Background Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are an identified group with postural disturbances resulting from a lack of integration among the visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems. The insufficient level of maturity of the sensory systems is at least partly responsible for disturbances in maintaining body balance. More sway can increase the risk of falls and body injuries. The aims of the study were (1) to compare the ability to maintain the body balance of children and youth with a varying degree of ID, both with the eyes open and closed, and (2) to determine to what extent factors such as sex, level of ID, visual stimulus and body height independently affect the ability to maintain body balance in children and adolescents with ID. Method The study involved 131 people aged 13–21 years (65 girls and 66 boys). The participants were classified as (1) with mild disability (42 girls and 47 boys) and (2) with moderate disability (23 girls and 19 boys), based on IQ test results. Sway measures were collected with the Zebris platform, with the eyes open and closed. Sway path, sway path in anterio‐posterior and medio‐lateral directions and sway area were analysed. Results Boys with moderate ID were characterised by a significantly more sway indicating their worse postural balance ability than boys with mild ID, both in the trials with open eyes and closed ones. The type of test (eyes open/eyes closed) to a small extent had influenced the body balance of the examined children with ID. Results of analyses of covariance had showed that all analysed factors (sex, level of ID, type of the test performance and body height), irrespectively from direction of sway (sway path in anterio‐posterior and medio‐lateral directions), worked independently influencing body balance. Conclusions It could be assumed that lower height, moderate disability and male sex are factors significantly reducing ability of maintenance of balance of children and youth with ID.

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BACKGROUND: The gold standard in the clinical assessment of the extent of scoliosis is the Cobb method but the analysis also covers the changes that occur within the spine and trunk in relation to the transverse and sagittal planes. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to estimate changes in the sagittal plane of the spine in girls with right-sided thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. METHODS: The study involved 29 girls with scoliosis (13.6 ± 0.6 years) and 36 healthy girls as the comparison group. The tests included an interview, clinical examination (with the use of Adam’s test and the Cobb angle), and examination of shape of the spine surface with the use of the photogrammetric method and the projection moire effect. RESULTS: Lower values of the thoracic kyphosis parameters were found in the scoliosis group. Significant differences were noted for the parameters of the lumbosacral section α (p= 0.02), thoracolumbar section β (p< 0.001), the upper thoracic section γ (p< 0.001), thoracolumbar and upper thoracic section β+γ (p< 0.001) and the total size of α+β+γ (p< 0.001) curvatures. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that with an increase in the angular value of the thoracic curvature, the thoracic kyphosis decreased.

The study aimed to estimate the ability to tolerate body balance disturbance in relation to selected changes in the sagittal plane of the spine in early school-age children. The study involved 189 children with an average age of 8.3 ± 0.7 years (aged 7–10). The tests included an interview, clinical examination (measurement of body weight and height, assessment of the course of the spinous processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, assessment of the location of selected anatomical landmarks of the torso), and a physical examination in which the shape of the spine surface was examined with the use of the photogrammetric method and the moiré effect projection. Body balance disturbance tolerance skills (BBDTS) were measured with the rotational test (RT). In the rotational test, the results of body balance disturbance tolerance skills show a slight but statistically significant correlation with the bodyweight of the examined children (Rs = 0.35, p < 0.001). This relationship was also statistically significant in the groups by gender. Among the measured indicators of the curvature of the spine in the sagittal plane, the correlation with the RT test result was mostly related to the α angle and the value was Rs = 0.15 (p = 0.04). In the group of girls, this correlation was stronger and amounted to Rs = 0.26 (p = 0.015). Among other measured correlations, the dependence of variables such as the bodyweight of the subjects and the α angle was shown. In conclusion, increasing lumbar lordosis results in the deterioration of balance disturbance tolerance skills. As body weight increases, body balance disturbance tolerance skills decrease.

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Background and objective: It is important to introduce respiratory exercises to the therapy of patients after the surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Surgical correction is the best way to prevent hypoxia in scoliosis, but whether pulmonary rehabilitation increases the effectiveness of scoliosis surgery has not yet been confirmed. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the function of respiratory muscles after surgical correction of idiopathic scoliosis. Methods: The study involved 24 patients, aged 13.6 ± 0.6. Maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) were measured using the Mikro RPM. In all patients, before the procedure, 7 days after and 3 months after the procedure, the MIP and MEP were measured. Results: MIP was the lowest 7 days after the procedure; it was 45.28 cmH2O and was statistically significantly lower compared to the measurement before the procedure (p < 0.001) and 3 months after the procedure (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The degree of curvature of the spine before the procedure does not significantly affect initial values of the strength of respiratory muscles. The level of MIP is not dependent on the type of surgery.

Introduction: Nowadays the physical activity is very low. Frequent, long-lasting sitting and higher educational demands cause postural disorders especially in case of children. The main aim of this work was examination of relation between the balance and the position of the body among 10-11 years old pupils of an elementary school. Material and methods: Surveyed groop consisted of 71 pupils of an elementary school: 37 boys and 34 girls. As a method the superficial topography was used-the optical technology used for evaluation of asymmetry of contours of the back area connected with scoliosis. The Moiré´s system moves the shape of the back and it got the greatest popularity in rehabilitation. Evaluation of the superficial topography has got a good potential of repeatability and reproductibility. Using of the superficial topography is potentially a valuable method of the early detection of scoliosis. Results: Measured data were processed by the use of the statistic programe Excel. We were watching the mutual dependence expressed by the index of correlation of the ratio data expressed by the descriptive statistics. For expression of mutual dependences of qualitative data, the chi-quadrate test was used. All data were processed and verificated on the level of significance 0,05. Conclusions: In connection with the occurrence of scoliosis we supposed the dependence of the sex of respondents, of their weight and height. Not all assumptions were fully confirmed, we state dependences in the following article.

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