title: Height measurement of patients with neuromuscular disease and contractures.
abstract: Patients with neuromuscular diseases frequently have joint contractures, which preclude standard measurements of standing height. Standing height, arm-span, forearm and ulnar-segment measurements were taken of 116 normal children without contractures. Measurement of the forearm segment had the highest correlation with standing height, but it requires a special ruler. Arm-span measurement had good correlation with standing height, although this cannot be used if elbow or shoulder contractures are present; in such patients ulnar segment measurement can be used, but it has the lowest correlation with standing height.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Alfred I. duPont Institute, Wilmington, Delaware 19899.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koreska
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003286:Contracture / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000503:physiopathology; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000503:physiopathology