title: Do adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis have body schema disorders? A cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To date etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis appears complex and still remains unclear. A distorted body schema has been proposed to be a part of a sequence of pathological events in the development of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the awareness of trunk misalignment in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information about 44 adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis was collected as follows: age; sex; handedness; family history of scoliosis; back pain; sport practice; shoulder and waist line symmetry; leg length; dorsal kyphosis; back hump; rehabilitation; scoliotic curve; Risser sign. We evaluated awareness of trunk misalignment with a graphic table displaying pictures of progressively increasing scoliotic curves. Patients were asked to indicate which picture corresponded to their perceived own spinal alignment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with thoracolumbar scoliosis overestimated their actual thoracic spine curve. Patients with thoracic-thoracolumbar scoliosis underestimated their actual thoracolumbar spine curve and overestimated their actual lumbar spine curve. Scoliotic curve > 15°, double curve, younger age, back pain, family history of scoliosis and lower Risser score related with a misperception of trunk alignment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support the hypothesis that adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis have an altered corporeal awareness of their trunk alignment.
authors.affiliation: Neuromotor and Cognitive Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picelli
authors.affiliation: Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Brescia, Don Gnocchi Foundation, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Negrini
authors.affiliation: Neuromotor and Cognitive Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zenorini
authors.affiliation: Clinical Laboratory of Experimental Neurorehabilitation, Santa Lucia IRCCS Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iosa
authors.affiliation: Clinical Laboratory of Experimental Neurorehabilitation, Santa Lucia IRCCS Foundation, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paolucci
authors.affiliation: Neuromotor and Cognitive Rehabilitation Research Center, Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.|Neurorehabilitation Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smania
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001416:Back Pain / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D011859:Radiography; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Body schema; body image; consciousness; corporeal awareness; rehabilitation