Abstract
Preservation of lordosis has been reported to be a factor critically affecting long-term results of spinal fusion, but there has been no detailed report on sagittal spinal alignment and balance in the elderly.
We performed a radiological study of lumbosacral and pelvic alignment in 40 elderly volunteers, and compared the results with those of adult volunteers for the parameters of thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, hip axis to the C7 plumb line, sacropelvic angle, and sacral inclination. We also compared the lumbar lordosis subgroup to the lumbar kyphosis subgroup for the elderly group.
The elderly individuals stood up with a flat back and vertical sacrum, and their trunks bent forward compared with the young adult control to compensate for their imbalance.
The lumbar kyphosis group tended to exhibit loss of thoracic kyphosis, bending more forward than the lumbar lordosis group on standing.
