Aim: The use of ultrasound based motion analyzing systems is harmless and has no side effects. They are applicable among healthy people and children as well. Since 2007 we have been surveying children who suffer from spine and foot deformities and participate in adapted physical education. With three-year experience we decided to broaden the scope of the survey. In September last year we started a survey among primary school pupils aged 6-10 with the goal to follow up their state. At fi rst we examined the children’s initial state when their usual annual medical examination was made at school. The survey is planned to take at least three years. During the survey we pay special attention to reveal spine and foot vault deformities at an early stage, because these deformities are most common in the age group and after discovery conservative therapybased correction can be started without procrastination.

Material and Method: After the orthopaedic examination, we performed a static posture examination and sole pressure distribution examination among 210 pupils from the two primary schools. By analysis with the Zebris CMS-HS ultrasound-based system and using Win Spine program we defi ned the degree of dorsal kyphosis and lumbar lordosis, the total trunk inclination in the sagittal and frontal planes and the degree of scoliosis.

Results: Two children with innate locomotor disorders and a boy with neurological problems were excluded from the survey. Out of the remaining 207 children the orthopaedic examination found 75 healthy ones, 55 with bad back posture and 9 with flat back. 16 times the diagnosis was scoliosis, mostly functional but could be corrected properly. 53 children had no spine deformity but were positively fl at-footed. Following the recommendation of the GKE 2008 annual congress, we divided each group into subgroups according to the degree of curvatures in the sagittal plane. Dorsal kyphosis between 30 and 60 degrees and lumbar lordosis between 30 and 40 degrees were considered normal. Because of this consideration the healthy group was not homogeneous, either. 37.3% of them had fl at lumbar lordosis, 4% of them had fl at lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis, too. Among children with bad back posture these ratios were 50.9% and 3%, respectively.

Conclusion: Continuous control over different age groups makes it possible for us to search diagnosis- specifi csigns in the results of ultrasound-based motion analysis. The sign can be, for example, unbending of the curvature. The results of adapted physical education can be measured numerically. We can call the attention of teachers and parents for the need of posture correction built into physical education and everyday life.

DOI: 10.17489/biohun/2010/1/30