Human body posture as a source of information about selected diseases

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of the study is to present the differences between the human body posture (HBP) of healthy people and those suffering from specific disorders – both those clearly connected with HBP (scoliosis, coxarthrosis) and those seemingly unrelated (e.g. depression). The study was conducted based on the results of photogrammetric measurements of patients standing in a relaxed posture, scanned with a PBE system (Photogrammetrical Body Explorer). Research was conducted over a group of 190 people. Patients were divided into six subgroups based on diagnosed disease entity: coxarthrosis, discopathy, scoliosis, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome. A control group constituted of 36 healthy volunteers aged 19–29 years, with no identified defects of body posture. To evaluate the differences between the HBP of healthy and sick people, an HBP model based on 29 parameters describing the HBP in three anatomical planes was created. The research showed significant differences in the HBP of healthy and sick people. The results of the analysis indicate that an objective assessment of the HBP can be a source of relevant information on the general health of the patient and may be a useful tool in the diagnosis of selected diseases.