Study design: Prospective radiographic and forceplate analysis in adult volunteers.
Objective: Assess gravity line (GL) location and foot position regarding anatomic spinal structures to evaluate key correlations and age-related changes in balance.
Summary of background data: Global spinal balance is commonly assessed by the C7 plumbline. This radiographic parameter does not offer information on foot position or forces transmitted, and poor correlation with the true GL has been demonstrated.
Methods: A total of 75 asymptomatic adult volunteers were equally distributed into three age groups. Full length, free-standing spine radiographs were obtained with simultaneous acquisition of GL and feet location (forceplate). GL and heels were projected on each radiograph to compute their distance from anatomic entities and to investigate correlations with radiologic parameters and age-related changes.
Results: In this study group, advancing age led to a significant increase in thoracic kyphosis. The plumbline from C7 shifted anteriorly with age. In the sagittal plane, the GL was anterior to the vertebral column for all groups. With age, the GL location regarding the heels remained constant, while the pelvis moved posteriorly toward the heels and underwent a small retroversion (increasing pelvic tilt). The acetabulum was the most reliable radiographic marker of the GL location.
Conclusions: This quantitative study in volunteers reveals clear age-related changes in the spino-pelvic association and offers quantitative support to the "cone of economy" concept proposed by Dubousset. The pelvis can be seen as a regulator to help maintain a rather fixed GL-heel association with age-related changes in the spinal column. Further study in patients suffering from deformity can confirm the importance of radiographic-gravity line correlations and enhance our understanding of optimal balance.