Parameters of sagittal balance in view of studies on patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with cervical spine instability

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammation, with cervical spine instability being one of the consequences. The instability may lead to myelopathy and even death of the patient due to compression on the spinal vessels and nerve structures of the cervical section. Sagittal balance is one of the issues that has recently contributed to deepening the understanding of spine pathology. As regards RA, sagittal balance is of particular importance due to the nature of the disease, which naturally leads to damage in the physiological joints stabilisers. Joints damaged in the course of the disease become particularly vulnerable to biomechanical balance disorders. Managing patients suffering from RA with cervical spine instability is a serious issue. The literature pays little attention to the sagittal balance in patients suffering from RA. The goal of this paper is to draw attention to the selected parameters of sagittal balance and their mutual relations, as regards cervical spine.