2 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Scoliosis is a disease that involves lateral and/or rotational deformity of the spine and can affect up to 4% of the population. Typically, surgery is considered when Cobb's angle, which is a measurement used for evaluation of curves in scoliosis on an anterior-posterior radiographic projection of the spine, is greater than 50 degrees in the thoracic region (40 degrees in the lumbar region) or when the curvature causes significant pain, or respiratory and cardiovascular restriction. Patient undergoing this surgical correction experience severe pain in the postoperative period and the management includes the use of opioid-based patient-controlled analgesia (PCA).
Surgical intervention may provide pain relief and improvement in function but one area of significant clinical interest is the restoration/improvement in gait and functional balance. Based on the investigators knowledge, there is limited literature on biomechanics and neuromuscular control of the lower extremities and spine as assessed by objective gait analysis and balance strategies in adult degenerative scoliosis patients, pre and post surgical intervention. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of spinal deformity on the biomechanics and neuromuscular control of the lower and upper extremities, and also investigate the impact of surgery on these functions as evaluated by gait and balance analyses using dynamic EMG, video motion capture and force plate analysis and also to compare these patients with healthy controls to better evaluate the extent of limitations before and after surgery.