scholarly journals Spinal curvatures of yoga practitioners compared to control participants—a cross-sectional study

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12185
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Grabara

Purpose The angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis determine the spinal alignment in the sagittal plane. The aim of this study was to compare the thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis of male and female yoga practitioners with non-practicing participants and to determine the possible dependencies between sagittal spinal curvatures and somatic parameters, time spent on yoga exercise, and undertaking other physical activities in yoga practitioners. Methods The study involved 576 women and 91 men ages 18–68 years (mean = 38.5 ± 9) who were practicing yoga, and 402 women and 176 men ages 18–30 years (mean = 20.2 ± 1.3) as a control group. The angles of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis were measured using a Plurimeter-V gravity inclinometer. Results The two-way ANOVA demonstrated the influence of group (p < .0001) and sex (p = .03) on the angle of thoracic kyphosis, as well as the influence of group (p < .0001) and sex (p < .0001) on the angle of lumbar lordosis. It was noted that yoga practitioners had less pronounced thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis and were more often characterized by normal or smaller thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis than students from the control group. In yoga practitioners, the angle of thoracic kyphosis was positively correlated with age, body mass, BMI, and undertaking other forms of physical activity. The angle of lumbar lordosis was negatively correlated with body height and body mass. Conclusions The results suggest that yoga exercises can affect the shape of the anterior-posterior curves of the spine and may be an efficient training method for shaping proper posture in adults.

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vrushali P. Panhale ◽  
Prachita P. Walankar ◽  
Aishwarya Sridhar

Abstract Background Gaining proficiency in Bharatanatyam dance form necessitates maintenance of different postures for prolonged duration. These repetitive movements place tremendous physical demands on the body at young age and may alter the postural profile of the dancer. The study aimed to evaluate the differences in terms of posture between female Bharatanatyam dancers and age-matched non-dancers. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 40 female Bharatanatyam dancers and 40 age-matched female non-dancers in the age group of 18 to 30 years. Analysis of erect standing posture of dancers and non-dancers was conducted in a reserved environment using a photogrammetric method. Static photographs of the subjects were taken in the sagittal plane. The measurement of the angles of the digitized photographs was performed using KINOVEA 0.8.15 software. Head protrusion angle, cervical lordosis angle, thoracic kyphosis angle, lumbar lordosis angle, and pelvic tilt angle were evaluated. Results There was no significant difference between the dancers and non-dancers with respect to head protrusion angle (p = 0.081), cervical lordosis (p = 0.15), and thoracic kyphosis (p = 0.33). Significant differences were identified between the dancers and non-dancers for lumbar lordosis (p = 0.00) and pelvic tilt (p = 0.00) using independent t test with dancers. Higher values of lumbar lordosis and pelvic tilt were observed in dancers. Conclusion Increased lumbar lordosis and anterior pelvic tilt were observed in Bharatanatyam dancers as compared to non-dancers. Hence, it is vital to establish preventive measures like postural re-education, muscular balance, and flexibility to prevent erroneous postural patterns capable of causing pain and injuries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Grabara ◽  
Anna Bieniec ◽  
Agnieszka Nawrocka

Summary Study aim: The aim was to assess the spinal curvatures of primary and lower secondary male and female students from Silesia and to identify individual variations that can determine spinal posture.Material and methods: The study involved 331 girls and 286 boys aged 8 to 16 years. Eligible criteria were non-participation in any professional sport training, and participation in mandatory physical education classes. Posture was evaluated using the moiré method. Measurements of somatic parameters were made with a medical scale using a height meter and a Tanita electronic balance.Results: Dimorphic postural differences of boys and girls were seen mainly in the shape of lumbar lordosis. Girls were more lordotic than boys at all ages except 10-years-olds. Angle γ was significantly greater in 9-, 15- and 16-year-old girls than boys. LLA was significantly more prominent in 15- and 16-year-old girls than boys. Thoracic kyphosis was significantly more prominent in 8- and 11-year-old boys than girls. We also found a significant effect of age and somatic parameters. In boys mean lumbar lordosis was more pronounced in 10-year-olds. In girls fat mass, fat percentage and BMI correlated with angle α and angle Δ. In boys body height and mass, fat mass, total body water and BMI correlated with angles β, γ, Δ, and lordosis lumbar angle.Conclusions: The shape of lumbar lordosis is associated with age and gender. Lumbar lordosis decreases with age in male children and adolescents. Our study revealed poor correlations between sagittal spinal curvatures and somatic parameters.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel González-Sánchez ◽  
Jin Luo ◽  
Raymond Lee ◽  
Antonio I. Cuesta-Vargas

To analyse and compare standing thoracolumbar curves in normal weight participants and participants with obesity, using an electromagnetic device, and to analyse the measurement reliability.Material and Methods. Cross-sectional study was carried out. 36 individuals were divided into two groups (normal-weight and participants with obesity) according to their waist circumference. The reference points (T1–T8–L1–L5and both posterior superior iliac spines) were used to perform a description of thoracolumbar curvature in the sagittal and coronal planes. A transformation from the global coordinate system was performed and thoracolumbar curves were adjusted by fifth-order polynomial equations. The tangents of the first and fifth lumbar vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebra were determined from their derivatives. The reliability of the measurement was assessed according to the internal consistency of the measure and the thoracolumbar curvature angles were compared between groups.Results. Cronbach’s alpha values ranged between 0.824 (95% CI: 0.776–0.847) and 0.918 (95% CI: 0.903–0.949). In the coronal plane, no significant differences were found between groups; however, in sagittal plane, significant differences were observed for thoracic kyphosis.Conclusion. There were significant differences in thoracic kyphosis in the sagittal plane between two groups of young adults grouped according to their waist circumference.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meijuan Liu ◽  
Bingyan Cao ◽  
Qipeng Luo ◽  
Qiao Wang ◽  
Min Liu ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations of sleep duration, wake-up time, bedtime, and childhood abdominal obesity, and to test whether there is a weekday/weekend difference and the potential modifying role of sex.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was based on the Students’ Constitution and Health Survey and included 9559 students (4840 boys and 4719 girls) aged 7–18 years (7227 aged 7–12 years, 2332 aged 13–18 years). They were divided into two groups (control group and group with abdominal obesity). The physical measurements included children and youth body height, body weight, and waist circumference (WC). A parent-report questionnaire was used to collect the information about parent characteristics as well as lifestyle and sleep patterns (sleep duration, bedtime, and wake-up time of weekdays and weekends) of children and youth.ResultsThe prevalence of abdominal obesity was 30.57% and the percentages of sleep duration &lt;9 hours/day, wake-up time before 07:00 am on weekdays and weekends, bedtime after 10:00 pm on weekends were significantly higher in the group with abdominal obesity. After adjusting for confounders, sleep duration &lt;9 hours/day on weekends was inversely related to abdominal obesity in the overall subjects, regardless of their sex and age, while bedtime after 10:00 pm on weekends was inversely related to abdominal obesity only in the overall subjects, boys, and children aged 7–12 years. Logistic regression models in all subjects showed that shorter hours of weekends sleep duration were associated with greater risks of abdominal obesity, even after adjusting for all confounders, including wake-up time and bedtime. The adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of abdominal obesity (with ≥10 hours/day as the reference group) for children with 9–10 hours/day, 8–9 hours/day, and &lt;8 hours/day of weekend sleep duration were 1.23 (1.04–1.46), 1.59 (1.32–1.91) and 1.83 (1.42–2.36), respectively. Specifically, after stratification by sex and age, this phenomenon was only observed in boys and children aged 7–12 years.ConclusionsSleep duration and bedtime on weekends were independently associated with the risk of childhood abdominal obesity, particularly in boys and children aged 7–12 years.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui F. Afonso ◽  
Joana B. Balardin ◽  
Sara Lazar ◽  
João R. Sato ◽  
Nadja Igarashi ◽  
...  

Yoga, a mind-body activity that requires attentional engagement, has been associated with positive changes in brain structure and function, especially in areas related to awareness, attention, executive functions and memory. Normal aging, on the other hand, has also been associated with structural and functional brain changes, but these generally involve decreased cognitive functions. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare brain cortical thickness (CT) in elderly yoga practitioners and a group of age-matched healthy non-practitioners. We tested 21 older women who had practiced hatha yoga for at least 8 years and 21 women naive to yoga, meditation or any mind-body interventions who were matched to the first group in age, years of formal education and physical activity level. A T1-weighted MPRAGE sequence was acquired for each participant. Yoga practitioners showed significantly greater CT in a left prefrontal lobe cluster, which included portions of the lateral middle frontal gyrus, anterior superior frontal gyrus and dorsal superior frontal gyrus. We found greater CT in the left prefrontal cortex of healthy elderly women who trained yoga for a minimum of 8 years compared with women in the control group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-97
Author(s):  
Kaio Rodrigo Barreto Ramiro ◽  
Sylvio Mystro Neto ◽  
Ivan Guidolin Veiga ◽  
André Frazão Rosa ◽  
Mauricio Coelho Lima ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the cervical sagittal parameters of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and compare them with the parameters obtained from healthy patients in a sample of the Brazilian population. Methods: Epidemiological data were collected and 72 radiographs of the cervical spine in the sagittal plane were evaluated by measuring the cervical sagittal parameters COG-C7 (distance measured between the center of gravity of the head and the C7 plumb line -cranial offset), C2-C7 lordosis (vertebrae from C2 to C7), T1S (T1 slope), TIA (thoracic inlet angle) and NT (neck tilt). Statistical analysis was performed using the Student’s t and chi-square tests. Results: The TIA and NT values in the RA group were 88.8° ± 12.6° and 54.5° ± 9.3°, respectively, while for the control group, they were 77.7° ± 7.9° and 50.5° ± 7.7°, respectively, the RA group values being statistically higher than the control group values (p <0.001 and p = 0.050, respectively). The values obtained for COG-C7, C2-C7 lordosis and T1S for the RA group were 9.4 ± 16.4mm, 25° ± 22.4° and 2.6° ± 10.1°, respectively, while for the control group they were 11.8 ± 17.6mm, 26.8° ± 12.5° and 30.9° ± 8.4°, respectively. Conclusions: Patients with RA present changes in the thoracic inlet parameters as compared to the control group, with a statistically significant increase in the TIA and NT values, outlining a characteristic compensatory pattern for maintaining cervical sagittal balance. Level of evidence III; Controlled cross-sectional study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-17
Author(s):  
Selvakumar Subash ◽  
Manikandan Sathiyaseelan ◽  
Dayanalakshmi Ramachandran

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful and powerful non-invasive tool for quantitative assessment of cardiac autonomic function. Recent studies have shown that low heart rate variability is an indication of increased risk for cardiac diseases and sudden cardiac death. Yoga has been associated with improved cardio-respiratory performance. Thirty male regular yoga practitioners doing yoga for more than 3 years, age between 25-45 years (yoga group) and 30 male non-yoga practitioners, age-matched (control group) were included. A computerized Niviqure ECG system with HRV software was used for heart rate variability recording. Our results show that frequency-domain parameters like LF power, LF n.u, and LF/HF ratio were significantly lower in yoga group compared to control group. Time-domain parameters like mean RR, NN50, pNN50 were significantly higher in yoga group compared to control group. We conclude that the yoga increases heart rate variability by optimizing the autonomic functions, which is a good indicator of cardiac autonomic activity during rest.


2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Augusto Santos Silva ◽  
Edio Luiz Petroski ◽  
Adroaldo Cesar Araujo Gaya

The objective of this work was to compare the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics of Brazilian adolescents who practise team court sports and to compare specific parameters obtained for adolescents with data from the general population. This was a cross-sectional study of 1,348 male adolescents grouped as follows: basketball players (n = 287), indoor soccer players (n = 665), handball players (n = 108) and volleyball players (n = 288), all between 10 and 14 years of age. Anthropometric (body mass, body height, arm span, and body mass index) and physical fitness data (flexibility, muscular strength, explosive power, speed, aerobic fitness and agility) were collected. The Brazilian population was used as a reference and compared to the adolescent subjects using Z scores for all variables. Anthropometric characteristics and performances in physical fitness tests differed (p<0.05) among players of different sports. In addition, for each variable assessed, adolescents who practised team court sports showed similar or improved results compared to their counterparts in the general population (p<0.05). Furthermore, the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics differed depending on the team court sport practised. These findings may elucidate which physical abilities are most impacted by the practise of a particular team sport as well as help teachers and physical education and sport professionals identify talented adolescents.


Author(s):  
V.I. Pokhуlko ◽  
Yu.I. Cherniavska ◽  
S.M. Tsvirenko ◽  
Z.I. Rossokha ◽  
Yu.Yu. Klymchiuk

The high prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome throughout the world over the past two decades provided the grounds to the WHO to consider overweight as a non-infectious pandemic. Among the factors that negatively affect the metabolism, result in metabolic disorders and obesity there are genetic, prenatal, diet-related, somatic, psychogenic and others. Analysis of LEPR and GR gene polymorphisms among mothers and their newborns can be an important component in the prediction of metabolic disorders and obesity. The aim of this study was to analyze the presence of clinical and genetic determinants of metabolic syndrome in mothers and their newborns. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study of 42 pairs of mothers and newborns was performed; we analyzed their anthropometric, clinical and laboratory parameters and, in particular, 2 types of genetic polymorphisms (LEPR rs1137101 and GR, BClI polymorphism). The main group consisted of 15 mother-child pairs, where the woman was clinically obese (body mass index more than 30), the comparison group included 27 mother-child pairs, where the women were overweight (body mass index more than 25). Results. Obese mothers were significantly more likely to have a miscarriage (p = 0.01). Children from obese mothers had significantly higher percentiles of birth weight compared to the control group (60.9 ± 7.7 and 49.75 ± 4.5, respectively, p = 0.05). The GG genotype of the GR gene was associated with more common indications for hospitalization (p = 0.012), rapid delivery (p = 0.01), umbilical cord entanglement around the neck of the foetus (p = 0.012). Among the children- carriers of the GG BclI genotype GR, cardio-metabolic disorders detected by the auscultation of the heart (arrhythmia, functional noise) were found out as significantly more frequent (p = 0.003). Conclusion. The study did not find the associations between LEPR and GR gene polymorphism in obese mothers and the development of overweight in their children, but the study revealed an adverse effect of polymorphic variants on obstetric and gynaecological status of mothers, labour and adaptation of infants in the early neonatal period.


Author(s):  
Athalie Redwood-Brown ◽  
Grant William Ralston ◽  
Jennifer Wilson

Abstract Background Contemporary literature indicates that a higher body mass index (BMI) serves as a risk factor for metabolic disease and is also correlated with greater disease severity. Subsequently, it has been linked to increased COVID-19 severity. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether regular CrossFit™ participation was associated with lower BMI, decreased COVID-19 severity and susceptibility. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1806 CrossFit™ (CF) participants. Participants were asked about their age (yrs), sex (male vs. female), ethnic group, body height (cm) and weight (kg). Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was computed and consistent with WHO (2018) criteria. Participants self-reported their training history, health and lifestyle history, nutritional customs, present training status and suspected levels of exposure to COVID-19. Once submitted the collected data were coded, cleaned and analysed. Results The final model comprised of 1806 CF individuals from an online survey response rate of 2086. The participants age ranged from 18 to 65+ yrs. Self-reported mean body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) reported that < 1% were underweight, 41% were healthy, 46% overweight, 10% class I obese, 2% class II obese, and < 1% class III obese. A Kruskal–Wallis H test compared gender and self-reported probability of being infected with COVID-19 with significant differences between subgroups (x2 (4, N = 1739) = 10.86, p = 0.03). Analysis of BMI and perceived severity of COVID-19 revealed a difference however not, significant (x2 (4, N = 1739) = 9.46, p = 0.051). Results on BMI and perceived probability of COVID-19 infection revealed no significant difference (x2 (4, N = 1739) = 2.68, p = 0.61). A separate analysis on BMI and perceived COVID-19 susceptibility revealed no significant difference (x2 (4, N = 1740) = 6.02, p = 0.20). Conclusions The purpose of the study was to establish whether habitual CrossFit™ participation is associated with reduced BMI, and to further investigate whether habitual participation impacted perceptions of disease. Results of the study indicate that self-reported CrossFit™ participation during the first UK lockdown, measured in minutes of exercise was indicative of a lower BMI. This has been associated with greater host immunity to disease. A history of CrossFit™ participation was not shown to impact perceptions of disease. However, our sample population reported few changes to habitual exercise during lockdown which may be due to the ‘community’ and increased adherence associated with CrossFit™.


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