred 11-to-14-year-old male and female adolescents from Alberto Byington Junior high school, in Maringá, state of Paraná, Brazil, were investigated to verify the incidence of postural kyphosis, through postural and biometric evaluation and registering the weight of their school materials. In a sample of 200 students postural kyphosis was detected in 76 (38%) cases of which 44 (58%) were female students and 32 (42%) were male students showing no significant differences between the two groups. A predominance (75%) of kyphosis in adolescents with signs of puberty was observed. Pain symptoms were presents in 28 cases (37%) of kyphosis-bearing individuals. The most frequent kyphosis-favoring postural deviatios were investigated. Twenty-two (11%) individuals out of the 200 investigated were carrying a load of school materials weighing 10% or more of their own bodyweight. In 9 (40%) of these cases kyphosis was detected. The results indicate that these adolescents may have their kyphotic posture worsened by excessive load. The investigation also verified that the daily activities of the individuals favored the development of postural kyphosis.