Plantar weight-bearing pattern in idiopathic scoliosis

Eighty-four patients were objectively evaluated with a weight-bearing pattern analyzer to determine whether spine deformity has an effect on the amount of weight borne on the right versus left foot and on the fore versus the hind foot. Patients with idiopathic scoliosis treated with bracing and surgery and patients with Scheuermann's kyphosis treated with bracing were compared with control subjects. Patients with right thoracic and thoracolumbar curves did not bear more weight on the right foot, as was previously thought. Patients with relatively unaffected lumbar spines exhibited normal sagittal plane weight-bearing patterns, whereas patients with double major and lumbar curves did show abnormalities in the weight-bearing pattern. Bracing of curves less than 40 degrees did not alter the plantar weight-bearing pattern, but it did significantly alter the pattern in curves greater than 40 degrees. Surgically treated patients were found to have increased hindfoot weight-bearing irrespective of the curve type or surgery.