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

The aim of this study was to cross-sectionally explore the association of obesity with spinal posture and mobility, commonly associated with musculoskeletal problems, by comparing the spinal parameters between 90 obese and 109 normal-weight children and adolescents. A non-invasive electromechanical device, the Idiag M360 (Idiag, Fehraltorf, Switzerland), was used to measure the spinal parameters. An age-and-sex-adjusted two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine postural and mobility differences between the two groups. Children and adolescents with obesity had significantly greater thoracic kyphosis [difference between groups (Δ) = 13.0(0), 95% CI 10.1(0)–15.8(0), p < 0.0001] and thoracic extension (Δ = 6.5(0), 95% CI 2.9(0)–11.6(0), p = 0.005), as well as smaller mobility in thoracic flexion (Δ = 5.0(0), 95% CI 1.2(0)–8.8(0), p = 0.01), thoracic lateral flexion (Δ = 17.7(0), 95% CI 11.6(0)–23.8(0), p < 0.0001), lumbar flexion (Δ = 12.1(0), 95% CI 8.7(0)–15.5(0), p < 0.0001), lumbar extension (Δ = 7.1(0), 95% CI 3.1(0)–12.2(0), p = 0.003) and lumbar lateral flexion (Δ = 9.1(0), 95% CI 5.5(0)–12.8(0), p < 0.0001) compared to the normal-weight children and adolescents. These findings provide important information about the characteristics of the spine in children and adolescents with obesity and unique insights into obesity-related mechanical challenges that the spine has to withstand and strategies designed to improve spinal mobility in this young population.