Development of a multibody model to assess efforts along the spine for the rehabilitation of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis

INTRODUCTION: Gait analysis has often been recognized as helpful for the therapeutic follow-up of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (IS). METHODS: A multibody model of the human body was developed to display the intervertebral efforts along the spine of each adolescent with IS, and highlight the efforts that significantly differ from typical age-matched healthy adolescents. The intervertebral efforts of one adolescent with IS and an age-matched adolescent during a complete gait cycle were computed and compared. RESULTS: All intervertebral efforts are larger in the adolescent with IS compared to the healthy adolescent, except for the vertical torque. The average medio-lateral torque and force for the participant with IS are respectively 200% and 114% higher. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the pathological efforts are not concentrated around critical points but distributed along the spine. Thus, higher average efforts along the spine in adolescent with IS may influence the spine deformity due to mechanical modulations according to the Hueter-Volkmann Law. The potential of this model is promising for the therapeutic follow-up of adolescents with IS because it provides real-time efforts along the spine, as well as the corresponding information about the asymmetrical behavior of the spine during gait.