POSTURAL ALTERATIONS AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN IN CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA (IN SPANISH)

Introduction: postural misalignment is the result of several factors such as the adoption of poor posture, mishandling of objects, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, stress and the lack of ergonomic furniture, among others. Objective: to describe the postural alterations in a school in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Methodology: this cross-sectional study evaluated the entire student population of a school. There were appraised 242 students. It was performed a physical examination and a plumb line was used to assess the deviation in the anterior, posterior, and lateral view of the anatomical planes in order to identify postural abnormalities. Results: the students were between five to 17 years old, being 60% male and 40% female. The most frequently observed postural abnormalities in the lower limbs were genu varum and supinator foot, being presented in all students. One-third of students had right hip elevation, 70% had metatarsus adductus, 51% had kyphosis, 48% had lordosis, 17% winged scapula and 54% had dextroscoliosis. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of several postural alterations in school children. The proper approach for these anomalies requires to promote the development of expertise among physiotherapists working in prevention and treatment of postural changes. Rev.cien.biomed. 2014;5(2):220-226. KEYWORDS Posture, Musculoskeletal and neural physiological phenomena, Lower extremity, Spine