The Sitting Vs Standing Spine

Overview

Journal N Am Spine Soc J

Date 2022 Mar 21

PMID 35310424

Authors

Christos Tsagkaris

Jonas Widmer

Florian Wanivenhaus

Andrea Redaelli

Claudio Lamartina

Mazda Farshad

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Planning of surgical procedures for spinal fusion is performed on standing radiographs, neglecting the fact that patients are mostly in the sitting position during daily life. The awareness about the differences in the standing and sitting configuration of the spine has increased during the last years. The purpose was to provide an overview of studies related to seated imaging for spinal fusion surgery, identify knowledge gaps and evaluate future research questions.

Methods: A literature search according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMASc) was performed to identify reports related to seated imaging for spinal deformity surgery. A summary of the finding is presented for healthy individuals as well as patients with a spinal disorder and/or surgery.

Results: The systematic search identified 30 original studies reporting on 1) the pre- and postoperative use of seated imaging of the spine (n=12), 2) seated imaging of the spine for non - surgical evaluation (n=7) and 3) seated imaging of the spine among healthy individuals (12). The summarized evidence illuminates that sitting leads to a straightening of the spine decreasing thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), the sacral slope (SS). Further, the postural change between standing and sitting is more significant on the lower segments of the spine. Also, the adjacent segment compensates the needed postural change of the lumbar spine while sitting with hyperkyphosis.

Conclusions: The spine has a different configuration in standing and sitting. This systematic review summarizes the current knowledge about such differences and reveals that there is minimal evidence about their consideration for surgical planning of spinal fusion surgery. Further, it identifies gaps in knowledge and areas of further research.

Citing Articles

Impact of Standing and Sitting Postures on Spinal Curvature and Muscle Mechanical Properties in Young Women: A Photogrammetric and MyotonPro Analysis.

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Differences in spinal postures and mobility among adults with Prader-Willi syndrome, essential obesity, and normal-weight individuals.

Bayartai M, Luomajoki H, Tringali G, De Micheli R, Grugni G, Sartorio A Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023; 14:1235030.

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Biomechanical Effects of Different Sitting Postures and Physiologic Movements on the Lumbar Spine: A Finite Element Study.

Cho M, Han J, Kang S, Ahn C, Kim D, Kim C Bioengineering (Basel). 2023; 10(9).

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Differences in spinal posture and mobility between adults with obesity and normal weight individuals.

Bayartai M, Luomajoki H, Tringali G, De Micheli R, Abbruzzese L, Sartorio A Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):13409.

PMID: 37591910 PMC: 10435449. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40470-5.

Differences in spinal posture and mobility between children/adolescents with obesity and age-matched normal-weight individuals.

Bayartai M, Schaer C, Luomajoki H, Tringali G, De Micheli R, Sartorio A Sci Rep. 2022; 12(1):15570.

PMID: 36114222 PMC: 9481592. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19823-z.

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